Or the end of the beginning? Or just the start of the next big ugly mess – once Putin turns the gas off.
Germany: G7 rejects Russia’s demand to pay for gas in rubles – The Group of Seven major economies have agreed to reject Moscow’s demand to pay for Russian natural gas exports in rubles.
“Payment in ruble is not acceptable, and we will urge the companies affected not to follow (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s demand.”
Two German states ban Russian ‘Z’ symbol – The ‘Z’ symbol used by Russia in the war against Ukraine is banned by two of Germany’s federal states, and more could soon follow as calls to extend the ban to other regions pile up.
Bavaria and Lower Saxony, two of the most populated German regions, have outlawed the public use of the Russian symbol. Anyone showing the symbol publicly or at demonstrations can now face up to three years in prison or a fine.
Pass a law that mandates gas storage facilities be filled by winter.
Only, what are you going to fill these storage facilties with? If Vladimir Putin turns off the gas, I mean. Oktoberfest beer?
Germany approves law mandating full gas storage before winter – The Bundestag lower house on Friday approved legislation requiring Germany’s privately-operated gas storage facilities to be full at the start of the next winter, to try to avert shortages in the event of a halt in Russian gas imports.
But not over her? How convenient. Even that saluting soldier down there can see that something ain’t kosher with her.
Talk about Teflon. But even the Germans will scratch it all off eventually, Mutti. Get those memoires out ASAP!
Merkel’s Legacy on Russia Casts a Shadow over Her Party – Angela Merkel had been fully aware of just how brutal Vladimir Putin could be. She even admitted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline had been a “devil’s project.” But why didn’t she do anything to change Germany’s energy dependence on Russia – and why is her party so quiet about it now?
Grab a pencil and a piece of paper and I’ll explain to you: She systematically bumped off anybody in her party who dared to have an opinion other than hers. See Friedrich Merz, the guy who came back in from the cold to run the party now. They’ll get around to dismantling her eventually, once they’re in power again.
PS: Personally, I think she was a Russian mole. But maybe that’s just me.
That means: There are other solutions. There are better alternatives.
And suddenly, inexplicably, despite the GROWING NUMBER of coronavirus infections, most German pandemic restrictions will now no longer be necessary. Makes one wonder if they were necessary in the first place. Hmmm.
German lawmakers vote to abolish most pandemic restrictions – Lawmakers in Germany have voted to abolish most of the country’s coronavirus pandemic restrictions despite a surge in infections, with almost 300,000 new daily cases reported
Or, German of the day: Unangenehm. That means that means unpleasant.
Zelensky’s Appeal in Berlin Meets a Realpolitik Wall – President Volodymyr Zelensky would be demanding, begging, and accusing. He would appeal to the conscience of Germany’s parliament deputies to do more than they had done so far. Knowing this, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ministers rejected attempts to add a debate on Ukraine to the agenda after Zelensky’s video appearance. Scholz, who had orchestrated nothing less than an about-face of German foreign policy weeks before, dodged the expected unpleasant grilling.
The government wanted to move on to the next item on the list, as though a speech by the embattled president of a neighboring country is just another item on the day’s agenda. Yes, there was a standing ovation—but it lasted just 60 seconds. Then Zelensky waved good-bye and ended the video transmission, leaving the applauding deputies standing and ashamed.
Is Germany’s moment of courage over before it even began?
It’s never been tried before but the times they are a changin’ and call for desperate measures.
It goes like this: Instead of developing their own comparable European weapon system that will take three times longer to develop and cost three times more than planned (and then not work), Germany will buy a fully-functioning weapon system from US-Amerika that already exists and is immediately deliverable instead.
Germany to buy F-35 warplanes for nuclear deterrence – Germany will buy up to 35 copies of the U.S.-made F-35 fighter jet, reversing years-long plans that saw the fifth-generation warplane eliminated from consideration, defense leaders announced Monday.
He’s going to fix everything with his boss. And with Ukraine and all that.
Top lobbyists have that kind of clout or something.
German ex-Chancellor Schroeder meets Putin in Moscow – Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, political news website Politico reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Hey, the Germans couldn’t have done it without Angela Merkel.
Factbox: How dependent is Germany on Russian gas?
Russia has warned it may shut off its main Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany after Berlin halted approval of a second line across the Baltic Sea in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.