Quote:
Originally Posted by 9999
Well if Tony Soprano said it, that about wraps it up
Printable View
Quote:
Originally Posted by 9999
Well if Tony Soprano said it, that about wraps it up
Putin tells UN chief Kosovo set Donbass precedent
Russia’s president and the UN boss met in Moscow to discuss the Ukraine crisis
26 Apr, 2022 21:40
"Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Kremlin on Tuesday for talks revolving around the Ukrainian crisis. The two discussed the situation on the ground, with Putin explaining to the UN chief Russia’s reasons for launching its military operation against the neighboring country in late February.Moscow’s move to recognize the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk was based on the Kosovo precedent, set up by a UN-backed court, Putin told Guterres. The republics emerged after people living in Ukraine’s east rejected the Western-backed 2014 Maidan, he explained.
Putin added that the post-coup Kiev government opted for a military solution that led to the eight-year standoff in the Donbass.
“I remember very well the decision of the International Court of Justice, which states that in exercising the right to self-determination, a territory of any state is not obliged to apply for permission to declare its sovereignty to the central authorities of the country,” Putin said.
Guterres pointed out that the UN itself still does not recognize Kosovo as an independent entity, viewing it as a part of Serbia. Putin, however, parried that the legal precedent still exists, as Kosovo received wide recognition in the West.
“So many states in the world, including our opponents in the West, have done this with respect to Kosovo. Kosovo is recognized by a lot of states – it is a fact – by a lot of Western states it is recognized as an independent state. We did the same with respect to the republics of the Donbass,” Putin said, adding that the republics subsequently asked Moscow for military assistance – which Russia provided in full compliance with the UN Charter.
Apart from discussing the international law and legal basis for Russia’s military operation, Putin and Guterres talked about the humanitarian situation on the ground in Ukraine. The UN chief said the organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were ready to provide assistance in evacuating civilians said to be trapped together with the Ukrainian fighters at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol.
“This will be an operation to evacuate civilians from the plant. Russia has been repeatedly blamed for that evacuation not being carried out. On the other hand, Russia has announced the creation of [humanitarian] corridors, which, however, are not being used,” Guterres stated.
Russia’s president said the civilians purportedly trapped at the Azovstal plant remain there only because the Ukrainian fighters, including the neo-Nazi groups, that are holed up at the facility would not let them go.
“We keep hearing from the Ukrainian authorities that there are civilians there. But then the servicemen of the Ukrainian army are obliged to release them, or they then act as terrorists in many countries of the world, like ISIS in Syria, hiding behind the civilian population. The easiest thing to do is to let these people out,” he stated.
Putin also noted that the UN chief had been apparently “misinformed” about the humanitarian corridors set up by Russia, pointing out that more than 100,000 civilians have left Mariupol through them.
“And they can go anywhere: some want to go to Russia, some want to go to Ukraine. Anywhere – we do not hold them, we provide any kind of help and support,” he added.'
Putin tells UN chief Kosovo set Donbass precedent — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
As opposed to
'arrys enjoyment seeing men, woman and children being SPLATTERED.Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
You think there's women and children in those tanks?Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
He would be stupid enough to think so.Quote:
Originally Posted by pickel
Well that's just rubbish, isn't it hoohoo?Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
I just enjoy seeing Russian soldiers, who *do* splatter innocent civilians, getting blown to smithereens.
The more the merrier.
Women in tanks:Quote:
Originally Posted by pickel
One example:
Female pro-Putin tank commander 'defects to Ukraine after falling for honeytrap'
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/famed-female-rusian-tank-commander-14088485
another example:
Russia has unveiled its first-ever female tank crew
Video: Russia has unveiled its first-ever female tank crew | Daily Mail Online
Another, (suspect due to Russian publication :rolleyes:):
Russia’s first ever female tank crew
Russia’s first ever female tank crew (PHOTOS) - Russia Beyond
The 16% (western) consensus:
:rofl:
EU and Russia should rebuild relations – Brussels
Agreeing on security guarantees will be a ‘difficult and lengthy process’, says EU diplomat
26 Apr, 2022 20:28
EU and Russia should rebuild relations – Brussels — RT World News
US ready to accept neutral Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Senate that neutrality or NATO is Kiev’s choice to make
DDOS-GUARD
NATO member pledges to block Sweden and Finland's candidacy
26 Apr, 2022 18:07
DDOS-GUARD
US will move ‘heaven and earth’ for Ukraine – Pentagon
Defense Secretary pledges to do whatever is necessary to give Kiev what it wants
26 Apr, 2022 17:50
US wants Russia ‘weakened’ so it cannot invade again: Pentagon chief
AFP
Published: 25 April ,2022: 10:20 AM GST Updated: 25 April ,2022: 11:13 AM GST
"The United States wants Russia’s military capability weakened so that it cannot carry out another invasion, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday after returning from a trip to Kyiv.
“We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,” Austin told a group of journalists after he and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Austin also said that Ukraine can win the war against Russia if it has the right equipment.
“The first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win,” Austin told a group of journalists after he and Blinken had both met Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy.
“We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.”
US wants Russia ‘weakened’ so it cannot invade again: Pentagon chief | Al Arabiya English
Ruble payment mechanism in effect – Kremlin
26 Apr, 2022 16:13
Gazprom is working on implementing the new payment mechanism for natural gas, Kremlin spokesman says
"The Kremlin on Tuesday said that Gazprom was implementing the presidential decree that requires payment for gas supplies in rubles.
"All the contacts with buyers of gas have been made via Gazprom, so it will publish information on the results of the talks," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
According to Peskov, payments for gas deliveries that took place under the new scheme are expected in May.
Last month, Putin demanded that 'unfriendly' countries pay for Russian gas in rubles. To do this, they would need to open accounts at Gazprombank and make payments in euros or dollars that would then be converted into rubles. Putin has warned that failure to comply with the currency switch would mean that affected countries risked losing Russian gas supplies."
Ruble payment mechanism in effect – Kremlin — RT Business News
Bulgaria confirms Russian gas to be halted
Gazprom will cease delivering gas to Bulgaria on Wednesday, energy ministry says
26 Apr, 2022 20:41
"Russian energy giant Gazprom will cease delivering gas to Bulgaria on Wednesday, the country’s energy ministry announced on Tuesday. The news comes after the Saint Petersburg firm confirmed it will also halt supplies to Poland, with both countries refusing to pay for energy supplies in rubles.
The ministry announced the news in a statement, adding that there would be no imminent need for consumers to ration their gas usage. Bulgaria relies on Russia for around 90% of its gas, with the remainder coming from Azerbaijan.
Last month, a spokesman for state energy firm Bulgargaz told reporters that, as of this summer, Azerbaijan will provide the country’s entire supply, albeit at a higher price. Further ahead, Bulgaria’s government plans to connect the country to a yet-unfinished Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Greece, where gas will be imported by ship"
Bulgaria confirms Russian gas to be halted — RT World News
You really are an epic moron.Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
Russian gas flows to Europe stable as gas nominations for Slovakia rise via Ukraine
Reuters
Published: 25 April ,2022: 01:14 PM GST
Updated: 25 April ,2022: 01:20 PM GST
"Daily nominations for Russian gas deliveries to Slovakia via Ukraine rose on Monday, while flows eastbound into Poland from Germany through the Russia-EU Yamal pipeline and direct flows from Russia to Germany via Nord Stream 1 remained stable.
Daily nominations for Russian gas deliveries to Slovakia through Ukraine via the Velke Kapusany border point were around
545,006 megawatt hours (MWh) per day on Monday, versus 381,789 MWh per day on Sunday, data from Slovakian operator TSO Eustream showed.
Russian gas producer Gazprom said it was supplying natural gas to Europe via Ukraine on Monday in line with European consumers’ requests, which had increased from the previous day.
Eastbound gas flows via the Yamal-Europe pipeline from Germany to Poland, were little changed from the previous 24 hours data from the Gascade pipeline operator showed.
The data showed physical exit flows at the Mallnow metering point on the German border point at 7,478,439 kilowatt hours per hour (kWh/h) up slightly from 7,391,336 kWh/h earlier in the morning.
Flows to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline across the Baltic Sea were at 73,314,101 kWh/h on Monday morning, little changed from the previous 24 hours."
Russian gas flows to Europe stable as gas nominations for Slovakia rise via Ukraine | Al Arabiya English
This supposed Mig-31 one looks like a sycamore seed spiralling gently to the ground.
'Russian warplane' twirls to ground after 'Ukraine missile strike' - YouTube
We need to send a war poet of Wilfred Owens' calibre to do the Ukraine conflict aesthetic justice and squeeze out all the pathos for posterity
If the tank has made the mistake of turning its back on you to expose its tender rump then you don't need the swoopy doo new missiles. A traditional direct blast up the fart pipe will suffice...Quote:
Originally Posted by Looper
Ukrainian missile destroys Russian tank nearly three miles away - YouTube
At this stage it is clear that OhWoe is not aware what thread he is posting in . . . just mass-splattering of his propaganda bullshit.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions at a joint news conference following talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Moscow, April 26, 2022
26 April 2022 20:32
"Ladies and gentlemen, We held substantive talks during which we discussed many issues that are facing the UN. We continue working on Syria and Libya. Neither must we slacken attention to the Middle East settlement. It is one of the oldest conflicts in the world, which is moving ever further away from its solution, contrary to the UN Security Council resolutions.
For understandable reasons, we focused on the situation in Europe in the context of the developments in Ukraine and the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. We are grateful to the UN Secretary-General and his team for understanding the importance of discussing the situation in and around Ukraine as part of global developments and in the context of the current trends, which are gathering strength and are not always following in line with UN ideals and the principles of the UN Charter. Today, I talked with Antonio Guterres, our colleague and friend, about our vision of the main causes for this situation. The critical cause was the line of our American colleagues and their allies for the unlimited expansion of NATO and the establishment of a unipolar world.
As for our geopolitical space, all of that was being done in the interests of containing the Russian Federation. It is for this purpose that Ukraine was over these years consistently turned into a bridgehead for provoking and containing Russia. They encouraged the Ukrainian authorities’ decisions to promote laws that prohibited the Russian language, Russian media outlets, Russian couture and everything that is Russia. At the same time, laws were adopted to formalise the Nazi theory and practices. Of course, the UN Secretary-General is aware of the decisions, which have been made public by President Vladimir Putin, and of the reasons and goals of the operation which our armed forces are conducting jointly with the Donetsk and Lugansk militias in Ukraine. The main goal is to protect civilians. In this context, we are interested in cooperation with our colleagues from the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross as regards additional efforts to ease the suffering and plight of civilians.
After the UN Secretary-General contacted our Defence Ministry on March 4, 2022, we established the Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response at the National Defence Control Centre of the Russian Federation. UN representatives are coordinating practical matters to organise safe humanitarian deliveries. The UN, namely the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has helped organise five humanitarian aid convoys to various parts of Ukraine, in addition to the humanitarian aid that is delivered every day to Ukrainian citizens and to Donetsk and Lugansk by the Russian Defence and Emergencies ministries and NGOs. Today we discussed possible measures that can be taken to strengthen our cooperation in this area. I believe that such measures can be coordinated on the basis of the talks in Moscow, inasmuch as they are needed in the current situation.
Certainly, we talked about the UN’s overall destiny, as well as the attempts of our Western colleagues to discuss key issues outside universal formats, those under the auspices of the UN and its system, and to organise various partnerships and appeals that are portrayed as a club of advanced members or a club of select members. The Alliance for Multilateralism, a French-German initiative, follows the same lines. Does this not amount to competition with the UN? In 2021, the United States organised the Summit for Democracy and independently invited the participants without consulting anyone. Today, we also drew the attention of our partners to this fact. On the whole, this comes as an alarm bell for the UN and as an attempt to nullify the fundamental rules and principles of the UN Charter, including the fact that the organisation was established on the basis of the sovereign equality of states. This is what the UN Charter says, and it is necessary to remember this. We will recall this more often, so that no one in New York and the capitals of member states will forget it.
I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing my sincere gratitude to the UN Secretary-General who suggested holding this meeting. We responded promptly, and this underscores the fact that we attach great significance to regular dialogue and to coordinating positions with the leadership of the UN Secretariat. Given all difficulties that continue to accumulate in global affairs, such frank discussions are quite useful, so that we can eventually go back to the roots, to the UN Charter, and so that we can build upon various concepts for expanded multilateralism precisely on the basis of this Charter. Multilateralism is a key word nowadays.
Once again, I am grateful for the fact that the UN Secretary-General was prepared to conduct today’s conversation in precisely this context.
Question: Both sides, be it the UN or the international community, are considering a potential diplomatic solution to the crisis and a ceasefire. If Russia decides in favour of a diplomatic solution, is there an organisation or a country that Moscow has been considering as a mediator?
Sergey Lavrov: First of all, I would like to comment on the positions held by the international community and on how the UN should be guided by these positions, along with the intransient principles of the UN Charter, primarily the principle of sovereign equality of states, which I have mentioned.
The UN Secretary-General has referred to the General Assembly resolution, which has denounced Russia and declared that the developments in Ukraine are an invasion and a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Let me remind you that there was a vote and the General Assembly did not reach a consensus on the resolution. Many countries complained to us later that they had been forced to vote for it: the Americans were swooping on their ambassadors in the UN lobbies (our US friends are past masters at this) and were threatening them. Some people have bank accounts in the United States, others – student-age children at a US university. I am not exaggerating. This was how it was, and we know it.
Nevertheless, the resolution was not approved unanimously. Several dozen countries refused to support it. I understand that any General Assembly resolution should serve as a mandate for the UN Secretariat (and so it is setting forth its approaches). But likewise, the UN Security Council resolutions, particularly those passed by consensus, where all 15 members vote for a specific decision, should be sacred to the Secretariat. It was by consensus that in February 2015, the Security Council approved a document entitled the Minsk Package of Measures, which clearly said that there was a need for direct dialogue between Kiev, Donetsk, and Lugansk in order to solve all the existing problems in terms of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. All that was needed was to fulfil the commitments undersigned first by President Petr Poroshenko and later by President Vladimir Zelensky and to extend a special status to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, as well as to grant an amnesty and amend the Constitution in the context of a decentralisation plan that nevertheless implied preservation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. It provided for holding elections by coordination with Donetsk and Lugansk. I don’t remember the UN Secretariat responding in any way to Kiev’s open and glaring sabotage of the Minsk Agreements, although the UN Security Council resolutions (the more so those approved by consensus) are part of international law. We talked about this today. We have good and comradely relations. But I think it is impossible to attempt to postpone a conversation of this kind.
We are now at a stage in the development of international relations, where the moment of truth is at hand: either all of us resign ourselves to a situation where someone singlehandedly or with a handful of satellites decides how mankind should live, or mankind will live based on the UN Charter. It’s a simple choice. No one wants any wars, but it is an absolute must to put forward arguments and urge violators of the UN Charter to face responsibility. I assure you that an increasing number of countries, particularly those with their distinct history and culture and a civilisational legacy of their own, are eager to take precisely this position. This conversation should be inevitable. I hope that it is the UN with its roots in the Charter (the greatest document of all time) that will play the role of a catalyst in promoting this honest dialogue without ultimatums, threats or attempts to solve all problems by force, including economic and financial force, taking advantage of their position in the international system. I think this is an outrage.
As for negotiated solutions, we are in favour of them. In early March, we immediately accepted Ukrainian President Zelensky’s proposal to start talks. But it is depressing to see how the Ukrainian delegation has behaved during the talks or how President Zelensky himself has behaved by refusing to confirm that they received our new proposals a week ago (he said so a number of times). Judging by all appearances, they are not particularly interested in talks. Those insisting that Russia should not be allowed to win, and, on the contrary, urging [Ukraine] to overpower Russia and destroy it have promised Kiev that they will continue this policy by rushing arms to Ukraine in huge amounts. Right now, the Ukrainian authorities are relying on this. If this continues, the talks are unlikely to have any outcome. But I repeat: we are committed to a negotiated solution and ceasefire. We pursue this daily by announcing humanitarian corridors, which are ignored by the militants from the Azov battalion, among others, who have entrenched themselves at the Azovstal plant. This battalion sports swastikas and emblems and symbols of [German] Nazi battalions (Waffen-SS). Asked by CNN about them, President Zelensky said they have many such battalions and they are what they are. This phrase, “they are what they are,” was later deleted from the interview. They seemed to be utterly ashamed to present this man with all his hidden sentiments to the Western democratic community.
We are ready for talks. If anyone has any interesting ideas, we are prepared to listen to them. The Ukrainian negotiators did not mention mediation as such at the previous stages. Our teams meet one-on-one. They met three times in Belarus and once in Turkey. These are the venues for talks. We are grateful to both sides for their hospitality and organisational efforts. It is still premature to speak about mediators at this stage. We want to get a reply to the latest draft document that we submitted eleven days ago. The Ukrainian negotiators failed to report to their president about it. For at least a week, he was unaware that this document had been put forward.
Question: It is expected that later today, the UN General Assembly will hold a vote on Liechtenstein’s draft resolution on the right of veto. The resolution would be applied by the General Assembly every time one of the five permanent members of the Security Council casts a veto. What does Moscow think about this initiative? What does Russia think in general about the proposals on reforming the UN Security Council and specifically the initiative that would be able to overturn a veto through a General Assembly vote?
Sergey Lavrov: As concerns the resolution submitted to the General Assembly, it is clearly stated that the resolution has nothing to do with and will in no way affect the talks that have been ongoing for many years on the UN Security Council reform. Nothing will happen to the right of veto, I can assure you. The right of veto is a supporting pillar of the United Nations, without which this Organisation would go out of control. The great powers, the permanent members of the UN Security Council, primarily rely on the principle of unanimity that is enshrined in the UN Charter and helps to avoid any rough clashes between them.
The other thing is that the world has changed. The Americans are publicly declaring that they want to make the world unipolar forever – when objectively, the process is going in the opposite direction. The world is multipolar. We have said it many times that the UN Security Council must get rid of its biggest flaw, which is the dominant influence of a specific group of countries. Six out of 15 seats belong to the Western countries and their allies. Developing countries are underrepresented. We have stressed it many times that we want to see representatives of Asia, Africa and Latin America in this body on a permanent basis. We specifically mentioned our partners from India and Brazil. By all means, there must be a candidate from Africa.
The resolution that you mentioned mandates a discussion by the General Assembly of situations after a veto is cast in the UN Security Council and has nothing to do with the reform. This resolution seeks to democratise the decision-making process. We are ready to join the consensus should one form. It is important to work based on a consensus because many resolutions, even those adopted by a minority of votes, eventually start to prevail in different areas where it primarily benefits the Western countries.
The UN Security Council may be deprived of the opportunity to adopt a resolution not only as a result of casting one or several vetoes but also as a result of six or seven countries abstaining from the vote. This is yet another case where the UN Security Council is divided. Perhaps the General Assembly should not remain indifferent to this state of affairs.
I believe that this is a healthy process. If a country casts a veto, it means that it can justify its decision. But when it concerns the Russian Federation (and such cases may occur), we will be able to give a compelling explanation of our positions in the UN Security Council.
Question: How did Russia respond to the Ukrainian proposal to hold a special round of talks in Mariupol?
Sergey Lavrov: I have heard about this proposal, presented theatrically by the Ukrainian negotiating team (the one that contacted our negotiators in Belarus, in Turkey, then via videoconference) to hold another meeting in Mariupol near the walls of Azovstal plant. The Ukrainians like staging everything. Apparently, they wanted to "stage" another heartbreaking episode.
If we are talking about a serious attitude to work within the framework of negotiations, it would be better if they responded to our proposals sooner. The proposals have been with them for more than ten days now. As it turns out, Ukrainian President Zelensky has not even heard about them.
Question: What measures are being taken by the Russian side regarding the build-up of US arms supplies to Kiev?
Sergey Lavrov: It is not only the Americans who are supplying arms. They prefer to force Europe to do this. But they are also taking steps in this direction themselves.
We have said more than once that as soon as foreign weapons are on Ukrainian territory, they become a legitimate target for Russia's special military operation. Our troops are on Ukrainian territory. They are defending the rights of people who have been bombed for eight years. The West was totally silent, regardless of who was or was not part of the Normandy format, including Germany and France as co-sponsors of the Minsk agreements.
All these years, the entire Russian-speaking population, not only in Donbass and the two proclaimed republics, but also in Ukraine as a whole, was sternly oppressed. Everything is in the statistics. Look at the laws that were passed with respect to the Russian language and the media. Moreover, not only Russian channels were banned, but also Ukrainian ones if they were in the hands of a parliamentary, legitimate, legal but opposition party. Then decisions were eventually made to ban the Russian language in everyday life. Nazi ideology and practices were imposed. Everyone was bashfully "hiding their head in the sand" – both inside and outside the Normandy format.
Weapons that had already been imported into Ukraine at that time posed a real threat to the Russian Federation. The military bases that were built, in particular by the British on the Sea of Azov, directly posed the same threat. We heard no sympathetic voices from different parts of the world when, as a final attempt in the autumn of 2021, we proposed to the Americans and NATO that treaties be concluded with the aim of ensuring security in Europe, without increasing the number of members in political-military blocs.
We are now dealing with such threats and actions taken by the West, in violation of its commitment not to strengthen its security at the expense of Russia's security.
Question: Russia recently accredited the first diplomat from the Taliban government. Does this mean that Moscow is moving to recognise the Taliban government in Kabul?
Is Russia ready to work with Afghan national political forces and include them in a new and all-inclusive Afghan government, as President of Iran Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi recently suggested?
Sergey Lavrov: Indeed, we have accredited one diplomat. The new authorities, the Taliban movement, have already sent him to work at the Afghan Embassy in Moscow. This is not official diplomatic recognition, however.
We are acting in unison with Afghanistan’s key neighbours. China recently hosted a large conference, and we attended the event with the Central Asian countries, Pakistan and Iran. We recognise the current realities of our work. We maintain regular contact with the Taliban through the Russian Embassy and representatives of various agencies who also review economic cooperation matters. During the Soviet Union’s presence in Afghanistan, specialists built over 140 enterprises there. Those enterprises formed the backbone of the Afghan economy. Not a single similar facility was built there during the NATO coalition’s 20-year deployment in Afghanistan. You know what all this came down to and how it ended.
We intend to ensure full diplomatic recognition of the new Afghan authorities provided they keep their promise to set up an all-inclusive government, and not just in the ethnic-denominational context. The current government consists of Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazaras, but all of them are Taliban in terms of their political affiliation. It is political inclusivity that will determine our next steps. The Taliban has announced this goal.
We are working with various political forces in Afghanistan, primarily in Kabul. They include former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, a former senior official. They are interested in a dialogue with the Taliban. In our contact with the Taliban, we encourage them to initiate and continue a detailed dialogue."
https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/1810897/
Translation: "Our invasion of Ukraine".Quote:
developments in Ukraine
Currently, the 16% have inundated Russia with multiple sanctions. None of which have affected Russia's position, so far.
Russia has demanded that any countries wanting, currently, gas from Russia has to sign up to a new payment system. One of the sanctions the 16% made was to illegally steal Russian reserves in foreign banks, which made the old accepted by all system unacceptable to Russia.
The new gas order, payment and delivery system is thus, I believe:
1. Any foreign company desiring to buy any amount of Russian gas has to open an account with a specified Russian bank.
2. Once the funds have been received, the specified Russian bank will credit their payment to their foreign fund account.
3. The Russian bank will then convert the foreign funds into roubles.
4. The rouble amount will be transferred to the foreign company's rouble account.
5. If the amount of roubles in the companies' rouble account is sufficient to pay for their requested amount of gas. The Russian gas supplier will confirm the amount of gas purchased, the delivery schedule and location of delivery.
Obviously, if the rouble amount in the foreign company's required amount of gas, is not enough, either an additional payment would be requested or a lesser amount of gas would be delivered. Prior to delivery of the gas.
No credit facilities would be available on these bank accounts. Not an unusual event on some bank accounts worldwide, some Thai banks accounts for example.
One new procedure for an essential commodity to many countries companies has evolved. No cuts of supply, no threats of stopping gas ales, at all.
One may look forward to companies buying gas from Russia until they can find better deals elsewhere. Otherwise, the receiving countries citizens and industrial users will not be happy.
I'm sure some are around now, whether they remain....
Attachment 85967
There are suggestions, some of the delivered gas, will be sold on to another country. It appears to have been happening previously.
Whether the gas prices/rate of exchange, from foreign currency to Russian roubles will be adjusted to punish any countries considered by Russia as being "unfriendly" has, as yet, not been announced.
Whether a similar method of purchasing other Russian exports, oil, food, metals .... has also not been announced, yet.
Doesn't really matter what they do while they are sourcing alternative suppliers.
The damage has been done.
Not until they cancel their buying of Russian gas either directly or from an intermediary.Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
Russian gas and oil reports:
Finland will not pay for Russian gas in rubles
Finland will not pay for Russian gas in rubles | Al Arabiya English
Greece to pay Gazprom without breaching sanctions against Russia: Minister
https://english.alarabiya.net/business/energy/2022/04/28/Greece-to-pay-Gazprom-without-breaching-sanctions-against-Russia-
Minister
Italy’s energy giant Eni moves to open Russian ruble account for gas as EU warns firm
https://english.alarabiya.net/business/energy/2022/04/28/Italy-s-energy-giant-Eni-moves-to-open-Russian-ruble-account-for-gas-
as-EU-warns-firm
Russia’s Rosneft seeks pre-payment in rubles for oil products
Russia’s Rosneft seeks pre-payment in rubles for oil products | Al Arabiya English
Poland still buying Russian gas – Gazprom
Reverse flows from Germany ramped up after direct supplies were halted, the energy major says
Poland still buying Russian gas – Gazprom — RT Business News
Related news:
Poland continues purchasing Russian gas through supplies reversed from Germany
On April 27, Gazprom fully suspended direct supplies to the Polish PGNiG due to their failure to pay in rubles in due time
28 Apr, 21:06
"MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. Poland continues purchasing Russian gas despite stating that it will not do so, Gazprom Spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov told reporters on Thursday, adding that as direct supplies from Russia were suspended due to the refusal to accept a new payment procedure Russian gas is reversed to Poland from Germany via the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline.
"This week Poland has refused to pay for Russian gas supplies under a new procedure, in rubles. It was officially announced that Russian gas is no longer needed and it will not be purchased. However, in reality this is wrong. After suspension of direct supplies Poland purchases Russian gas, but now in Germany, from which it is reversed to Poland via the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline," he said."
https://tass.com/economy/1444929
EU country receives gas threat
Supplies to Spain might be cut off, Algeria warns
"Algeria, which boasts Africa’s second biggest gas reserves, has announced it will stop gas deliveries to Spain if energy is then transferred to a “third destination.” The warning follows a recent decision by Madrid to provide gas to the North African nation’s neighbor and regional rival, Morocco.“Natural gas delivered to Spain, whose destination is none other than that provided for in the contracts, will be considered as a breach of contractual commitments,” the Algerian Energy Ministry said on Wednesday."
https://www.rt.com/news/554653-spain...a-morocco-gas/
Clare Daly, MEP for Dublin, speaking in an EU debate.
5:38 PM · Apr 7, 2022
"The EU economic war against Russia does nothing to help innocent Ukrainian citizens, victims of this illegal war. Russia is undeterred, while EU citizens face disastrous inflation, rocketing energy costs, and a historic decline in living standards. This is madness…"
https://twitter.com/ClareDalyMEP/sta...16960690823170
Oh dear, not content with sanctions, NaGastan will now illegally steal some Russians citizens wealth.
White House unveils plan to sell Russian oligarchs' houses and yachts to help Ukraine
Sinéad Baker and Ben Gilbert
19 hours ago
- The White House proposed a new system for selling seized Russian assets to fund Ukraine's defense.
- The proposal allows for the sale of "property linked to Russian kleptocracy" seized due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- It's the latest step from the Biden administration to financially pressure Russia.
"The White House revealed plans on Thursday intended to enhance the US's ability to seize mansions and yachts owned by the wealthiest and most powerful Russians — and sell them to help fund Ukraine's defense.
The White House said the proposal would create new authorities that can seize "property linked to Russian kleptocracy" and "allow the government to use the proceeds to support Ukraine."
The plan targets Russia's oligarchy — a small group of influential and wealthy Russians, many with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin."
White House Plans to Sell Russian Oligarch Assets to Help Ukraine
No news of finding, to date, despite the demise of Swiss and Austrian bank secrecy thanks to FATCA pressure, a trace of THE LORDS, alleged by our TD financial experts, 50,000,000,000 .... stash.
Another TD "informed" experts/NaGastan failure.
:rofl:
Hoohoo try and keep up, we've already established she's as thick as fucking shit (or sabang, take your pick).Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
Quote:
In late January 2022, Daly described the Russian troop build up on the Ukrainian border as being "clearly defensive" and believed there is "no evidence that Russia has any desire to invade Ukraine, it would be of no benefit to them".
Russia bombed Ukraine. It's only fair Russia pays for the damage.Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
:bananaman:
Every last penny that can be taken from those Russian bastards should be taken.Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been invited to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit in November by host nation Indonesia.
Indonesia Invites Zelenskiy To G20 Summit In November That Putin Plans To Attend
Empire of Lies Eager to Receive Mr. Sarmat’s Business Card
Pepe Escobar
April 29, 2022
"The only antidote to propaganda dementia is served by sparse voices of reason, which happen to be Russian, thus silenced and/or dismissed.
Especially since the onset of GWOT (Global War on Terror) at the start of the millennium, no one ever lost money betting against the toxic combo of hubris, arrogance and ignorance serially deployed by the Empire of Chaos and Lies.
What passes for “analysis” in the vast intellectual no-fly zone known as U.S. Think Tankland includes wishful thinking babble such as Beijing “believing” that Moscow would play a supporting role in the Chinese century just to see Russia, now, in the geopolitical driver’s seat.
This is a fitting example not only of outright Russophobic/Sinophobic paranoia about the emergence of peer competitors in Eurasia – the primeval Anglo-American nightmare – but also crass ignorance about the finer points of the complex Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership.
As Operation Z methodically hits Phase 2, the Americans – with a vengeance – have also embarked on their symmetrical Phase 2, which de facto translates as an outright escalation towards Totalen Krieg, from shades of hybrid to incandescent, everything of course by proxy. Notorious Raytheon weapons peddler reconverted into Pentagon head, Lloyd Austin, gave away the game in Kiev:
“We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.”
So this is it: the Empire wants to annihilate Russia. Cue to War Inc.’s frenzy of limitless weapon cargos descending on Ukraine, the overwhelming majority on the road to be duly eviscerated by Russian precision strikes. The Americans are sharing intel 24/7 with Kiev not only on Donbass and Crimea but also Russian territory. Totalen Krieg proceeds in parallel to the engineered controlled demolition of the EU’s economy, with the European Commission merrily acting as a sort of P.R. arm of NATO.
Amidst the propaganda dementia cum acute cognitive dissonance overdrive across the whole NATOstan sphere, the only antidote is served by sparse voices of reason, which happen to be Russian, thus silenced and/or dismissed. The West ignores them at their own collective peril.
Patrushev goes Triple-X unpluggedLet’s start with President Putin’s speech to the Council of Legislators in St. Petersburg celebrating the Day of Russian Parliamentarism.
Putin demonstrated how a hardly new “geopolitical weapon” relying on “Russophobia and neo-Nazis”, coupled with efforts of “economic strangulation”, not only failed to smother Russia, but impregnated in the collective unconscious the feeling this an existential conflict: a “Second Great Patriotic War”.
With off the charts hysteria across the spectrum, a message for an Empire that still refuses to listen, and doesn’t even understand the meaning of “indivisibility of security”, had to be inevitable:
“I would like to emphasize once again that if someone intends to interfere in the events taking place from the outside and creates threats of a strategic nature unacceptable to Russia, they should know that our retaliatory strikes will be lightning fast. We have all the tools for this. Such as no one can boast of now. And we won’t brag. We will use them if necessary. And I want everyone to know about it – we have made all the decisions on this matter.”
Translation: non-stop provocations may lead Mr. Kinzhal, Mr. Zircon and Mr. Sarmat to be forced to present their business cards in select Western latitudes, even without an official invitation.
Arguably for the first time since the start of Operation Z, Putin made a distinction between military operations in Donbass and the rest of Ukraine. This directly relates to the integration in progress of Kherson, Zaporozhye and Kharkov, and implies the Russian Armed Forces will keep going and going, establishing sovereignty not only in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics but also over Kherson, Zaporozhye, and further on down the road from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, all the way to establishing full control of Nikolaev and Odessa.
The formula is crystal clear: “Russia cannot allow the creation of anti-Russian territories around the country.”
Now let’s move to an extremely detailed interview by Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, where Patrushev sort of went triple-X unplugged.
The key take away may be here: “The collapse of the American-centric world is a reality in which one must live and build an optimal line of behavior.” Russia’s “optimal line of behavior” – much to the wrath of the universalist and unilateralist hegemon – features “sovereignty, cultural and spiritual identity and historical memory.”
Patrushev shows how “tragic scenarios of world crises, both in past years and today, are imposed by Washington in its desire to consolidate its hegemony, resisting the collapse of the unipolar world.” The U.S. goes no holds barred “to ensure that other centers of the multipolar world do not even dare to raise their heads, and our country not only dared, but publicly declared that it would not play by the imposed rules.”
Patrushev could not but stress how War Inc. is literally making a killing in Ukraine: “The American and European military-industrial complex is jubilant, because thanks to the crisis in Ukraine, it has no respite from order. It is not surprising that, unlike Russia, which is interested in the speedy completion of a special military operation and minimizing losses on all sides, the West is determined to delay it at least to the last Ukrainian.”
And that mirrors the psyche of American elites: “You are talking about a country whose elite is not able to appreciate other people’s lives. Americans are used to walking on scorched earth. Since World War II, entire cities have been razed to the ground by bombing, including nuclear bombing. They flooded the Vietnamese jungle with poison, bombed the Serbs with radioactive munitions, burned Iraqis alive with white phosphorus, helped terrorists poison Syrians with chlorine (…) As history shows, NATO has also never been a defensive alliance, only an offensive one.”
Previously, in an interview with the delightfully named The Great Game show on Russian TV, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had once again detailed how the Americans “no longer insist on the implementation of international law, but on respect for the ‘rules-based world order’. These ‘rules’ are not deciphered in any way. They say that now there are few rules. For us, they don’t exist at all. There is international law. We respect it, as does the UN Charter. The key provision, the main principle is the sovereign equality of states. The U.S. flagrantly violates its obligations under the UN Charter when it promotes its ‘rules’”.
Lavrov had to stress, once again, that the current incandescent situation may be compared to the Cuban Missile Crisis: “In those years, there was a channel of communication that both leaders trusted. Now there is no such channel. No one is trying to create it.”
The Empire of Lies, in its current state, does not do diplomacy.
The pace of the game in the new chessboardIn a subtle reference to the work of Sergei Glazyev, as the Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasia Economic Union explained in our recent interview, Patrushev hit the heart of the current geoeconomic game, with Russia now actively moving towards a gold standard: “Experts are working on a project proposed by the scientific community to create a two-circuit monetary and financial system. In particular, it is proposed to determine the value of the ruble, which should be secured by both gold and a group of goods that are currency values, to put the ruble exchange rate in line with real purchasing power parity.”
That was inevitable after the outright theft of over $300 billion in Russian foreign reserves. It may have taken a few days for Moscow to be fully certified it was facing Totalen Krieg. The corollary is that the collective West has lost any power to influence Russian decisions. The pace of the game in the new chessboard is being set by Russia.
Earlier in the week, in his meeting with the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, Putin went as far as stating that he’d be more than willing to negotiate – with only a few conditions: Ukrainian neutrality and autonomy status for Donbass. Yet now everyone knows it’s too late. For a Washington in Totalen Krieg mode negotiation is anathema – and that has been the case since the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine meeting in Istanbul in late March.
So far, on Operation Z, the Russian Armed forces have used only 12% of its soldiers,10% of its fighter jets, 7% of its tanks, 5% of its missiles, and 4% of its artillery. The pain dial is set to go substantially up – and with the total liberation of Mariupol and the resolution one way or another of the Donbass cauldron there is nothing the hysteria/propaganda/weaponizing combo deployed by the collective West can do to alter facts on the ground.
That includes desperate gambits such as the one uncovered by SVR – Russian foreign intel, which very rarely makes mistakes. SVR found out that the Empire of Lies/War Inc. axis is pushing not only for a de facto Polish invasion to annex Western Ukraine, under the banner of “historical reunification”, but also for a joint Romanian/Ukrainian invasion of Moldova/Transnistria, with Romanian “peacekeepers” already piling up near the Moldova border.
Washington, as the SVR maintains, has been plotting the Polish gambit for over a month now. It would “lead from behind” (remember Libya?), “encouraging” a “group of countries” to occupy Western Ukraine. So partition is already on the cards. Were that ever to materialize, it will be fascinating to bet on which locations Mr. Sarmat would be inclined to distribute his business card."
https://www.strategic-culture.org/ne...business-card/
Oh, so edgy. Yawn.Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
I can't tell who pays Mr. Escobar the most, the chinkies or Puffy.
'Cos he seems to have his nose stuck up both arseholes.
He was also totally right about the Syrian rebellion, and it's outcome. No wonder you hate him 'arry. :chitown:
He was kissing Putin's arse while Putin was bombing Syrian civilians.Quote:
Originally Posted by sabang
Predicting the outcome of that is about as useful as you predicting Puffy wouldn't invade Ukraine.
If you look closely you can see Puffy's hand under the table, going up his arse.
Putin will be remembered as the man, who shook the West out of it's deep sleep. With Russia effectively gone, we wll now deal with China. Hopefully without war.
:UK:
The Insane Engineering of the Javelin - YouTube
It actually does have a camera on the nose. They just need to sort out the wifi link for the YouTube channel and OnlyFans live stream...Quote:
Originally Posted by Looper
:wank:
Oh dear . . . something you'd best steer clear of, in terms fo an argument . . . too lateQuote:
Originally Posted by sabang
Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
Hopefully soQuote:
Originally Posted by Takeovers
How the system works against persons it doesn't like
. I hate trump but this is the example they used. Same has a aid about Kim in N Korea
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...jnpuDQxc-LBbvE
All of which proves nothing, apart from the FACT that you are as stupid as a stupid person can be.Quote:
Originally Posted by Backspin
You manage to shoot yourself in both feet more often than both of the barking mad schitzoids.
^ I knew you were gonna like that one Ch-ass
Oh no you didn’t. The back end of a pantomime horse knows less than nothing. A bit like you in fact. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Backspin