Britain faces 'serious consequences' over expulsion of Russian diplomats.

[Callisto]

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6902046.stm

Russia's Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said: "Such provocative actions masterminded by the British authorities will not be left without an answer and cannot but entail the most serious consequences for Russian-British relations".

Putin has to be one of the scariest leaders around and the lily-livered EU has let him get away with murder (quite literally). I am very glad that Golden Brown is standing up to him - I just hope that we are not really entering a new cold war.

I'm not sure Putin himself ordered the murder of Litvinenko - but agree with the diplomat expulsion because of the refusal of the Russian authorities to co operate in the investigation. Russia is very scary now. And it is a real shame that relations between Russia and the West are now disintegrating so rapidly.

And now 4 UK diplomats have been expelled here

This is potentially scary stuff.

It is all going back to the Cold War at this rate....

Especially as Moscow seem to be saying that Russia will not be cooperating with UK anti-terrorism investigations etc. It will be interesting to see how the EU reacts over the next few weeks.

I also think that a lot of this is sabre-rattling on Putin's part. He has to look tough at home, but he really doesn't want to lose the enormous British investment in Russia.

blimey what do you think they'll do?

The EU will do ... nothing at all about it, as usual. They have bigger problems than Russia at the moment.

Putin has to sound tough and manly in Russia, that's what the voters expect of him and their govt, so those statements don't entail specific immediate plans of action against the UK I shouldn't think.

I would put nothing past Putin. I would also like to remind the people of Western Europe why it is not comfortable to be dependant on Russian oil/gas. Bloody scary stuff if you ask me.

If this escalates further, I will be watching:

Venezuela (who is buddy buddy with Putin on oil deals and shares a hatred t=for the US and capitalism)
Iran (and their wacko leader who tend to on with Russian in matter concerning oil and gas, especially in the hot bed that is the Caspian Sea)
US (because of friendship with the UK and some rocky relations over Caspian oil with Russia - I know everyone on mumsnet hates Dick Cheney but he is spot on on his views of Russia and their abuse of power through oil and gas pipelines)
France (who often sucks up to Russia, but Sarkozy might be different)
China
(because they are closer to Russia than they are to the West.)

So, where will that leave in terms of the global business market. Hmmmm... I suppose all etes on India then.

There is so much stuff that can go so wrong if we return to a cold war.

And, oh God, who will be president of the United States? Shit shit shit....

I agree, Sandy, that the EU will do nothing. They seem to be excellent at ignoring member countries who are being/have been bullied by Russia over oil/gas supplies.

"[the EU] have bigger problems than Russia at the moment."

No they don't. That's my point.

This might be the catalyst needed to spur the west into using renewables and weaning themselves off oil. Canada has big oil reserves but the extraction isn't terribly cost effective at the moment.

I thinkall eyes are on the Caspian right now. There has been a long debate over a pipeline which bypasses Russia. The US and the EU support this pipeline for obvious reasons. But, I believe Kazakhstan recenty signed a deal to build one into Russia.

There is also talk about a pipeline that goes across the Caspian Sea to bypass Russia. But, Russia and Iran are arguing that you need the agreement of all Caspian countries to build anything across it. This is a very simplistic explanation. But you get the idea, there is much at stake if Russia wants to stir things up.... And let us not forget Cechnya which is not far away.

www.infoplease.com/spot/caspianoil1.html This article is obviously a bit old, but gives a good overview of the political complications surrounding Caspian Oil.

The Kashagan field is now being developed by a consortium led by AGIP (Itallian Oil company). It will send much of the product into Russia. Shell is also a major player in the project.

I've probably bored you all now so I'll shut up.

You're never boring, Eleusis.

To me building a pipeline for oil seems completely barmy.

Why is it barmy? We need oil (and gas). Life as we know it would cease to exist without it.

But building one through Russia is barmy.

Not barmy if there is no terrorism and all of the countries it goes through are stable and pro-west, pro-democracy etc. But overland pipelines that are hundreds (thousands?) of miles long are so vulnerable to all sorts of attack.

That's true, but how else are you going to get it?