Dude, the 60% approval is what I got of one of your links.And the Pole/EU approval was about 40% in the same one.
The poll’s main findings:
- 43% of Belarusians consider Russia to be the greatest threat to the territorial integrity of Belarus, the highest figure among the countries surveyed (21% of respondents consider Poland’s policy a threat, 20% that of Lithuania, and 18% that of other countries). Paradoxically, this does not affect the very positive perception of Russia (86% of respondents) and the Russian people (96%), or of Vladimir Putin himself, who enjoys the support of 60% of Belarusians. However, the results above may indicate that the perception of Russia in the eyes of the Belarusian people is gradually changing.
- 74% of Belarusians declared a positive attitude towards Poland, and 83% towards the Polish people. 19% of Belarusians expressed a dislike of Poland, and 11% of Poles. The respondents like the Russians, Germans and Ukrainians more (but not the Ukrainian state); Lithuanians less so. Most respondents (52%) view Poland’s policy towards Belarus during the current political crisis in a positive light, while 27% of respondents evaluate it negatively.
- 74% of Belarusians declared a positive attitude towards Poland, and 83% towards the Polish people.
To add to my point, 52% agree with Poland's current policy towards Belarus, which as we agree is very hostile to Lukashenko.
Yes, there is, but not huge. The country got 74%, the people got 83% .There is a huge difference between liking some group as a people and agreeing and wanting to be aligned with their country.
Sorry, he's not my favorite US diplomat. He may be yours, on virtue of possibly agreeing with you, but that has no bearing on my view of the matter.Ask George F. Kennan what his views on the Russian people and the Soviet State were, for example.
You have claimed the issue was that association agreement between Ukraine and EU would break customs-free trade of Ukraine-Russia. Yes, you specifically used the term "customs-free trade", and moreover, you suggested that this is something a lot of Russia's industry is dependent on, even though it didn't exist.You are the one trying to build strawmen here, bub, you know and I do that the EFTA was a very different beast from the current EU and that the current EU is not NATO, and that the EFTA countries were not in a free trade zone with the USSR.
Go read what I actually wrote about trade, although you are probably just disregarding it because you think that this childish sand throwing and brevado will get you away with it.
Your selective amnesia is a joke.
Pole, for the umpteenth time, we are talking about the Free Trade Zone Between Russia and Ukraine stop strawmaning.
"The association agreement would have meant no customs-free trade with Russia, which would have sunk a lot of their eastern industries and interfered with cultural ties and the like."We have gone over this, again, and again, and again.
The association agreement would have meant no customs-free trade with Russia, which would have sunk a lot of their eastern industries and interfered with cultural ties and the like.
Then came in the likes of Right sector and the whole Euromeidan putch.
We are going in circles here, read what is already posted in the thread before you parrot the same old, tired nonsense.
The free trade zone you have linked is not a customs union.
In fact a country can easily be in two free trade agreements with others that don't have a free trade agreement with each other. Take Mexico - its in USMCA, previously NAFTA, with USA, and has a free trade agreement with EU at the same time, even though EU has no free trade agreement with USA.
Those are businesses. Looking at things from the perspective of strategic national security and foreign relations is not their job. Looking at yearly profits and quarterly reports is.How do you "know" any of that exactly?
Did Smegly or Brezinsky's ghosts tell you?
If the Germans thought that they could get gas cheaper and were that worried about dependence on Russia, do you think that they wouldn't have built a bunch of LNG terminals already?
Do you really think you are smarter than the whole German business lobby, and all of the people working for, say Krupp, and Volkswagen and BASF and dozens more manufacturing giants?
Yes, Russia can sell Germany gas a bit cheaper than other sources. But by miracle of green idiocy despite that Germany has one of highest electricity prices in whole Europe. If Germany cast off green idiocy, it could have cheaper electricity even without Russian gas.
Of course Russia doesn't need Nordstream 2, Russia wants Nordstream 2. An important distinction but for this question irrelevant. It can take political benefits from having this want. Which is why Gazprom funded it, rather than telling Germans to pay for it, like they partially did for Nord Stream 1.Russia doesn't even need nordstream, they will soon have 3 pipelines to China and numerous LNG facilities operating in Asia, NS2 was something the Krauts asked for it.
E.ON, Germany's biggest energy company was the one pushing it because it would be the cheapest possible way to get gas and they stated that Europe would need more and more gas in the future.
Nord Stream AG - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Nord Stream AG is a consortium for construction and operation of the Nord Stream (Nord Stream 1) submarine pipeline between Vyborg in Russia and Greifswald in Germany. The consortium was incorporated in Zug, Switzerland, on 30 November 2005. The original name of company was the North European Gas Pipeline Company. The company was renamed to Nord Stream AG on 4 October 2006. Its sister company Nord Stream 2 AG has the same headquarters and management but it is wholly owned by Gazprom.
Well if they keep listening to the Greens instead of building NPPs sure they will.E.ON, Germany's biggest energy company was the one pushing it because it would be the cheapest possible way to get gas and they stated that Europe would need more and more gas in the future.
As for needing more gas, is that why the existing pipelines are sometimes running at less than half empty now?
Russia is pumping a lot less natural gas to Europe all of a sudden — and it is not clear why
Some analysts have suggested Gazprom may be limiting its delivery of natural gas supply to Europe to support its case in starting flows via Nord Stream 2.
www.cnbc.com
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