Ukraine and European leaders agreed on Saturday to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from 12 May with the backing of US president Donald Trump, threatening president Vladimir Putin with new “massive” sanctions if he failed to comply.

The announcement was made by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine after a meeting in Kyiv, during which they held a phone call with Trump.

  • Libra00@lemmy.ml
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    2 days ago

    Haven’t Western nations already been applying significant sanctions to Russia? It’s pretty clear that hasn’t been working, why do they imagine that more of the same will work any better? Oh right, they don’t, they just want to look like they’re doing something useful.

    • Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 days ago

      It’s pretty clear that hasn’t been working

      It’s pretty clear you never looked into it. The Russian economy is massively strained, they got huge problems due to those sanctions.

      • Libra00@lemmy.ml
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        1 day ago

        No doubt, but as a mechanism of applying pressure to get them to stop invading Ukraine, I think you’ll have to agree that it’s failed miserably. That’s what I (and most people) mean by ‘working’: accomplishing the intended aim. Huge problems or not, the war continues unabated. Why do you imagine doing more of the same would be any more effective?

    • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Secondary sanctions could cripple Russia. If Europe and the US say trading with Russia means you cant trade with them then China walks away. No two ways about it, China needs markets to sell their stuff, it would be tense and countries would skirt around them but individual companies can no longer operate flights to the UAE because the governments trade with Russia? They dont do enough trade to make that worthwhile, Russia isnt a big enough market for any country who has any passing trade with the EU or US.

      • Libra00@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        Why? Primary sanctions didn’t. The US and Europe effectively crashed out of Russia’s economy for the most part; they lost access to Western banking, Western businesses abandoned Russia in droves, and the oil and gas sales to Europe that Russia is heavily dependent upon have been significantly reduced. Yet they seem to be doing fine, so what’s left?

        Also, why on earth would China walk away from trade with Russia? It’s pretty clear the US-led world order of trade is falling apart and China hasn’t been the one begging for trade deals over here, they seem fine to just write us off and go on about their business elsewhere in the world, I doubt they would have any compunction about doing the same to Europe if it came to that (which I doubt it will.)

        • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          The total amount of Chinese trade with Russia is less than the deficit Europe has with China. Secondary sanctions would mean they lose access to the EU which is about 4 times the population size of Russia, and same again for the US. China is pragmatic, and they don’t want that difficulty in favour of propping up a failing regime.

          Yeah the Trump regime is stupid and cant handle international relations. Why would China engage.

          • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
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            19 hours ago

            The amount of trade is not the only thing that matters. Russia exports food, fertiliser and oil. Trade with Europe / US is mostly in luxuries. If forced to choose between them, China will likely choose the first.

            (More likely they won’t be forced to choose because they control multiple key supply chains, and can sink the economy of any country except maybe the USA.)

            It’s even more stark for my country. No trade with the west means we lose a lot of export revenue, and our growth slows. No trade with Russia means famine and fuel shortages. It’s not even a choice.

            • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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              2 hours ago

              The purpose is pressure. These countries dont want to have to deal with scarcity in terms of food, trade, investment or energy. These countries would put pressure to end the war, while other countries would attempt to take Russia’s share of the trade

      • geneva_convenience@lemmy.mlOP
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        2 days ago

        China will call their bluff because the EU and America are heavily reliant on China.

        Especially Europe where the population will directly elect another politician whenever they feel slightly economically inconvenienced by the current one.

    • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Tried and succeeded, it crippled the currency and caused massive issues with their exports. There is a lot of talk about how they survived sanctions but the fact is they were barely holding it together for awhile there and its only Trumps return that has given them hope.

      This is exactly what I want to see from Europe right now.

        • Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de
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          2 days ago

          It’s being held up artificially right now through unsustainable means. The Russian economy is massively under pressure pushing it towards a downwards spiral and got problems sourcing material, which is what those sanctions intended.

        • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Absolutely Trump has been good for Russia.

          But that figure is under strict control from crippling interest rates to foreign currency barriers, mandates to hold the currency for foreign companies and a lockdown preventing capital outflow.

          Their economy is suffering massively, from labour shortages to brain drain. The war is keeping them going at this point.

          I love when people downvote but dont say anything back because they are either poorly informed, on the losing side or both.

  • Fox [he/him]@vegantheoryclub.org
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    3 days ago

    Europe have already sanctioned Russia multiple times over, what makes them think the threat of sanctions is going to make Putin care this time?

  • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
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    3 days ago

    After three glorious years of sanctions that totally crippled… oh wait, achieved nothing. This new batch will definitely work!

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    2 days ago

    There is a Russian counter ultimatum, that Trump has enthusiastically embraced as glorious peace breakthrough: Ukraine must go back to resume Istanbul peace talks this week.

  • adarza@lemmy.ca
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    3 days ago

    should have been at ‘massive’ sanctions a couple years ago.

    • MrPozor@discuss.tchncs.de
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      3 days ago

      Actually enforcing the sanctions? Fighting loopholes? Remove exceptions? Reduce gas imports? There’s still plenty of room.

      • Sodium_nitride@lemmygrad.ml
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        3 days ago

        Reduce gas imports?

        Please reduce gas imports more. Cripple any semblance of industry and power you have left. You will only use industrial power for killing children in Gaza and maintaining policing infrastructure either way. Better to let the gas be used by Chinese and Indian consumers (unironically).

      • edel@lemmy.ml
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        3 days ago

        There are some, and well know by the West in other to appease some EU region that cannot easily accommodate for the sanctions. Do you really, really, think is would it, in any shape or form, even noticeably by Moscow? Their economy is much faster growing with respect the EU and far more diversified in customers than 4 yrs ago (they need now to do it also in types of exported goods). Fr sure, Russia would like to normalize relations with the West, but if you give Moscow the choice of 5Billions trade in the West for the cost of 1Billion from Asia, he will chose to maintain the Asian one without any further thought.

      • freagle@lemmygrad.ml
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        3 days ago

        Are you saying Russia isn’t under sanctions right now? Are you saying that the private wealth of Russian corps and citizens stored in North Atlantic institutions wasn’t frozen and then spent?

        • Samsuma@lemmy.ml
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          3 days ago

          it’s not considered “sanctioned” until the International Communitytm deems it so!!!

  • Infamousblt [any]@hexbear.net
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    3 days ago

    Surrender now Putin or we’ll stop trading with you at massive expense to our own economy! We’ll do it we swear wojak-nooo

      • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        Absolutely divorced from reality. They themselves put about every sanction inmaginable on Russia already, and Russia not only withstood them, but also advanced their economy tremedously in last few years. This statement is confiramtion that the rulers of Europe are either batshit insane and should be removed from their offices immediately, or a confirmation they play at some cynical political game at the expense of their constituents and should be removed from their offices immediately.

        • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Advanced their economy tremendously? They have 21% interest rates, capital controls to boost the currency, a labour shortage and an economy that likely cant be decoupled from the war in an anyway quick fashion.

          Come out of it.

          Yes Europe should be removed from office. Christ above is this the level we are already at, where are you from?

  • mathemachristian [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    3 days ago

    Russia already had proposed a ceasefire for victory day but rejected any other since it would allow Ukraine to regroup. They’re winning, they already rejected this, this is just posturing for the home audience.

    yikes-1yikes-2yikes-2yikes-2yikes-2yikes-2yikes-3