Phil Butler – New Eastern Outlook Jan 2, 2024
The riddle of unhinged EU support for the Zelensky regime in Kyiv is now solved. Anyone inclined can unravel why the Germans, in particular, backstabbed Russia in the Minsk peace boondoggle. Lithium.
Energy Monitor’s parent company, GlobalData, recently released a report showing that Europe’s biggest lithium reserves lie in the Donbass region of Russia. The former Ukrainian Shevchenkivske field in the Donetsk region and the Kruta Balka block in the Zaporizhzhia region are now part of Russia. These reserves add tremendously to Russia’s humongous Lithium deposits (now 1.5M metric tons) and solidify the country’s top ten position globally. If we consider other BRICS nations’ reserves, including China (2M metric tons), EU industry is at a leverage point.
What’s most significant about this is that the EU, and Germany in particular, desperately need the rare mineral to manufacture green energy technologies such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, and a wide variety of electronic devices. This text from the Critical Minerals Thematic Intelligence Report overview is telling:
“Critical minerals are key to transitioning to a low-carbon world. There are over 70 countries globally that have set net-zero targets and pledged to lower their emissions. However, these widespread measures for a greener future are straining natural resources, especially the minerals required to produce energy transition technologies such as electric vehicles (EVs) and solar panels…”
The report goes on to reveal how these rare minerals are monopolized by just a few regions and how supply chain problems affect their recovery and distribution. In short, if Europe does not procure more Lithium, the energy transition EU President Ursula von der Leyen toots her horn about every other day will either be delayed or made unfeasible because of demand shortages.
While the United States, Australia, and a few Latin American countries hold the lion’s share of Lithium reserves, EU access to these supplies will be expensive. In addition, the U.S. and these emerging nations will surely use the biggest part of their reserves for domestic needs.
The demand (need) for European Lithium supply is so intense, German CDU MP Roderich Kiesewetter came right out and admitted the Russia-Ukraine conflict is all about the 500,000 tons or more of the mineral under the ground of the Donbass region. Kiesewetter said, “The European Union supports Ukraine because of lithium deposits in the Donbass.” The politician also took note of the Donbass being part of Russia now, means Berlin’s dependence on Moscow.
Kiesewetter, a retired colonel, is also suggesting that Germany provide Zelensky’s regime with the highly accurate Taurus cruise missiles, which have a 500km range. The Swedish/German air-launched missile carries a 1,100-pound warhead and is essentially a bunker-buster type weapon. The missiles would be far more useful for Zelensky’s remaining Nazi battalions than a few rusty old Leopard tanks. What the MP’s statements mean, however, is that Germany and the EU intend on taking Ukraine’s vast resources by force now. The Euromaidan Coup only got the Western elites’ feet in the door, and now the singular order has few options left since the failed Ukraine offensive.
The EU commissars are in the process of slitting their own throats. Just the other day, the commission passed another round of sanctions aimed at Russia’s luxury diamond exports to the bloc. This will not affect the average EU citizen, but the upper-middle class and the wealthy will have to fork over more Euros to get pretty round diamonds. The Americans (or British) blowing up the gas pipelines, the potential for grain shortages in the EU, and other key minerals Russia and nations friendly to her export begin to take their toll on an already shaky confederation of member states.
Consider what EU member states manufacture and export to elevate their GNP. In the lists here, you’ll click on two vital exports. Cars and/or refined petroleum are vital to every country. Cars are, by far, the biggest import and export commodities. So, when these autos finally go electric, just imagine how desperate EU industry and consumers will be for Lithium! The Europeans will flounder if forced to import quantities of this strategic mineral from distant sources that have their own batteries to make. If there is a WWIII over the Russia/Ukraine situation, I am sure we’ll be able to name it “The Great Lithium War.”
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Phil Butler, is a policy investigator and analyst, a political scientist and expert on Eastern Europe, he’s an author of the recent bestseller “Putin’s Praetorians” and other books. He writes exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
So now our futures are now hostage to cars and batteries?
Then Tyler Durdan got it right in 1999 — What you own enslaves you. We’ve been told this since the Stone Age. Capture cattle, now you have to build pens and guard them. You are a slave to the cattle you raise.
Had “the West” been serious about freedom, they’d have made sure of a baseline population that lived in self-sufficient harmony with nature. We would not be hostage to every economic crap pile our bankers saddle us with.
I live not so far from Amish country. How the bankers hate them. I am sure there is a plan to scuttle that simple way of life. And not coincidentally also pick up some well-tended land real cheap.
It was a similar story in the NATO war on Serbia. Certain mines and refining plants were priority targets for siezure by NATO troops.
It’s not about Germany or the EU, because they always had access.
There’s a huge difference between being a willing buyer, to being a resource raider.
The raiders are the City Crime Cartels, & the Wall Street mobs.
Many Germans, even today, just want closer trade, but Germany is run by a WW2 legacy elite who bends over and take Nazi baseball bat up the arse whenever told to do so.
The German and French military brass had a chance to break NATO. This was a huge opportunity missed.
The latest CIA-FSB cover story for Whiteocide. What happened to the ‘NATO encroachment’ pitch, or the US bioweapon labs in Ukraine, or the thousands of innocent Russian Commies being killed in Donbass?? lol
Yes…. of course..
….Lithium..an essential medication for every asylum…and if you’ve ever wondered why the inmates prowling around the nut house always lower their gaze to the dark mirror and drool as they mumble at you…….
Well..yes that’s right… it’s medication time!…
Star Trek wrote it first–dilithium crystals– and Lithuanium has always been hard to find
That’s idiotic.
Lithium is a commodity and you can just buy it from nations that mine it. Australia, Chile, China and America and others would be more than glad to sell it to anyone willing to pay the going rate for it.
Why do people lack faith in commerce, unless of course they have rotten currencies that no one wants?
All total BS, they do not want to replace all ICE vehicles (internal combustion engines), because for 48 million vehicles in germany this does not compute with the resources and power needed, for charging alone germany would need 30 extra medium sized power plants, or do they want to buy all power on the european power market for expensive? Germany shut down their last 4 nuclear power plants and now buys the same amount power from france all the time, for lots money, how idiotic.
No the goal is not the switch to all EV, the goal is you will own nothing and be happy, restricted mobility for the plebs is the goal, you dont need a vehicle in your 15 min city, easy as that. Sure the rich will have EV and alot of ICE. But its all about the masses, they will have no more mobility.