Kicking Russia out of SWIFT. Freezing all assets in allied countries.
Not going to happen. In fact, when the Russian sanctions came about, it didn't happen. The US stopped trading with Russia, but its trade with Russia was insignificant. The EU was too in bed with Russia to get out.
Stopping gas and oil(getting them from US, middle east etc. at higher price instead).
While I am in favour of making Europe dependent on North Sea gas, there is not enough and most of Europe does not want to go for the more expensive options.
Freezing all or most of the trade in general; they cant even feed themselves.
Yeah and if the US waved a magical wand killing all Russians then Russia would die; all trade by US allies would just enter Russia through a middleman like Serbia, Greece, Belarus, Iran, China, Krygyzstan or any other nation that happens to share any links with the vast nation. And that's assuming everyone sticks to the embargo, and doesn't just use loopholes to continue profit seeking. From the moment international commerce was born, from the moment Napoleon accidentally made Britain stronger with his failed continental blockade to the moment the US accidentally created massive Chinese companies with their own restrictions, countries have been accidentally making their rivals self-reliant and ever more powerful. If you want a placid Russia you want one whose weapons are German, whose cars are Japanese and whose food is Ukrainian. That or fund separatists within Russia, that would also work without risking WWIII too much compared to direct warfare.
Theres advantages to not being a low GDP per capita continental nation reliant on energy exports without significant influence on world trade (unlike NATO members together and their allies).
Where do you guys think Putin will be using Russia's newly inflated, unsustainable to keep up in long term, military?
It is not for need of a military to use it, but to have it is often enough. Appear big, strong and capable, and people will respect you for your appearances irregardless of actual capabilities. This will never be a problem because your actual capabilities will never be tested.
Why Russians are so sure that China can't be persuaded to join sanctions? Should EU and USA offer China something more valuable than trade with Russia, they will agree.
Because Russia is far weaker than the European or American nations. China has never taken any Western carrots over Russian carrots because it'd rather not have an even stronger West than a weaker Russia surrounding it. Should there come a time where Western civilization has finally fallen low enough that China's priority in rebuilding the silk road would enrich it more than Russia's cooperation, I don't doubt that China would enrich herself and economically destroy Russia in the East.
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