Does Russia Get Along With Any Of Its Neighbors?

[Sprayber]

The Russians are playing the oil card more than Iran these days. Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Armenia and now Belerus is feeling the pinch. And here I thought Belerus was in love with Russia.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070109/ts_afp/polandrussiabelarusenergyoiltradepipeline

Any chance of a new German offensive to capture Russian oil reserves?

[Barnabas]

I also thought Belarus was in love in russia
This surprised me when I saw it on cnn

[Dinner]

Russia's main oil export pipeline to Germany and Poland runs through Belarus. Russia tried to increase the price of oil & gas it charged Belarus to market levels instead of the old Soviet prices they had been charging. In response Belarus declared a new oil pipeline tax which Russia refused to pay so Belarus started taking oil and gas out of the pipeline to compensate for Russia's nonpayment. Russia then shut off the pipeline.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

The irony is that the neighbor they're now getting along best with is Turkey, previously their enemy for hundreds of years.

[Saras]

It's actually China, not Turkey:

http://nikitskyfund.com/files/tnb/T&B_Russias_New_Asian_Century.pdf

[Dinner]

Yeah, the Chinese have money from selling us stuff our own companies build there but they don't have modern weapons technology. Russia has technology but is broke. Thus the two have formed a partnership for new weapon systems paid for by the Chinese and using Russian technology.

[Saras]

Not only that; the Chinese are pouring truckloads of money into the Russian economy.

[Nubclear]

Belarus, Ukraine, et al should be given a choice: They can either pay market prices for their goods and be treated as sovereign states, or they can renounce their independence and have their constituent parts join as federal subjects of the Russian Federation and thus be given internal prices.

I don't think it is particularly unreasonable for these states to be asked to pay prices higher than the price paid by areas governed by the Russian Federation when they are not, in fact, a part of the Russian Federation and indeed when many take actions directly opposed to Russia.

[Cort Haus]

Russia is in a intergovernmental organization with China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. (SCO)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organization

[TheStinger]

Originally posted by Tacc
Belarus, Ukraine, et al should be given a choice: They can either pay market prices for their goods and be treated as sovereign states, or they can renounce their independence and have their constituent parts join as federal subjects of the Russian Federation and thus be given internal prices.

I don't think it is particularly unreasonable for these states to be asked to pay prices higher than the price paid by areas governed by the Russian Federation when they are not, in fact, a part of the Russian Federation and indeed when many take actions directly opposed to Russia.

Russia should be thrown aout of the G8 until its economy is bigger than belgiums

[Nubclear]

0/10

Quoting the previous post kind of ruined it.

[Pekka]

We get along with Russia pretty well. But then again, our energy policies are not in conflict.

[Lazerus]

Build more nuclear plants and starve Russia of cash

[Harovan]

Oil has little to do with electrical energy. Most of it is used for heating purposes and as fuel for travel. I suppose you don't consider cars with a nuclear engine, do you?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
Oil has little to do with electrical energy. Most of it is used for heating purposes and as fuel for travel. I suppose you don't consider cars with a nuclear engine, do you?

electricity IS produced with natural gas, which is also a Russian export.

Here in the state electric heating is an alternative to oil and gas heating, and for other purposes.

Even in transportation, electricity is at least theoretically a competitor for oil, via mass transit, electric vehicles, and hydrogen vehicles.