National Park

You must already have had your drink of kool aid this morning.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Well, go ahead improve that anything I said was false besides the part where I say, Putin says which is kind of satire based on truth. Did Biden not lift the Trump sanctions from the Nordstrom two pipeline construction? Did Joe Biden not support giving Putin the Nordstrom to pipeline? Did Biden stop Putin from invading Ukraine? All of those never happened under President Trump. So exactly who’s the Putin lapdog? It isn’t Trump.

National Park

The pipeline was around 95% completed when Biden took office. It was not even clear that continuation of sanctions could have stopped the pipeline from being completed. Meanwhile, Biden had to repair relations with Germany, an important NATO ally, which had seriously deteriorated under the Trump administration. Germany desperately wanted the pipeline. So, given this context, Biden waived the sanctions. I personally wish Biden hadn’t done it, but it was done to address foreign policy carnage left behind by Trump, not to benefit Putin and Russia. Foreign policy is complex.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

More of the same lame Lefty cultist deflection. Whether the sanctions against the pipeline were effective or not is irrelevant to my point that Trump opposed it while Biden supported it and lift the sanctions. If the sanctions weren’t working, then why did Joe Biden lift it? Of course, Germany wanted it because it benefited them but many countries in Europe opposed it just as Trump accosted many people in Biden‘s party also opposed it. Biden is Putin‘s puppet. The rest of your argument is false and irrelevant to the the point I have been making.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Yeah, foreign policy is so cut and dried and easy to understand.

National Park

I said I did not agree with what Biden did. I also don't disagree that Trump opposed the pipeline and that many Democrats also opposed it. I simply listed some of the factors behind Biden's thinking. None of what I said is false or irrelevant. Do you disagree that the pipeline was nearly completed the day Biden took office? Do you disagree that our relationship with Germany had deteriorated when Trump was in office? Do you disagree that there was no guarantee that extending the sanctions, or even adding new sanctions, would have stopped the pipeline from being completed (after all, sanctions apparently hadn't stopped 95% of it from being built)? Biden approved the pipeline to improve our relationship with Germany. The purpose was not to benefit Putin or Russia. Foreign policy is complex and nuanced.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Again, you created an arguments that I was not addressing and was not my point. Again, the point is that Biden supported the Nordstream two pipeline being completed which Trump opposed. The rest of your arguments has nothing to do with my point.

National Park

It has everything to do with your point. Your point is that Biden and Trump and many Democrats took different positions on the pipeline. I have given an explanation as to why. But you don't want any explanation as to why Biden changed the policy because your only goal in this post is to make Biden look bad and you know that the explanation creates and understanding as to why Biden did what he did. Since you don't dispute any of my points, you must agree with them. Can you explain why, in spite of the sanctions, the pipeline was 95% built when Biden took office?

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/25/politics/biden-defends-decision-russian-gas-pipeline/index.html

President Joe Biden on Tuesday stood by his decision not to sanction the company in charge of building Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, characterizing the move as protecting relationships with European allies.

“I have been opposed to Nord Stream 2 from the beginning,” Biden said Tuesday of the pipeline, which is expected to be finished this summer and is intended to provide Europe with a sustainable gas supply while giving Russia more direct access to the European market.

“But it was almost completed by the time I took office,” Biden added. “And to go ahead and impose sanctions now would I think be counterproductive in terms of our European relations and I hope we can work on how they handle it from this point on.”

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

The pipeline made Europe dependent on it.. The most important potential adversaries like Germany etc would be heavily dependent on its continued, unfettered operation.

So in political and military decisions in future, where Russia is invading and annexing other countries, or really any dispute ... how will any country hooked up to it and need it to keep their people warm and industry cranking, act toward anything regarding Russia. Would they pass sanctions, or would that be a declaration of war? Would they rip it being turned off, or would they bend over backwards to avoid any disruption?

Then add the amount NATO members agreed to in funding their own defense and signed treaties that promised each would come to the defense of each another if attacked. Well if they haven't spent the dough, then they won't come to anybody else's defense nor would they provide or add to a deterrent. Most were well below the threshold, a few exceeded it, nobody exceeded it more than the American taxpayer... for the defense of Europe! Why us? We definitely have an interest in it, we've already showed that, but our great grandchildrens money is being spent- with no end in sight. But as it is now, when it comes to sending munitions and arms to Ukraine, we are footing the the lions share... in Europe!

And we never really send enough to tick 'em off too much... just enough to keep it simmering and eating the youth of both sides. It's a politicians war. The whole business sucks and is a rats nest of hurt. Would have been much better if it never happened and Putin didn't think he anticipate how he could get away with it.

Why did it happen in the first place? Because he carefully picked a time that he thought he could get away with it.

National Park

Interesting comment, Mr. Chamberlain.

rwoodvira

Interesting dialogue on who is Putin's lapdog. The simple realty is that no one should listen to Mr. Putin at all.

Mr Putin and Mr. Xi are against everything the United States stands for - their mission is to spread discord within our country and from the dialogue above they are succeeding.

My 2 cents.

National Park

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Wrong my friend, you’re making attempts to cloud the point of my argument, which has nothing to do with the reasoning of why Biden or Trump made their decisions or anyone else. Again, my point was Biden supported the Nordstrom pipeline which benefits Putin. President Trump on the other hand opposed it. Look at the title of this thread, says Putin‘s choice and why did Putin choose Biden? because Biden is better for Russia than Trump. How was Biden better for Russia? Because he supported the Nord stream II pipeline and Biden also greenlighted it, Biden also allowed Russia to invade Ukraine. Of course, Biden is better for Russia. Trump was a thorn and Putin side. Trump levied sanctions against the continuation of the Northstream pipeline construction. Trump also kept Putin from invading Ukraine. So of course Biden is better for Russia than Trump is. You can deny all you want the facts are against you.

McKinneyMike Loc: Texas

If you are seriously gullible enough to believe Putin has any American's best interest.....



His only loyalist President is Trump! Helsinki should have been all anyone needed to see as to who had the nose ring and who was pulling it!