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brickstser69
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Why not both? Selling their oil abroad without Sanctions can benefit the country. Especially if it's ran by an elected government and not a dictator.
Sky said analysts believe Maduro lost the 2024 elections in a landslide. So in that context, maybe the public support his removal. But I also suspect they want the oil used primarily for the benefit of their country, not for other ones.
Venezuela is a member of OPEC so a client president would also be a US toehold within OPEC if its members recognised it.
Of course they'll be careful and they have no choice. They're all afraid of what Trump might do.
https://thefederal.com/category/international/us-strikes-venezuela-global-reactions-223852
Yes, indeed he does (sadly for all of us). I don't think this is good, regardless.
The Russian govt. comments on it so far have been careful, and not as harshly critical of the US, as one might have expected in the past.
Keeping Trump and the GOP "on side" with their pro-Russian policy towards Europe and Ukraine is far more critical and the higher goal. Russia's allies elsewhere will be left twist in the wind if needed.
Saw that already with Iran IMO - hardly a peep when it was attacked by Israel with US connivance, and then bombed by Trump. So long and thanks for all the Shaheds!
If the US get control of Venezuelan oil they can push Russia even further out of the market. China will be happy as long as they've access to the oil which I'm pretty sure the US won't have an issue with. It's a bit of a coincidence the Chinese were meeting with him as this happened.
why would it affect Russian oil prices?
He calls the shots. This could be devastating for Russian oil prices. Russian z blogger's are in crisis mode right now.
There's legal precedent for this unfortunately, the US used the same tactic to take out Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega in the 1980s. The Noriega case was somewhat different insofar as the US had jurisdiction over the Panama Canal Zone, but the basic line off arguing, and the indictment, followed the same line that the Trump administration is using now.
Having said that, today's action in Venezuela is far worse in my eyes, and not just because it shows just how little Trump cares about anything or anyone. From what I can see, it also falls short from the point of regime change. Yes, the US took down Maduro, but the rest of the regime is still in place. The strikes that the US conducted seemed to be focused purely on taking out air defences and providing close air support to the special forces (Delta Force, apparently) strike teams sent in to get Maduro and his wife. There were, at least from what I can see, no strikes against Venezuela's other political leaders, the regime's internal security forces, or any other activities that would facilitate a toppling of the current regime.
Then again, what do I expect from a tangerine toddler that's incapable of thinking beyond his next cheeseburger? Long term planning?
I would prefer to say the "US military" did it rather than Trump. imo he's a reckless fool that has inherited (thanks, US electorate!) a sharp knife or a well maintained gun to use to do whatever he wants, for now.
Whilst the Russians have some neck to denounce the American extraction of Maduro.
I do also have to think the absolute cheek of the Americans as well. Will the world do anything but wag a finger? Nope. As long as the oil keeps pumping China won’t give too much of a **** what happens to Maduro.
Curious, is that even legal when it comes to the court in New York? Surely this wasn’t legal.. considering the Americans had no jurisdiction to even be in Venezuela.
Off topic I know but just unreal news to see this morning.
Russia can only dream carrying the decapitation strike that America appears to have done over night in Venezuela
Russia has condemned the U.S. strike on Venezuela as an act of “armed aggression” urging restraint and warning against further escalation. Moscow says the justification is untenable and accuses Washington of choosing ideology over diplomacy.
True..
Two down. Two to go.
I don't . I'm just pointing out the tramps that government are.
if you think Trump ordered this operation because Venezuela recognised parts of Ukraine as Russian then I think that’s naive.
I fear it just emboldens Russia. Putin is thinking if Trump can just abduct heads of State, why cant I?
Although he definitely tried that back in early 2022.
Trump just conducted a 3 hour special military operation and captured the criminal head of Venezuela Madura to be prosecuted in the United States.
If he ends up getting traded to Belarus or Russia I'd nearly suspect there was a secret agreement behind the scenes if he goes to jail for a long time then there wasn't.
Russia's terrorist allies are finding out the hard way. I believe Venezuela were recognising occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian.
Contributing to the war effort doesn't mean everybody has to "grab a gun and go to the front lines", as some posters in here have exhorted people to do - it's about doing what you can, when you can, with the talents and capabilities that you possess.
For some, that's knitting socks, for others it's donating funds and keeping the war front and centre in others' minds.
Great deduction care you share with links why ??
A good summary of the year gone by. Russia increased gains slightly last year but what's important the rate of increase doesn't continue after this year.
To hit this bridge would indeed be quite something. the article calls it Bridge 777 and I did a quick Google Maps on it; it's a good 4000km from Eastern Ukraine.
The bridge has a span of 602m and the article describes it as a single point of failure. It would be unrecoverably catastrophic to Russia if it was destroyed.
It would look radiantly beautiful lying shattered and semi-submerged in the frigid waters of the Yenesei.
Even Trump knows Putin was never attacked, that it was just a plot to justify what Russia is doing, attacking the innocent
https://bsky.app/profile/antongerashchenko.bsky.social/post/3mbhuq3tuus2e
95-year-old Mrs Sofiia Dukhovych from the village of Krylos,Ivano-Frankivsk region,has been knitting socks for Ukrainian Defenders for three years.During this time,she has knitted over 270 pairs
Wonderful lady!
There is probably something, though understandably they tend more towards emphasising positives that show their fortitude in the face of adversity.
Russian propaganda channel now criticising the war, or at least the lack of progress Russia has made. Is this a genuine shift among the Russian elite, or it is a momentary lapse of editorial control?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), as the next chief of the Presidential Office, signaling a potential major shift in Kyiv’s wartime leadership structure, Zelenskyy stated on X on January 2.The President said he has already instructed the new head of the Presidential Office to begin preparing updated strategic foundations for Ukraine’s defense and long-term development—suggesting the transition may already be underway.“At this time, Ukraine needs greater focus on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track of negotiations, and the Office of the President will primarily serve the fulfillment of these tasks of our state,” Zelenskyy said following his meeting with Budanov.national defense and development strategy for approval.
The Russians still havent occupied all of Pokrovsk. They are now shifting away from mass assaults to small infiltrations. The Ukrainians control an area north of the railway.
They could retaliate very easily-by leaving Ukraine.
This Russian propagandist video has lots of home truths for Putin.
https://x.com/i/status/2006994315378118924
Putin bombed a supermarket in Kharkiv. 30 injured including an infant.
I wonder if Ukr would come up with a video - or even a few iPod them- showing Russian attacks on all types of civilian populations , children’s parks, maimed children with limbs missing, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. Ukr would not need to fictionalise any of them as it would have real live situations to capture
Very interesting. This will grow Budanov's political power domestically. It seems obvious from the media coverage in recent years that he is held in quite high esteem among Western military circles, but I don't know how he viewed domestically within Ukraine.
I guess this was the smartest option to Zelenskiy. Yermak's involvement in that corruption scandal was a serious blow to him, so having him replaced with a spymaster should keep rest of his government ministers in check and ensure no one else steps out of line.
