How dangerous is Vladimir Putin?

**harrybarracuda** · 18-05-2018, 01:49 AM

Originally Posted by OhOh

'arry you done me proud.

I can't take the credit, that's what the more enlightened of his oppressed people call him (among other things).

**OhOh** · 19-05-2018, 12:17 PM

Putin, Merkel discuss defense against Trump’s sanctions drive

Published time: 18 May, 2018 19:29

"Sanctions imposed by the Trump administration that could hurt companies in Germany and Russia were among the issues discussed by President Vladimir Putin and Chancellor Angela Merkel during their latest meeting.

Merkel arrived in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi to meet Putin on Friday, around a year after her previous visit in 2017. Both leaders have had their mandates reconfirmed by their respective electorate since – Putin during the March election, which he won in a landslide, and Merkel after winning the September 2017 general election in Germany and, arguably more impressive, securing a coalition agreement after a daunting six months of negotiations.

The way Putin greeted Merkel may have reminded her of the coalition talks. After the agreement was finalized and she was finally elected chancellor by the parliament in mid-March, Merkel received flowers from fellow members of the coalition. Similarly, the Russian president also handed his guest a bouquet when meeting her on the porch of his residence in Sochi, before having a three-way chat with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, whose cabinet reshuffle has just been completed.

While the two leaders had plenty of issues to discuss, from humanitarian aid and the political transition in Syria, to the crackdown on a Russia-linked news agency in Ukraine, the latest actions by the US were among the top priorities. President Donald Trump’s decision to break a nuclear deal with Iran by re-imposing economic sanctions poses a potential threat to European companies doing business in Iran.

Merkel said that the Trans-Atlantic partnership was valued by Berlin and that European nations are currently discussing ways in which the EU can provide a safety net to companies dealing with Iran. The German leader added she hoped Tehran would see the benefit of observing the terms of the deal despite Washington’s move.

European companies are similarly threatened by potential sanctions from the US over joint projects with Russia, particularly the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Putin sarcastically remarked that the attitude to the project demonstrated by the Trump administration is a remarkable example of continuation of the policies adopted by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

“[What Washington wants Russia to do] is to support Ukraine, which doesn’t really want to develop its relations with us, but is very pleased to get our money for the transit of the gas. About two to three billion dollars a year,” Putin said. “We are not against it, in fact. We are ready to keep the transit, if it is economically feasible. This feasibility may be reached through negotiations.”

The US, which wants the EU to reduce the share of Russian gas it imports in favor of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced in America, is threatening sanctions for European companies involved. “Donald is not just the president of the US. He is also a robust businessman, so he is furthering his business interests, I believe,” Putin explained, adding that American LNG is currently about 20 to 30 percent more expensive than Russian pipeline gas.

Merkel agreed that Nord Stream 2 is a commercial project, but said there were non-economic aspects in Ukraine transit and that Berlin wants to see that transit preserved.

Putin and Merkel expressed their nations’ commitment to the Minsk agreement, a roadmap towards peace for Ukraine, and said that a new meeting of the so-called Normandy format, which includes Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, may soon be convened, but refrained from providing a timeline.

The Russian president also remarked on the reported recovery of Sergei Skripal, the double agent poisoned in Britain by what London claimed was a Russian military-grade chemical weapon. Putin said Skripal’s discharge from hospital was good news and that the lethality of the toxin that put him there was obviously exaggerated by the British government.

No threats of war, agreements of continued discussions and similar future outlooks. What's not to enjoy in THE LORDS activities.

https://www.rt.com/news/427156-putin...-us-sanctions/

**Neo** · 19-05-2018, 12:29 PM

awww...

**TuskegeeBen** · 20-05-2018, 12:06 AM

Originally Posted by OhOh

Putin, Merkel discuss defense against Trump’s sanctions drive

No threats of war, agreements of continued discussions and similar future outlooks. What's not to enjoy in THE LORDS activities.

https://www.rt.com/news/427156-putin...-us-sanctions/

Some good news for a change. Hallelujah

**Klondyke** · 20-05-2018, 10:46 PM

A bridge too far: Washington Examiner calls for Russian infrastructure to be bombed
15 May 2018

Just imagine if a Russian newspaper urged the Canadian Air Force to launch strikes on Brooklyn Bridge. There’d be outrage, and rightly so.
But where’s the Western condemnation of the Washington Examiner for publishing an article calling for the bombing of the new Crimean Bridge, which opened this week?

It’s been hailed as one of the greatest feats of modern engineering. The dual-purpose span bridge, which connects the Taman Peninsula of Krasnodar Krai with the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea, is all of 11.2 miles long, making it the longest such construction in both Russia and Europe. It will now be much easier for people to get to the Crimea from the rest of Russia, and the Crimean economy will greatly benefit.

But not everyone is happy. Step forward one Tom Rogan, a columnist for the neo-con Washington Examiner. Tom calls the construction of the bridge “a formal physical and psychological appropriation of Ukrainian territory.”

And this armchair warrior who holds a BA in ‘War Studies’ from King’s College, London, wants the Ukrainian Air Force to blow it up. He more or less admits that would mean casualties, but says that the length of the bridge would “mitigate the risk” to those traversing it at the time.

In a follow-up piece Rogan stated: “I could have been a little clearer in arguing that this action could (and of course ought to be) carried out with zero casualties.”
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/427200-crim...gton-examiner/

Ukraine should blow up Putin's Crimea bridge
by Tom Rogan
| May 15, 2018

Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the Kerch Strait Bridge connecting Crimea, Ukraine, with mainland Russia on Tuesday. Putin did so by in a typical show of bravado by leading a column of transport vehicles across the bridge.

Ukraine should now destroy elements of the bridge.

While that course of action would be an escalation against Putin and one that would almost certainly spark Russian retaliation, this bridge is an outrageous affront to Ukraine's very credibility as a nation. Of course, from Putin's perspective that's the whole point. The bridge cost Russia's near-bankrupt government billions of dollars, but it offers Putin a formal physical and psychological appropriation of Ukrainian territory.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...-crimea-bridge

**Klondyke** · 20-05-2018, 11:02 PM

‘Bomb Putin bridge’ journo thinks he’s trolling Moscow with jail comments… but there’s a catch
Published time: 18 May, 2018

A US political commentator, who gained notoriety in Russia this week by suggesting Ukraine should bomb the freshly-opened Crimean bridge, has felt the wrath of Russia’s most devastating weapon: the phone prank.

The name Tom Rogan would have meant nothing to most Russians until this week. He is one of dozens of lesser-known Washington DC media figures, a contributor for various outlets, most lately the Washington Examiner, and the host of the YouTube reincarnation of the political commentary show by the late John McLaughlin. Now he is “that crazy guy who told the Ukrainians to bomb the Crimean bridge.”

The suggestion – which is far from outlandish for a US conservative commentator in the era of Russiagate – was published on Tuesday after the opening of the bridge connecting mainland Russia with the Crimean peninsula, which was part of Ukraine from 1954-2014. It made quite a splash in the Russian media and even prompted Russian prosecutors to open an investigation into public calls for a terrorist attack on Russia.

Rogan was apparently quite happy with his newfound fame in Russia, because he wrote a follow-up, bragging that President Vladimir Putin wants to send him to ‘Black Dolphin’ – one of Russia’s most secure prisons where actual terrorists serve their life sentences. He also cited hate mail he had received on Twitter, accused Russia of being a terrorist state and declared his love for the Russian people – all the usual tropes for a professional Russia-basher.

The story, however, took a bizarre twist on Thursday, when Rogan said on Twitter that Ukraine’s foreign minister had contacted him to express the support of his people and offer protection from Russian law enforcement.

Had a great conversation with @MFA_Ukraine minister Pavlo Klimkin just now. He said the Ukrainian people supported my piece and that Ukraine would help me if Russia tries to send me to the Black Dolphin. Some good banter.
— Tom Rogan (@TomRtweets) May 17, 2018

The minister, Pavlo Klimkin, then responded by saying he never spoke to Rogan, adding that his article “isn’t worth commenting” on and that the entire story may be “another Russia-led provocation.” The bold effort to amplify a new fictional Putin threat was utterly wasted, it seems.

There might be a simpler explanation. Rogan could well be the latest target for a team of Russian prankers, such as Vladimir Kuznetsof and Aleksey Stolyarov, better known by their stage names Vovan and Lexus. The duo have made a successful career of prank-calling people, who are of interest to the Russian audience, posing as somebody famous. They then try to get their target to say something embarrassing in an apparently private conversation.

Several US politicians, including Senator John McCain, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, got fooled by Vovan and Lexus – so Rogan could at least console himself with the fact he’s in a ‘good’ company.

Once it was obvious that he had been played, Rogan reacted in a way so unexpected one could almost generate it word-for-word from any ‘Russia-did-it’ story: he said Vovan and Lexus were “by the standards of reality” Russian intelligence officers. “I think the key takeaway here is to be wary of the Russian intelligence machine. It’s both hyper-aggressive and, on occasion, highly creative,” he wrote. It seems it takes an “intelligence officer” to con an American journalist by stroking his ego.

https://www.rt.com/news/427128-crime...verify=signup/

**OhOh** · 21-05-2018, 09:00 PM

Time for the ameristanis to look elsewhere for MSM saturation:

Russiagate Flopped but Now Comes the Real Scandal: “Israeli-Saudi-Emirati Gate”

https://www.eurasiafuture.com/2018/0...-emirati-gate/

**Klondyke** · 21-05-2018, 10:10 PM

Some isuue an agenda with conditions before they agree to a meeting, some do not.

China, US sanctions likely to be discussed at ‘agenda-less’ meeting between Putin & Modi

Narendra Modi arrives in Sochi for an "agenda-less" meeting with Vladimir Putin, but there won't be time for chit-chat – the two men must save key arms deals left up in the air by US sanctions, and find common ground on China.
"This is a very different kind of meeting. Normally, we have a system of annual bilateral summits that are very structured, where you negotiate and you come out with documents, contracts and joint statements," said Pankaj Saran, India's ambassador to Moscow, ahead of his prime minister's arrival in the Black Sea resort on Monday afternoon.

Instead, the one-day visit will provide a chance for the two leaders to develop "personal chemistry, build up their relationship" and "discuss issues important to their own countries," said Saran. The trip was planned at short notice after Putin was re-elected for a fourth term in March, and will be conducted without honor guards, official dinners or other formalities.

'US won't dictate which weapons we can buy'
The issue that is equally important to both is the fate of Russia's agreed weapons exports to India, estimated to be worth $12 billion. Ever since India declared independence, Moscow has sold far more arms to New Delhi than any other state.

"We are not going to allow our defense requirement to be dictated by any other country. We have conveyed this to the Capitol Hill. Russia has been a reliable and trusted partner," said a senior Indian official, quoted by multiple local media outlets last week.

Read more
https://www.rt.com/news/427263-russi...ks-modi-putin/

**harrybarracuda** · 21-05-2018, 10:50 PM

Originally Posted by OhOh

Time for the ameristanis to look elsewhere for MSM saturation:

Russiagate Flopped but Now Comes the Real Scandal: “Israeli-Saudi-Emirati Gate”

https://www.eurasiafuture.com/2018/0...-emirati-gate/

Time for you to get a dictionary and learn the meaning of the word "flopped".

**Klondyke** · 22-05-2018, 07:37 AM

Selfish US diktats could push Europe to develop ties with Russia, China & Iran
21 May 2018

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s cordial reception for German leader Angela Merkel in Sochi last Friday made for a pleasant contrast to the boorish way that Washington is acting towards its European allies.
On a sun-lit day at the Black Sea resort, Putin greeted the German chancellor with smiles and a bouquet of roses. After discussions, the two leaders told reporters about the need for cooperation and dialogue to resolve various international issues, including the Ukraine crisis, conflict in Syria, and the Iran nuclear deal.

Three days before Merkel visited Sochi, the Americans delivered yet another snub to their supposed European allies. US envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker went to the Kiev-controlled side of the conflict zone in the eastern Donbass region, where he declared American military support for retaking the breakaway self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The envoy also said that President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis were “on the same page” concerning the Ukraine policy.

Volker’s hardline message was a revelation of Washington’s role in the four-year-old Ukraine conflict, which has seen the US-backed Kiev regime launch an offensive on the breakaway republics. The eastern areas declared independence following the illegal overthrow of the Ukraine government by US-backed factions in February 2014. The factions that came to power characteristically espouse anti-Russian sentiments and Neo-fascist politics, which the ethnic Russian people of Donbass repudiated.

Read more
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/427323-puti...ers-us-orders/

**Dragonfly** · 22-05-2018, 01:08 PM

this is exactly why fuckwit Trump was the best choice for it,

he is going to force everyone to reconsider their alliance and change things,

**Klondyke** · 24-05-2018, 10:37 PM

Macron arriving for ‘demanding dialogue’ with Putin, but France is in poor position to dictate terms
Published time: 24 May, 2018

Paris promises Emmanuel Macron will show resolve during his visit to St. Petersburg, but the French president may instead turn on the charm and look for shared interests on Iran and finance, not differences over Syria and Ukraine.

During his two-day visit, a reversal of the lavish reception Vladimir Putin was granted in Versailles a year ago, Macron will meet the Russian president face-to-face for the third time, and the first since the Russian election in March, after which no congratulations arrived at the Kremlin from the Elysee.

‘Talk but keep eyes open’
French diplomats have been working in concert to convince the media that Macron will not give Putin a “soft ride,” particularly amid qualms that French companies may invest billions into Russia during this week’s St. Petersburg Economic Forum, where the French politician is a marquee guest.

Read more
https://www.rt.com/news/427607-macro...tersburg-iran/

**Klondyke** · 24-05-2018, 10:40 PM

Putin meets Macron in St. Petersburg

Putin & Macron: It's Complicated

**OhOh** · 25-05-2018, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by Klondyke

to convince the media that Macron will not give Putin a “soft ride

Mr. or Mrs. Macron?

You forgot to mention the bouquet for Macron's wife. She'll be sniffing it for weeks. The aroma of an alpha man.

What is it with male western politicians, is it mandatory to take a wife along as evidence of one's virility?

**Klondyke** · 26-05-2018, 09:05 AM

Macron's St. Petersburg mission: Keep Russia in the European family

The question of whether Russia is a European or Asian country, or both, has perplexed its leaders and citizens for centuries. However, French President Emmanuel Macron believes he knows the answer.

SAINT PETERSBURG - The top table at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) hosted leaders responsible for around 30 percent of global GDP. And quite a line-up it was: Macron and Vladimir Putin, alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and IMF supremo Christine Lagarde.

Indeed, there was so much collective power gathered at Friday event that Bloomberg’s John Micklethwait, who was serving as moderator, quipped how it was the result of Donald Trump’s unique ability to bring people together. However, while humorous, this was an America-centric take that missed the bigger picture.

What was really happening in St. Petersburg was a sort of tug of war, where Russians flirted with East and West as they continue to ponder on which side their bread will be buttered in the future. While Washington and its sidekicks in London don’t seem overly perturbed by Russia’s drift to Asia, France and Germany are alarmed, and representatives from both countries continuously referenced the issue at the SPIEF.

And then Macron made it clear where he stood. “Russia is an inalienable part of Europe... mistakes have been made in the past... we must work to remove our divisions on many issues,” he said.

read more
https://www.rt.com/news/427820-putin...russia-europe/

Wondering whether we will ever see a forum in USA moderated by a RT's (or Sputnik's) moderator with a POTUS answering inconvenient questions...

**Klondyke** · 26-05-2018, 09:08 AM

Putin trolls Macron over 'huge' French investments in Russia

A single Finnish company invested the equivalent of almost half of all French investment in Russia, President Vladimir Putin told his counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

“Finland’s Fortum invested €6 billion in Russia, while the whole of France invested €15 billion,” Putin said jokingly. Moments earlier, the French President boasted about the figure, proudly stating his country was second among Russia's foreign direct investors.

Read more
https://www.rt.com/business/427768-r...conomy-macron/

**OhOh** · 26-05-2018, 11:26 AM

Macron out of his depth, a very tentative contact with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Believing a paltry € 15B is acceptable, I presume that's all his EU masters voted for.

**SKkin** · 26-05-2018, 03:13 PM

IMHO this should read:

Originally Posted by Klondyke

While Washington and its sidekicks in London don’t seem overly perturbed by Russia’s drift to Asia,

like this:

While London and its sidekicks in Washington don’t seem overly perturbed by Russia’s drift to Asia,

Seems to me Washington(and NYC-Wall Street) are only subsidiaries of London's Square Mile.

Even Putin "handler" Abramovich resides in London...or he did.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich reportedly immigrating to Israel
https://www.jta.org/2018/05/25/news-...ting-to-israel

**harrybarracuda** · 26-05-2018, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by SKkin

Even Putin "handler" Abramovich resides in London...or he did.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich reportedly immigrating to Israel
https://www.jta.org/2018/05/25/news-...ting-to-israel

That is fucking funny. He was banking on getting a British passport so he could protect all the stolen roubles, but now he's got to go and hide in Israel instead.

I wonder what Chelski fans think of that.

**Klondyke** · 26-05-2018, 04:21 PM

Hopefully his superyacht is moored safely. And his fleet as well...

https://www.superyachtfan.com/superyacht_eclipse.html

**SKkin** · 26-05-2018, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by Klondyke

Hopefully his superyacht is moored safely. And his fleet as well...

And his former yacht too...

Roman Abramovich 'gave Putin a £25 million yacht when he was elected' - Jewish Business NewsJewish Business News

**harrybarracuda** · 26-05-2018, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by SKkin

And his former yacht too...

Roman Abramovich 'gave Putin a £25 million yacht when he was elected' - Jewish Business NewsJewish Business News

And why not, Putin paid for it. (Well the Russian people did).

**Klondyke** · 26-05-2018, 07:16 PM

While Mr Putin’s personal wealth has been the subject of speculation and claims of corruption for years, little evidence has ever been produced to back up such allegations. Mr Putin has dismissed claims about his wealth as “simply rubbish.”

Highly Likely

**harrybarracuda** · 28-05-2018, 06:04 PM

Amusing Comments from Vlad #5,216

Kremlin - permanent U.S. military presence in Poland bad for security

Reuters Staff
1 MIN READ

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that gradual NATO military expansion towards its borders did not improve security or stability in Europe as it commented on media reports Poland is seeking to secure a permanent U.S. military presence on its territory.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in St. Petersburg, Russia May 24, 2018. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor

“When we see the gradual expansion of NATO military structures towards our borders..., this of course in no way creates security and stability on the continent,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Monday.

Maybe Poland wants to protect itself against you invading it and annexing a chunk, like you did in Ukraine, eh Vlad?

**Klondyke** · 28-05-2018, 07:25 PM

^apples and potatoes...

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