On May 13, 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law the List of Unfriendly Nations, which included the United States and the Czech Republic. On March 5, 2022, as Russia’s military operation in Ukraine progressed, the list was updated to include 45 more nations and jurisdictions. The countries and territories mentioned in the list have imposed or joined the sanctions against Russia.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine held about one third of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, the third largest in the world at the time, as well as significant means of its design and production. In 1994, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in line with the Budapest Memorandum, but in the subsequent years, the country’s politicians privately regretted this decision. President Zelensky’s hints that the Budapest Memorandum could be revised are believed to have prompted Russia’s military response.
In the wake of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, western countries imposed devastating sanctions against Moscow. “We’re waging an all-out economic and financial war on Russia,” said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. “We will cause the collapse of the Russian economy.” The goal of these sanctions is not only to punish the country’s leadership, but also to provoke mass discontent by making ordinary Russians’ lives unbearable. How does this compare to sanctions imposed against other countries, for example, the United States, for their military operations abroad?
For its own consumption, the EU needs energy which is imported from third countries. In 2019, the main imported energy product was petroleum products (including crude oil, which is the main component), accounting for almost two thirds of energy imports into the EU, followed by gas (27 %) and solid fossil fuels (6 %). – ec.europa.eu
On February 21, 2022, Russia recognized the independence of two states, which had broken away from Ukraine in 2014 amid a political crisis. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed agreements on friendship, cooperation, and assistance with the republics, stipulating, among others, military assistance.
Despite promises made to Gorbachev at the end of the Cold War, NATO has incorporated almost all of former Soviet allies establishing its military facilities along Russia’s border. NATO forces have encircled the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, home to Russia’s only ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. In addititon, the West has instigated “color revolutions” in the former Soviet republics targeting Russia-friendly regimes. Still, the West refuses to recognize Russia’s security concerns as legitimate.
The United States has the largest external debt in the world; the total number of U.S. Treasury securities held by foreign countries in January 2022 was $7.74 trillion, up from $6.63 trillion in June 2019. This infographic shows the 30 countries that hold 90% of the U.S. T-bills.
Strong economic growth, combined with colder winters and warmer summers, boosted global electricity demand in 2021 by more than 6% – the largest increase since the recovery from the financial crisis in 2010. The fast rebound in overall energy demand strained supply chains for coal and natural gas, pushing up wholesale electricity prices. Despite the impressive growth of renewable power, electricity generation from coal and gas hit record levels.” – iea.org
