AdamB wrote:dissident wrote: For example, natural gas prices hit $1100 per thousand cubic meters (uncompressed) in east Asia this winter but Russia is selling its gas for under long term contracts to the EU for $170 per tcm. This is absurd. Russia has to stop being a charity provider for its enemies.
Russia is a one trick economy. It sells natural resources. Sure, they could be more $/unit efficient selling only into the spot LNG market during the winter. And sell far fewer volumes, for a smaller cumulative amount, than selling more volumes, longer, at a lower price, encouraging the demand to just keep demanding.
The USSR went belly up because they flew this idea right into the ground with oil and the low prices after the 1979 global peak oil. The Russians grow some damn smart folks (I've worked with more than a few), but collectively they tend to be stump stupid when it comes to the way their government handles their natural resource sales.
One can only imagine how incredibly stupid the Americans must be then, since they can't even send their own astronauts to the International Space Station without hitching a ride with the Russians. Also, just how smart are Americans that can't even build a proper missile defense system to defend the USA? Please enlighten me! By the way, you seem to be about as intelligent as the average American. And, no, that is not a compliment! Your calling Russians stump stupid appears to me to be nothing more than a projection on your part!
Do you have anything smart to say or are you here just to insult people who didn't do anything to you? Now that I insulted you, please tell me, does it feel nice to be insulted? You shouldn't do to others what you don't like them doing to you! Please try to pretend to be a decent human being, even if you are not!