Ernie wrote: ↑Sat Aug 30, 2025 11:08 pm
-Blocking any remaining oil and gas exports from Russia.
We already do that, although it doesn't do much good since oil is a global market, and other countries just go ahead and buy oil from Russia for a cheaper price.
-Banning American companies from providing petroleum services to Russia's energy sector.
American businesses can't do business with Russian ones at all.
-Freezing assets of additional Russian energy companies.
Assets of Russian conglomerates were already frozen, so there isn't really anything left that can be done.
-Sanctioning more Russian shipping vessels and port operators involved in Russian exports.
That was already done too.
-Tightening export controls to restrict technology sales, including advanced machinery and software.
That is also already done. You can't (for example) buy Windows or Adobe software in Russia. This has resulted in a thriving Russian black market that simply cracks the software and sells it domestically for pennies on the dollar, or it even becomes free. For example, you can get Adobe Creative Cloud for Windows for free, which normally costs $840 per year.
-Freezing assets and blocking transactions of more Russian banks and financial institutions.
That was done too except the U.S. doesn't control the entire banking system. Lots of other countries, like Brazil, don't want to sanction Russia
-Prohibiting Russian companies from trading on US securities markets.
That has also been done.
-Enacting a near-total trade ban that would eliminate loopholes including transactions related to agricultural commodities, medicine, medical devices, and telecommunication services.
That is partially done. Russia is a net agricultural exporter, and their big trading partners are countries like India and Brazil. India and Brazil have no plans to put sanctions on Russia and are instead doing brisk business with them.
I'm not saying the US should do this. Just trying to understand the logic or the diplomatic strategy.
Perhaps the logic to understand is Russia's diplomatic strategy: Russia's leadership is buddies with Brazil's, having been the one underwriting him back in the 1980s. The same goes with almost the entire continent of Africa, including its biggest economy, South Africa. Most of the world isn't interested in sanctioning Russia at all.
America would have to cut itself off from much of the rest of the world to do the things you suggest above - very high tariffs or no trade at all, cutting off the telephone network, cutting off Internet connections, no more global banking.
