Let’s look at Russia and Ukraine from an economic angle.
Ken Kriz, a public finance and public policy expert at the University of Illinois Springfield, took part in a panel discussion and said Russia has one edge.
“You have to understand,” said Kriz, “just how concentrated industry is in Russia around oil. One of the things the export mix tells you is what is really important to an economy. because they are producing it not just for consumption, but it also brings dollars to the economy.”
And China keeps buying it.