According to a report by the mainland media “Tencent News” today (22), after the United States stated that the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine must be premised on the “full withdrawal” of Russian troops, in order to help Ukraine gain the initiative, the European Union decided to provide Ukraine with 1 million Shells, the United States also announced the amount of a new batch of aid. As soon as the news came out, within 24 hours, Russia took two major countermeasures.
The EU’s aid plan has two details. First, the 1 million shells will not be delivered at one time, but will be delivered in batches within the next 12 months; Then transfer it to the Ukrainian army, and the insufficient part will be funded by the European Union to help its member states expand the scale of production.
However, not all EU member states participate in this aid scheme. Hungary stated that the Russia-Ukraine conflict needs to be persuaded to promote peace talks, but the voices advocating war within the EU have become increasingly strong, putting enormous pressure on countries that call for peace, so Hungary will not participate in the “Cannonball Aid” program.
In addition, the United States, Blinken stated that it will continue to provide military aid worth 350 million U.S. dollars to the Ukrainian army, covering howitzers, rocket ammunition, anti-tank weapons and anti-radiation missiles. Blinken also emphatically emphasized that as long as the Russia-Ukraine conflict does not end for a day, the Biden administration will not stop aid.
The aid actions taken by the European Union and the United States at the same time will be very detrimental to Russia. As Ukrainian-trained soldiers continue to be sent to the front line, the Russian army has lost its personnel advantage in the early stage. In addition, if the Ukrainian army is allowed to get the “Leopard-2” main battle tank and MiG-29 fighter jets, the Russian army will lose The firepower advantage will be greatly compressed. In this regard, Russia has adopted two major countermeasures in less than 24 hours.
The United States provides military aid to the Ukrainian army, covering howitzers, rocket ammunition, anti-tank weapons and anti-radiation missiles. Figure: Flipping US Marine Corps (file photo)
Financially, Russia excludes SWIFT’s influence on its domestic financial transmission system. SWIFT is a very convenient and safe cross-border payment system. Almost all major financial institutions in the world are its members, including nearly 300 Russian banks. Once kicked out of the system, it will be difficult to use US dollars for settlement in foreign trade.
After the Russian-Ukraine conflict broke out, in order to sanction Russia, Western countries cut off the connection between Russian banks and SWIFT. So far, 10 Russian banks have been cut off. If Russia is completely kicked out, it will be difficult for Russia to earn foreign exchange by selling oil and natural gas, and the exchange rate of the Russian ruble will also fluctuate greatly.
In this regard, the Russian side has made three preparations. First of all, avoid using US dollars when conducting oil and gas trade with other countries, and try to use rubles or currencies of trading countries for settlement. Secondly, since October 1 this year, it is stipulated that fund transfers in Russia can only be carried out on financial platforms in Russia. Finally, Russia announced that if SWIFT cannot be re-established with the Russian Agricultural Bank, Russia will “suspend its participation” in the previously announced extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
The core content of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is to ensure the safe entry and exit of Ukrainian wheat, soybeans and other grains into the Black Sea, and to prevent Russian grain and chemical fertilizers from entering the international market. For Russia and Ukraine, the initiative is one of the main sources of export earnings. Especially for Ukraine, which relies heavily on agricultural products for foreign trade, it is the top priority. Therefore, Russia has precisely grasped Ukraine’s weakness and made demands on the West.
Global food supplies have been threatened since the Russo-Ukraine war. Russia took the opportunity to steal Ukrainian wheat and sunflower seeds.Picture: Taken from Toutiao/Visiting the Great God
By doing this, Russia is giving itself a way out. Although Russia does not use the US dollar as much as possible, as a payment currency widely used in international trade, Russia has to use the US dollar in many aspects. Let the Russian Agricultural Bank establish a connection with SWIFT just in case of emergency.
In addition, Russia’s military countermeasures are even tougher. On the 20th, two US B-52h strategic bombers were patrolling over the Baltic Sea. The Russian army immediately took off to intercept them, and did not return until the two bombers were far away. In addition, in the middle of this month, a U.S. military MQ-9 UAV was over the Black Sea when a Russian Su-27 fighter jet circled over the UAV and dumped fuel, and finally fell into the Black Sea.
The Ukrainian-Russian War has continued until recently, and Russia and the West have been fighting more and more frequently. This is not only a bargaining chip, but also a reaction between the two sides to the overall development of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Over the past year, Russia and Ukraine have gradually focused on testing each other’s own war potential and their ability to obtain support from the outside world, starting from how many people and how much equipment they consumed each other.
The US and the EU have decided to aid Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells. (Schematic Diagram) Picture: Taken from Wei Wei Daguan