More reality:

Germany is still years from substituting Russian pipeline gas imports with LNG capacities, according to estimates by the country’s Economy Ministry

https://twitter.com/business/status/1617473740299804672?t=YpjaPb5ghsUsP2zz6op5jA&s=19

Mexico is now looking at a visa free arrangement with Russia.

Erdogan has stated that Sweden can forget about any support from Ankara for their NATO bid after the Quran burning incident.

According to the White House it is alarmed that South Africa is going to participate in joint military exercises with China and Russia.

That's the problem with the rules-based order. Eventually nations decide to exercise their own democratic rights.

Claims Zelensky has signed a decree not allowing politicians, law enforcement officer and prosecutors to leave the country.

This is amid all the political turmoil of resignations and firing of government officials going on in Ukraine.

Western politics is a game of survival and hoping to grab the next rung of the ladder. If you talk privately to many of them they have a very different attitude to the issues of the day than their public persona.

Hence why once retired you hear truth and reality expressed.

Great energy rotation continues:

China has tripled its purchases of long-term LNG contracts in the last two years, worth nearly 50m tonnes a year. Furthermore, Chinese buyers accounted for 40% of recent long-term LNG contracts that have been signed.

In a spectacular failure to grasp the realities of what is unfolding in Europe, a number of US investment houses are seeking to expand operations in the Eurozone. Incredibly, part of their rationale is because of the EU's desire to promote sustainable investment.

One way or another. Leopard tanks will arrive in Ukraine.

This is seen as yet another game changer along with all the others to try and change the course of the war that Ukraine has apparently been winning for at least 6 months.

US admitting reality:

US would likely run out of some munitions such as long-range, precision-guided munitions in less than one week in Taiwan Strait conflict. War in Ukraine has also exposed serious deficiencies in the US defense industrial base

https://www.csis.org/analysis/empty-bins-wartime-environment-challenge-us-defense-industrial-base

Beijing:

The biggest contribution the US can make to the debt issues outside the country is to act on responsible monetary policies, cope with its own debt problem, and stop sabotaging other countries’ efforts to solve their debt issues.

Clown show continues:

So after twisting Germany's arm wrt Leopard tanks it turns out that the US promise to send Abrams could mean they will not arrive for up to 12 months, likely after the war is over.

Suggestions coming out of Turkey that they may leave NATO in around 6 months time.

UK public sector borrowing more than doubled last Dec due to higher debt interest payments and subsidies given to households and businesses wrt energy prices

Borrowing was £27.4bn, versus expected £17.7bn and was highest Dec figure since records began in 1993

NATO's ongoing claims to not be a party to conflict in Ukraine is to ensure that should Kiev lose the war they can then somehow avoid the reputational damage and seismic fallout if they admitted they are directly involved. They will claim they did everything to support Ukraine.

So after all the arm twisting, Germany is proposing to send 14 Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

That is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Germany admits leopard tanks to be sent to Ukraine will not be deployed for 3 to 4 months.

To put this on context, 14 tanks is less than 4% of the total number German has.

This is tokenism, not support.

West would do well to remember the fate of leopard tanks in Syria at the hands of ISIS.

Article from 2019.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/germany%E2%80%99s-leopard-2-tank-syria-was-beaten-badly-battle-why-78441

How to tell the world you are completely out of your depth as a foreign minister.

Making such a claim is as inflammatory as it can get in international politics at this time.

https://twitter.com/thesiriusreport/status/1618244244141125632?s=20&t=vjVn6hQIB9Uu2VenLyj0FA