Category Eastern Alliance

Mar 23 2023

Lord, what fools these Ukrainians Be!


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Mar 23, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

I get hate mail from Ukrainian Nazis routinely now. They of course deny there are any Nazis ever. Yesterday it was “You are definitely on the wrong side of history” and of course calling all Russians “scum” while Ukraine walks on water and is so honorable it makes me sick. Here we have Zelensky bragging about how Ukraine will be the biggest bonanza in European history. As for the American “titans” lobbying for more destruction and death so they can make money, I can only warn them – what goes around comes around. They have no problem advocating drafting your children to die on Ukrainian territory for their lucrative construction projects.

Sorry – I only wish them what they wish to put others through for their profits and bottom line, When this is done, they will probably also flee to Dubai like Halliburton for the Iraq War to avoid American subpoenas. So jump up and down cheering war for dollars. I for one will not invest 1 cent in any company joining Ukraine. I lost most of my high school friends for Vietnam and their profits back then. Screw you and your manipulation of human lives for profit.

And as for Ukrainians, how blind do you have to be not to see the real enemy in home-grown?

Mar 23 2023

President Putin Together with Chairman Xi, Warn NATO About U.K. Plan to Send Depleted Uranium Rounds to Ukraine


Posted originally on the CTH on March 22, 2023 | Sundance

The alarming provocations and escalations continue as the U.K. has pledged to send depleted uranium anti-tank rounds into Ukraine.

During a four-hour public meeting which included international press, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the NATO intent to use depleted uranium artillery and tank missiles against Russian forces would be met with countermeasures.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted the British decision leaves fewer and fewer steps before a potential “nuclear collision” between Russia and the West.  “Another step has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left,” he told reporters in remarks cited by domestic agencies.

(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday condemned British plans to send tank ammunition that contains depleted uranium to Ukraine, saying Moscow would be forced to respond accordingly.

Speaking in London on Monday, Minister of State for Defence Annabel Goldie said some of the ammunition for the Challenger 2 battle tanks that Britain is sending to Ukraine includes armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium.

“If all this happens, Russian will have to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component,” Putin said in remarks after a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He did not elaborate. (read more)

Keep in mind, all remarks by the heads of state during these sessions are known in advance by both nations.  Chairman Xi knew what Vladimir Putin was going to say. Additionally, at the end of their three-day summit, Chairman Xi made comments that were strategically positioned publicly to be overheard by international media.

Chairman Xi is cunning panda and is very well skilled at making statements in front of media that drive his own interests.  These comments are always strategically placed by Chairman Xi and his people who plan every possible angle in advancing their agenda.

These end of summit remarks were specifically made by Xi, knowing they would be picked up on microphones by media, interpreted and then broadcast.

[…] “change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years, and we are driving this change together”.

I said it yesterday, and I will repeat it again:

All of these tremors point to a larger issue in the background of “western government” policy.   Something is going to eventually erupt.  Government cannot keep a lid on the chaos they create forever.  Sooner or later a spark will ignite something… and it will not just be in France.

Do not focus too heavily on the weeds of any particular issue or nation lest we lose sight of the much larger dynamic.  One thing is most certainly assured; Chairman Xi and President Putin can see that larger dynamic clearly, and there’s abundant opportunity within the geopolitical unrest.

Feb 24 2023

Biden Pokes Xi – As China and Russia Align Closer, Joe Biden Sends Additional U.S. Troops to Taiwan


Posted originally on the CTH on February 23, 2023 | Sundance

This sounds exactly like something out of the State Dept playbook from an era when the U.S. military had the actual strength to back it up.  However, against the current state of affairs, specifically the U.S. control over the western NATO alliance, sending additional troops to Taiwan just because the U.S. is upset about China and Russia’s relationship, is simply poking the Beijing dragon.

There are approximately 30 U.S. troops in Taiwan on a regular rotating basis. Nothing large or significant.  However, immediately after China and Russia announce there is no distance or limit in their relationship, according to the Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration is sending an additional 200 U.S. military troops into Taiwan.

(Via Wall Street Journal) – […] The number of American troops, which has included special-operations forces and U.S. Marines, has fluctuated by a handful during the past few years, according to Defense Department data. The planned increase would be the largest deployment of forces in decades by the U.S. on Taiwan, as the two draw closer to counter China’s growing military power.

[…] The expanded training, both in the U.S. and in Taiwan, is part of a gathering U.S. push to help a close partner prepare to thwart a possible invasion by China. The U.S. officials said the expansion was planned for months, well before U.S.-China relations plummeted anew this month after a suspected Chinese spy balloon traversed North America for more than a week before being shot down by the Air Force.

With a decades-old military buildup gaining momentum, China’s People’s Liberation Army is increasingly engaging in aggressive maneuvers, sending planes and ships near Taiwan. Following Russia’s full-on invasion of Ukraine last year, the Pentagon has redoubled efforts to get Taiwan to adopt what some military specialists call a “porcupine” strategy, focusing on tactics and weapons systems that would make the island harder to assault.

The additional troops will be tasked with training Taiwan forces not only on U.S. weapons systems but on military maneuvers to protect against a potential Chinese offensive, the U.S. officials said. The officials declined to provide other details about the deployment, which hasn’t been previously reported. (read more)

This is not going to change the dynamic of Russia and China in alignment against western NATO policy, but it will likely make Beijing even more determined against U.S. interests.

Yesterday: “Earlier Wednesday, Wang held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “Our ties have continued to develop dynamically, and despite high turbulence in the global arena, we have shown the readiness to speak in defense of each other’s interests,” Lavrov said. Wang responded in kind, underlining Beijing’s focus on deepening ties with Russia — a relationship it has said has “no limits.” (read more)

Why is it whenever there are Democrats in the White House there is always conflict in the world?

Feb 22 2023

Putin’s & Biden’s Speech


Armstrong Economics Blog/Neocons Re-Posted Feb 22, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

President Vladimir Putin shot down the balloons claiming he would declare war on NATO, martial law in Russia, or announce a new major wave of military mobilization because Russia is losing. What is really sad is to find the total lack of any unbiased account from any mainstream media around the world whatsoever proving that the media is all behind this agenda to create World War III. They have been given instructions from their respective governments and how dare they offer any actual investigative analysis.

Most are reporting that Putin has merely recycled the same lines about his rationale for invading Ukraine nearly one year ago. They have ignored the entire Minsk Agreement or the fact that Zelensky told the press the day before the invasion on February 23rd, 2022 that Ukraine would no longer be neutral and was preparing to rearm itself with nuclear weapons. We invaded Iraq claiming that was what Saddam was doing when he made no such public statement.

They all pretty much reported that Putin offered no vision of how the war he launched might end. They have exonerated everyone in the West and Zelensky as some savior of Democracy when he outlaws all criticism of him at home and orders the Donbas will no longer be part of the Russian Orthodox Church but be subservient to his new Patriarch of Kyiv.

Putin’s only measured response was to announce that Russia is suspending its participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty. Even that was merely a formal statement for he then said that Russia would not start testing nuclear weapons unless the United States did first.

What I have been reporting from reliable sources is that the view in Russia has shifted from a war with Ukraine to a war against the United States and NATO. Putin said:

“The US and NATO openly state that their goal is the strategic defeat of Russia,”
He added. “And what, after that are we just supposed to let them to travel around our (nuclear) facilities?”

“They want to inflict a strategic defeat on us and climb all over our nuclear facilities,” Putin said.

“So I’d like to make the announcement today that Russia is suspending its participation in the START Treaty.”

Still, Putin is not the war-monger that the Western Press is told to print. He has had 30 years to invade Europe and has not. The Russian people are not interested in conquering Europe. This is old Neocon propaganda stories that have been pushing the entire theory of Regime Change all along. They objected to Reagan’s meeting with Gorbachev and claimed back then that it was a trap and that Gorbachev should not be trusted.

Putin has demonstrated that he was not looking for World War III and made it clear that Russia is not withdrawing from the treaty entirely, only suspending participation. We must not forget that it was the United States claiming neutrality while sending arms to Britain using passenger ships that got the US into WWI. NATO and the US are by no means neutral, this entire Ukrainian War was begun in 2014 by the US’s interim unelected government in Kyiv which began the civil war and sent troops to invade the Donbas in 2014.

Joe Biden seems to actually think he will be running in 2024. The display for him in Poland with all the lights was clearly a ploy from Roman times and the light coming from the head of Sol to save the Roman Empire in its time of desperate need during the reign of Aurelian 270-275AD who built the Wall Around Rome to hold off the barbarian invasions. The Rays of light were to symbolize the Roman god Sol, the Sun, who rose every day and was thus invincible (SOL INVICTUS).

Even the Statue of Liberty used the same symbol – INVICTUS. Interestingly, this paved the way for Christianity for even our Christmas Day was the feast day of Sol. The lights behind Biden were deliberately placed for the very same message, that we will be INVINCIBLE. Biden was pitching his reelection in 2024 as well. He declared:

“The decisions we make over the next five years or so are going to determine and shape our lives for decades to come.” In that sense, he is correct. This will be a major war like no other before and it will indeed reshape the future. But the victory lap before the battle is typical to boost morale and convince people they are about to die for a very good cause.

Biden added: “The choice between chaos and stability, between building and destroying, between hope and fear, between democracy, [which] lifts up the human spirit, and the brutal hand of the dictator who crushes it.” All of this is propaganda. Putin is no more a dictator than any other world leader. In fact, we all live in a real dictatorship for Republics are the worst form of government ever conceived. Biden has never allowed the people to vote on this war. We are to die with no right to even object to this war.

The bias of the press is just amazing. Even Bloomberg wrote: “Putin falsely blamed the West for starting the conflict and said the Kremlin wouldn’t be the first to test nuclear weapons.” They simply refuse to even state the truth about anything. They ignore the fact that the West agreed to the Minsk settlement only to buy time confirming the West wants this war. The press all have their orders – whip up the people for World War III. The truth no longer matters.

Biden declared that Russia would never win the war and never addressed Putin’s remarks about suspending the treaty. He also threatened China declaring that he will sanction every company that supports Putin’s invasion. Biden has failed to consider any honoring of the Minsk Agreement and Xi Jinping has been trying to broker peace but Biden will have nothing to do with any peace agreement – he is reading his teleprompter and only wants war.

Biden has decreed all of this because the Neocons behind the curtain are demanding war – the ultimate goal they have been seeking since they stood against Ronald Reagan even talking with Gorbachev. They have opposed any relationship with Russia. They imposed sanctions on the export of pipe ever since Russia and Germany came to an agreement back in 1955.

It is time, to tell the truth for the Neocons are really a third Clandestine Party that exists between both the Democrats and the Republicans. Who are they? Where did they come from? How are they now in Control? This will be a special report that is no doubt politically revealing to say the least. To everyone’s shock, it was the Neocons who started the whole Climate Change agenda to set in motion undermining the world economy to shift power for their grand design.

It is time, to tell the truth about what is really behind all the chaos and why our Government is pushing for World War III. People may talk and mention the Neocons. However, they do exist and they are by no means simply Republicans. In fact, this report traces their origins and their links extend back to the rise of Marxism and their origin was actually within the Democratic Party.

Nevertheless, the Neocons are really a third Clandestine Party that exists between both the Democrats and the Republicans. Who are they? Where did they come from? How are they now in Control? This will be a special report that is no doubt politically revealing to say the least. To everyone’s shock, it was the Neocons who started the whole Climate Change agenda to set in motion undermining the world economy to shift power for their grand design and to undermine Russia.

This special edition is to inform everyone who the real enemy really is. They have full control of the Biden White House and their agenda is in full swing. We have no right to object. They have already decided that will be World War III with the end goal of eradicating everyone they view as their enemy. There is so much more to this than meets the eye.

 This special report will be available by March.

We will Announce When it will be in the Store

The price will be $9.95 for we are all in this together

Feb 22 2023

Ukraine – The Pawn of Foreign Powers


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Feb 21, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Hi Marty,

Would it not be better for Putin to follow the American model and invade all of Ukraine vs. using nuclear weapons? There is still time to execute such a strategy.

Taking control of all of Ukraine would give Russia control of the borders, hence no more major offensive weapons would cross to Ukraine from Poland.

On the flip side, using nuclear weapons is bad PR. The public opinion is against nuclear weapons, so if Putin were to use them, NATO would then have an excuse to enter the conflict directly. All it would take is a PR spin.

Cheers from Canada,
Lucas

ANSWER: If Russia nuked Ukraine, that would not provide a legal excuse for NATO since Ukraine is not a member of NATO. The whole criticism of Putin in Russia is that he has been too “soft” because he is too nostalgic and regards Kiev as the first capital of the Rus. To him, nuking Kiev would be like the US nuking London. He launched his “special” operation to defend the Donbas because the West lied about the Minsk Agreement to buy time for Ukraine to create an army.

The problem we really face is that the West has conspired to create war with Russia and to use Ukraine as cannon fodder. From the start, Zelensky has drafted 18 to 60-year-olds. Tass has reported that Ukrainian prisoners taken recently are 16 and 17-year-olds.

The West does not care about the Ukrainian people. The more civilians killed, the better. That will enable the West to rally troops for revenge. This war could have ended in 10 minutes. All the West had to do was to allow Ukraine to seek peace and honor the Minsk Agreement – nothing more.

But the West is outright trying to destroy Russia and the bankers are in line once again licking their lips at all the wealth of Russia from gold and platinum to rare earths, diamonds, and energy. Just as I was solicited to join them back in 1999 and I refused, they are back again cheering war.

The Ukrainian people have nothing to gain from this. The Donbas is occupied by Russians for hundreds of years. The Ukrainian people NEVER had a country. They finally got one in 1991 and they are throwing that all away for the Donbas. Zelensky will fly at the last moment to Florida when Ukraine falls. This is the leader of a country who takes orders from foreign powers.

Feb 22 2023

West’s Duplicity – Biden’s Surprise Visit Before Putin’s Speech


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Feb 21, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine one day ahead of Putin’s National Address scheduled for February 21st. Biden had the audacity to put out the West’s constant propaganda:

“One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands,” he declared. “The Americans stand with you and the world stands with you.”

Putin is elected the head of Russia by its Parliament the same system that takes place in Britain, the EU, Canada, and every country with a Parliamentary system. Only the United States is where the head of state stands for election by the people. This nonsense that Ukraine stands for democracy against Russia is just total outright lies. This only demonstrates that we cannot trust a single word from governments in such times. As they say, truth is the first casualty in war.

Had the West simply been honest and honored what they negotiated that the Donbas under the Minsk Agreement was to be allowed to vote on their own separatist movement. All the deaths in Ukraine and their blood are on the hands of the West. This war would have NEVER taken place if the Minsk Agreement was honored.

Blinken has made it clear that the US will NEVER accept the Minsk Agreement and it was indeed only to buy time for a war they wanted from the start. The Biden Administration changed the arrangement with Ukraine in 2021 altering all previous agreements since 2008. This is a Neocon’s dream come true – a direct confrontation with Russia. He outright said that there shall be no peace by returning any land to allow the Russians of the Donbas to live in peace free of Ukrainian domination.

“If we do that, we will open a Pandora’s box around the world, and every would-be aggressor will conclude that, ‘If Russia got away with it, we can get away with it,’” Blinken said. “And that’s not in anyone’s interest, because it’s a recipe for a world of conflict.”

This illustrates the duplicity of the West and the desire for World War III. These are the people who are cheering the destruction of our future all for a strip of land that has been occupied by Russians for centuries.

Even China has come out and bluntly stated: “We would like a political solution to provide a peaceful and sustainable framework to Europe.” The US refuses to seek peace on any reasonable terms whatsoever. The arrogance of the United States is just astounding. They have told China not to aid Russia. As Fox News reported, China is furious after the US warns against arming Russia: “The US is in no position to tell China what to do.”

In all my years of dealing with governments, NEVER have I ever even once witnessed such stupidity and arrogance on the part of any government. This Biden Administration seems to be going out of its way to piss off just about everyone in the world to create World War III. This is just unimaginable. They seem to want to “shrink” the world’s population by 50% with war to get their pat on the back from Gates, Rockefeller Foundation, and Schwab. When you say it is your way or no way, that is not how you negotiate anything.

History will remember the Biden Administration with contempt as the Hitler or Napoleon of the 21st Century.

Feb 22 2023

President Trump Warns America That Joe Biden, The State Dept and NATO are Now Putting us on The Brink of World War III


Posted originally on the CTH on February 21, 2023 | Sundance 

President Donald Trump sends a warning to America that Joe Biden, his administration, and the foreign policy establishment in Washington DC, has positioned us on the brink of World War III.  He’s right, and CTH will outline the data soon.

…”a lot of people don’t see it, but I see it, and I’ve been right about a lot of things.”

President Trump says in this video message (transcript below) that he see’s Joe Biden putting us into direct military conflict with Russia and it is likely to happen very quickly if someone does not intercede soon. {Direct Rumble Link} – WATCH:

[Transcript] – World War III has never been closer than it is right now. We need to clean house of all of the warmongers and America-Last globalists in the Deep State, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the national security industrial complex.

One of the reasons I was the only president in generations who didn’t start a war is that I was the only president who rejected the catastrophic advice of many of Washington’s Generals, bureaucrats, and the so-called diplomats who only know how to get us into conflict, but they don’t know how to get us out.

For decades, we’ve had the very same people, such as Victoria Nuland and many others just like her, obsessed with pushing Ukraine toward NATO, not to mention the State Department’s support for uprisings in Ukraine. These people have been seeking confrontation for a long time, much like the case in Iraq and other parts of the world, and now, we’re teetering on the brink of World War III. And a lot of people don’t see it, but I see it, and I’ve been right about a lot of things. They all say, “Trump’s been right about everything.”

None of this excuses in any way the outrageous and horrible invasion of Ukraine one year ago, which would have NEVER happened if I was your president—not even a little chance. But it does mean that here in America, we need to get rid of the corrupt globalist establishment that has botched every major foreign policy decision for decades, and that includes President Biden, whose own people said he’s never made a good decision when it comes to looking at other countries and looking at wars. We have to replace them with people who support American interests.

Over our 4 years in the White House, we made incredible progress in putting the America-Last contingent aside and bringing the world to peace—and now, we’re going to complete the mission. The State Department, Pentagon, and National Security Establishment will be a very different place by the end of my administration. In fact, just into my administration it’ll be a very different place, and it’ll get things done just like I did four years ago. We never had it so good. We’ll also stop the lobbyists and the big defense contractors from going in and pushing our senior military and national security officials toward conflict, only to reward them when they retire with lucrative jobs—getting paid millions and millions of dollars.

Take a look at the globalist warmonger donors backing our opponents. That’s because they’re candidates of war. I am the President who delivers peace, and it’s peace through strength. There was a reason we had no conflict, there was a reason we didn’t get into wars, because other countries respected us. I entirely built all right from the beginning—rebuilt our military. It’s a big reason for that. They didn’t want to mess around with the United States, and now they’re laughing at us. We could end the Ukraine conflict in 24 hours with the right leadership. At the end of my next four years, the warmongers, and frauds, and failures in the senior ranks of our government will all be gone, and we will have a new group of competent national security officials who believe in defending America’s vital interests above all else.

Thank you very much.

[Transcript link]

“Peace is the prize.”  ~ President Donald Trump

Sep 7 2022

Russia Shuts Down Nord Stream 1 Gas Pipeline, Gasprom Sends out Eerie Video ‘Winter is Coming’


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on September 6, 2022 | Sundance 

Well, it looks like it’s official now. After several days of sporadic reporting on Russia’s decision to shut down the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline into western Europe, it looks like the valves have been shut down until EU sanctions against Russia are removed.

Strategically the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is the major gas supply route into Germany, Europe’s largest economy. As noted by Reuters, “European gas prices, as measured by the benchmark Dutch TTF October gas contract, rose by as much as 30% on Sept. 5, amid growing fears of a total shutdown of Russian pipeline imports ahead of the European winter.”

Europe was already going into a deep economic recession due to inflation created by pre-existing green energy policy.  The Nord Stream shutdown will make things exponentially worse as energy prices skyrocket.  The Russian owned energy company Gasprom sent out a video that can be best described as psychological warfare.  WATCH:

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Jul 7 2022

How Western Sanctions Crippled Syria


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Jul 7, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The West has placed some form of sanctions on Syria since the Carter Administration when the nation was added to the State Sponsors of Terrorism List. George W. Bush increased sanctions in 2004 to push the “War on Terror” agenda as the US invaded sovereign nations under false pretenses. However, it was not until 2011 that the sanctions against Syria really caused the economy to fold.

Former President Obama implemented new sanctions that directly target the Syrian oil sector. This wave of sections forbids all petroleum investments and imports as well as exports. Individual assets for individuals and entities were frozen as well. Obama vowed not to lift sanctions until President Bashar al-Assad stepped down. The US used the pretense of Assad being a brutal leader who the people needed to be liberated from with the help of the world police force aka America. Transcripts from Obama’s 2011 executive order:

“The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way… As a part of that effort, my Administration is announcing unprecedented sanctions to deepen the financial isolation of the Assad regime and further disrupt its ability to finance a campaign of violence against the Syrian people.  I have signed a new Executive Order requiring the immediate freeze of all assets of the Government of Syria subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in any transaction involving the Government of Syria.  This E.O. also bans U.S. imports of Syrian-origin petroleum or petroleum products; prohibits U.S. persons from having any dealings in or related to Syria’s petroleum or petroleum products; and prohibits U.S. persons from operating or investing in Syria. We expect today’s actions to be amplified by others.”

The European Union placed sanctions on Syria in 2011, as did the UK. Syria was essentially cut off from the world economy, and the hope of readmittance vanished in 2019 when former President Trump signed the Caesar Syria Protection Act. The act was named after a Syrian detainee names Caesar who documented human rights abuses and war crimes allegedly carried out by the Assad regime. Once the Caesar Act passed, there was no hope for Syria. People could not even send money to their relatives in Syria without repercussion. The US outlined six demands that needed to be met to lift the sanctions:

  1. End to Syrian and Russian aircraft bombing civilians.
  2. Iranian, Syrian and Russian forces, as well as entities connected to them, no longer restrict humanitarian access to besieged areas and allow for civilians to leave freely.
  3. All political prisoners are released, and the appropriate international human rights organizations are given full access to Syria’s prisons and detention facilities.
  4. Bombing of “medical facilities, schools, residential areas, and community gathering places, including markets” by Syrian, Russian, Iranian forces, as well as entities connected to them, ceases.
  5. The possibility for the “safe, voluntary, and dignified return of Syrians displaced by the conflict” is achieved.
  6. Accountability for “perpetrators of war crimes in Syria and justice for victims of war crimes committed by the Assad regime, including by participation in a credible and independent truth and reconciliation process.”

It all ties back to the US and Russia vying for Syrian oil. Both sides were bombing Syria into oblivion. The US has not lifted sanctions despite desperate cries for help from the Syrian people. At least 1.5% of the entire population of Syria is now dead, and over 90% live in extreme poverty. Biden recently claimed sanctions do not work, but he was referring to a country with a larger GDP and established infrastructure. Russia was able to bypass the sanctions, continue trading with allies, and most importantly hold power over one of the world’s most important natural resources. It is no wonder that Syrian men are fighting along with Russia against the West and will likely align with Eastern powers for generations to come.

Jun 17 2022

Russia Gas to Europe to Stop


Armstrong Economics Blog/Energy Re-Posted Jun 16, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Russian EU Ambassador has informed the EU that gas will stop through Nordstream because a turbine that was needed was stuck in Canada because of the sanctions. Then the biggest gas field in Siberia is now on fire. That can also provide an excuse to reduce gas delivery to Europe. This will also add to the reduction in gas supply to Europe This is making things very interesting. If Gas bottoms next week, we could be looking at much higher volatility thereafter. For now, a June closing above 625 will keep the market in a broader-term support position but a real breakout would require a close for June above 795.