Sri Lanka is on the edge of total collapse due to being unable to afford oil and food right now. Any discount at all is a difference between them being in a state of total collapse (which is probably already gonna happen) and avoiding that.

An "energy hungry pleb country" is not going to be nearly enough to keep Russia going. They have to maintain relationships with the world's largest trading blocs. If they fall out of China's good graces, or India's, they are fucked. They can sell to as many Sri Lanka's as they want. Won't be enough.

The entire world is in economic peril. Its going to fall unevenly on the african / south east asian world that's sided with China, not aligned with the US or Russia, or built relationships with second tier world powers like India/Israel/KSA/UAE that again aren't firmly aligned like the NATO bloc or central asian former soviet bloc. The major world powers are in economic turmoil, the african countries are going to starve. These are acute issues but they clearly give Russia the edge in maintaining its relationships and thwarting the US attempts to isolate them. We can only chip away at their relationships with our allies, the rest of the world is going begging to them. Long term, why should they? How is it in the interests of sri lanka to join in an american crusade? Its not like we reward our puppets, look at the state of Ukraine, Iraq and Afghanistan right now.

China has prospered for nearly a decade as the US foreign policy has completely twisted to align Russia and China against America even though the US and Russia only have the economic power to contest China's creeping influence when we align together. Whether it was proxy wars like Syria or diplomatic slapfights like the Muellerburger, China is the one who obviously benefits. And the conspiracy theorists can speculate as to whether China has just been a passive beneficiary or an active participant in stoking these tensions. But either way, China has no reason to want to shake up the status quo by letting Russia implode and potentially realign against them. As long as everything is going in China's favor, they'll want to keep it going that way

Please read carefully:
"informal agreement between some participating states(...)"
Highlighted the keyword for you.
One of the countries is Germany. I guess Germany plan is "screw Ukraine, even if they fail we still got Poland between us and Russia so no direct threat to Germany yet".
The same way Mr Orban thinks from Hungary, they want other nations to take care of European security, while they dont participate in costs, its all very selfish. If all countries do like this, then Putin cuts pieces from Europe one by one, like cutting salami.
Ukraine is the key to European Security.
Its not only about the moral olbigations.
Ukraine people are very brave, and know how to fight for their freedom and country.
This is unique in Europe, they will be a part of the backbone of the European Security in the future.
If Germany opposes Ukraine into NATO, we will start making something like NATO2 with USA, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Poland, Baltic States, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Slovakia, Finland etc.
So the Eastern Europe will have to take care about European security.
Germany losses its USA bases and military, as the infrastructure and technology moves east.
This is the reason why I believe USA will keep sending weapons into Ukraine. USA strategical need is to leave European security to the Europeans, to cut the costs, just as they did leaving Afghanistan, and since Germany doesnt want to take care about continental security, they need to switch to eastern Europe, where Ukraine is a biggest country.

Seems it's global that Eu countries are relunctant to send heavy weapons because it would be a declaration of war to Russia. And Germany is probably even much more relunctant because it also has a natural gas gun pointed on its head while having an historical issue regarding conflicts.

This post was edited by Saucisson6000 on May 30 2022 01:07am

Selling weapons or providing humanitarian or monetary aid does not mean joining the war in the diplomacy language.
Of course Russia will issue various threats, and its possible they could use this as an excuse.
Remember that they demanded NATO disassemblence in central Europe and return to 1997year?
We either say them "no" to their everexpanding demands or accept Russia taking European countries one by one and getting stronger with every expansion.
Of course im an advocate on option #1.

For Germany I understand that they made their whole country fully dependant on Russia gas pipelines, and now they have to do everything Putin asks them to do.

Here in Poland people say that Russia has a great informal influence in French politics. That's a factor too.
Russians political actions and influences were one of the reasons why you guys lost the war with nazi Germany (Russia ally at this time) in the past.
Why dont you guys get rid of your Russia sentiment? It does not serve you well.

So after reading a bit more about all this:

Seems many things are hidden and unofficial.
Yet the statu-quo is that as NATO entity, heavy weapons should not to be send into Ukraine. Does not applies at country level.
Macron announced "more and more" weapons 15 days ago. Taking a clear stance after the elections.

I don't think you can give a point about "Russia sentiment", the problem here is mostly related to Vladimir Putin.
Germany has a bigger issue for sure, their tanks are taking time to come, but well it was promised for July.

I think i would better wait (unfortunately) a bit and see.
At least the good news of the day: Ukraine is getting back territory in the South.

This post was edited by Saucisson6000 on May 30 2022 03:58am

A hundred years more and it will turn out to be Stalin to start the WW2 while Hitler was victoriously defending Europe from Red Plague and Jews were holocausting Poles.

You should be very familiar with it.
Look at all those cute French Vietnamese and Cambodia mix in Indochina.

Thais even tried to stitch a dick where it doesn't belong but this didn't stop lovisick frenchies.

https://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=92094408&f=119&p=616948083
Btw Vietnamese and Cambodia described me Chinese as "cruel" people.



Was working on both sides. Thus as a russian you are probably an expert in rapes. okidoki