Silicon Bites #89 - EU Debates Resumption of Gas Supplies from Russia (or their Total Capitulation).

Edition No89 | 03-02-2025 - This episode is all about energy – especially gas supply to Europe. Rumours abound that the EU is considering renewing gas purchases from Russia as part of a Ukraine peace deal. Where do we even start with this unbelievably misguided, opportunistic, immoral and strategically brain-dead idea? Dependence on Russian gas is what led Putin to believe he could invade a sovereign European nation in the first place and coerce all the others to just tolerate that. ---------- We ran two events in Ukraine in the last two weeks. Lviv (part 2) and Kyiv. The event we ran in August 2023 was a huge success, and had a great impact. Now our aim is even more ambitious. Two cities. Two events. Multiple panels consisting of the best experts, and all filmed in high definition for the channel. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras But it costs. Last time the overall cost was £3,500 for Live in Lviv, and we covered 80% of this through ticket sales. This time the costs are higher, and there's less opportunity to sell tickets at the available venues and studios, so I'm creating a campaign to raise £5,000 to make this trip a reality. We also have a much more ambitious programme to film interviews around Kyiv and Lviv for the channel. This project will have an impact, so please help if you can. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- Allegedly, EU officials are discussing the potential resumption of gas purchases via a Russian pipeline as part of a potential settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war. This was reported by the Financial Times reported on Jan. 30, citing undisclosed sources. The proposal's advocates, including Hungarian and German officials (of course), argue the move could give both Russia and Europe incentives to maintain a peace deal while stabilizing the continent's energy market, the outlet wrote. And this based on the theory that Russia was so trustworthy the first time round, through the Budapest Memorandum and Minsk Accords, that we should have another go at surrendering our security to the tyrant in the Kremlin? Such logic also assumes that the Russian leadership are economically and politically rational and ignore the clear imperialistic and genocidal motivations behind the war of aggression. ---------- SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISER A project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- NEWS SOURCES: https://kyivindependent.com/eu-denies-any-ties-between-russian-gas-purchases-and-peace-talks-over-war-in-ukraine/ https://kyivindependent.com/eu-mulls-restarting-russian-gas-purchases-as-part-of-ukraine-peace-deal-ft-reports/ https://www.ft.com/content/a19aa690-fb54-41ea-9885-10972b11ab24 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungary-block-eu-russia-sanctions-next-time-unless-ukraine-gas-transit-resumes-2025-01-31/ https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-lets-russian-gas-slip-again-in-new-sanctions-package/ https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-europe-gas-transit-ukraine-replace-cyprus/ https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/20/donald-trump-tells-eu-buy-more-us-oil-gas-tariffs ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ----------