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Michael Magoon's avatar

Ironically, this may actually make it more likely for Putin to agree to peace terms after Trump is inaugurated.

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Energy Diplomat's avatar

Maybe. I am generally pessimistic about the potential for sanctions to adjust the target's behavior as the sanctioner intends, especially with inelastic commodities like oil. The barrels always find a way to market, bad guys usually get enriched by them, and the average consumer sees no benefit. I think/hope Trump's plan to bring about peace works. If this helps, great.

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The Fringe Finance Report's avatar

Spot on. We can't even keep drugs out of prisons, let alone stop the global flow of oil from Russia. All it does, as you said, is allow the middlemen to make money, and the end consumer pays more for the same Russian oil that he got much cheaper a while ago.

But it sounds good on social media ("we are doing something"), while it actually helps BRICS+ to attract more members and further makes the case to move away from the US (economically) if a country cherishes some measure of independence.

Not a trend that I, as an American investor, like.

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