Thread: How dangerous is Vladimir Putin?

Originally Posted by OhOh

It is a hopeful sign that people throughout the Washington-dominated world are discovering the power of “nyet.” The establishment may still look spiffy on the outside, but under the shiny new paint there hides a rotten hull, with water coming in though every open seam.

I really can't disagree with any of the following...

Empire of Absurdity: Recycled Neocons, Recycled Enemies
by Maj. Danny Sjursen, USA (ret.) Posted on March 19, 2019
https://original.antiwar.com/Danny_S...ycled-enemies/

There are times when I wish that the United States would just drop the charade and declare itself a global empire. As a veteran of two imperial wars, a witness to the dark underside of America’s empire-denial, I’ve grown tired of the equivocation and denials from senior policymakers. The U.S. can’t be an empire, we’re told, because – unlike the Brits and Romans – America doesn’t annex territories outright, and our school children don’t color its colonies in red-white-and-blue on cute educational maps.

But this distinction, at root, is rather superficial. Conquest, colonization, and annexation are so 19th century – Washington has moved beyond the overt and engages in the (not-so) subtle modern form of imperialism. America’s empire over the last two decades – under Democrats and Republicans – has used a range of tools: economic, military, political, to topple regimes, instigate coups, and starve "enemy" civilians. Heck, it didn’t even start with 9/11 – bullying foreigners and overturning uncooperative regimes is as American as apple pie.

Still, observing post-9/11, post-Iraq/Afghanistan defeat, Washington play imperialism these days is tragicomically absurd. The emperor has no clothes, folks. Sure, America (for a few more fleeting years) boasts the world’s dominant economy, sure its dotted the globe with a few hundred military bases, and sure it’s military still outspends the next seven competitors combined. Nonetheless, what’s remarkable, what constitutes the real story of 2019, is this: the US empire can’t seem to accomplish anything anymore, can’t seem to bend anybody to its will. It’s almost sad to watch. America, the big-hulking has-been on the block, still struts its stuff, but most of the world simply ignores it.

Make no mistake, Washington isn’t done trying; it’s happy to keep throwing good money (and blood) at bad: to the tune of a cool $6 trillion, 7,000 troop deaths, and 500,000 foreign deaths – including maybe 240,000 civilians. But what’s it all been for? The world is no safer, global terror attacks have only increased, and Uncle Sam just can’t seem to achieve any of its preferred policy goals.

Think on it for a second: Russia and Iran "won" in Syria; the Taliban and Pakistan are about ready to "win" in Afghanistan; Iran is more influential than ever in Iraq; the Houthis won’t quit in Yemen; Moscow is keeping Crimea; Libya remains unstable; North Korea ain’t giving up its nukes; and China’s power continues to grow in its version of the Caribbean – the South China Sea. No amount of American cash, no volume of our soldiers’ blood, no escalation in drone strikes or the conventional bombing of brown folks, has favorably changed the calculus in any of these regional conflicts.

What does this tell us? Quite a lot, I’d argue – but not what the neoliberal/neoconservative alliance of pundits and policymakers are selling. See for these unrepentant militarists the problem is always the same: Washington didn’t use enough force, didn’t spend enough blood and treasure. So is the solution: more defense spending, more CIA operations, more saber-rattling, and more global military interventions.

No, the inconvenient truth is as simple as it is disturbing to red-blooded patriots. To wit, the United States – or any wannabe hegemon – simply doesn’t possess the capability to shape the world in its own image. See those pesky locals – Arabs, Asians, Muslims, Slavs – don’t know what’s good for them, don’t understand that (obviously) there is a secret American zipped inside each of their very bodies, ready to burst out if given a little push!

It turns out that low-tech, cheap insurgent tactics, when combined with impassioned nationalism, can bog down the "world’s best military" indefinitely. It seems, too, that other regional heavyweights – Russia, China, Iran, North Korea – stand ready to call America’s nuclear bluff. That they know the US all-volunteer military and consumerist economy can’t ultimately absorb the potential losses a conventional war would demand. Even scarier for the military-industrial-congressional-media establishment is the logical extension of all this accumulated failure: the questionable efficacy of military force in the 21st century.

Rather than recognize the limits of American military, economic, and political power, Bush II, Obama, and now Trump, have simply dusted off the old playbook. It’s reached the level of absurdity under the unhinged regime of Mr. Trump. Proverbially blasting Springsteen’s "Glory Days," as its foreign policy soundtrack, the Donald and company have doubled down. Heck, if Washington can’t get its way in Africa, Europe, Asia, or the Mideast, well why not clamp down in our own hemisphere, our traditional sphere of influence – South and Central America.

Enter the lunacy of the current Venezuela controversy. Trump’s team saw a golden opportunity in this socialist, backwater petrostate. Surely here, in nearby Monroe Doctrine country, Uncle Sam could get his way, topple the Maduro regime, and coronate the insurgent (though questionably legitimate) Juan Guaido. It’s early 20th century Yankee imperialism reborn. Everything seemed perfect. Trump could recall the specter of America’s tried and true enemy – "evil" socialism – cynically (and absurdly) equating Venezuelan populism with some absurd Cold-War-era existential threat to the nation. The idea that Venezuela presents a challenge on the scale of Soviet Russia is actually farcical. What’s more, and this is my favorite bit of irrationality, we were all recently treated to a game of "I know you are but what am I?" from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who (with a straight face) claimed Cuba, tiny island Cuba, was the real "imperialist" in Venezuela.

Next, in a move reminiscent of some sort of macabre 1980’s theme party, Trump resuscitated Elliot Abrams – you know, the convicted felon of Iran-Contra infamy, to serve as Washington’s special envoy to embattled Venezuela. Who better to act as "fair arbiter" in that country than a war-criminal with the blood of a few hundred thousand Central Americans (remember the Contras?!?) on his hands back in the the good old (Reagan) days.

Despite all this: America’s military threats, bellicose speechifying, brutal sanctions, and Cold War-style conflict-framing, the incumbent Maduro seems firmly in control. This isn’t to say that Venezuelans don’t have genuine grievances with the Maduro government (they do), but for now at least, it appears the military is staying loyal to the president, Russia/China are filling in the humanitarian aid gaps, and Uncle Sam is about to chalk up another loss on the world scene. Ultimately, whatever the outcome, the crisis will only end with a Venezuelan solution.

America’s impotence would almost be sad to watch, if, and only if, it wasn’t all so tragic for the Venezuelan people.

So Trump and his recycled neocons will continue to rant and rave and threaten Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and so on and so forth. America will still flex its aging, sagging muscles – a reflexive habit at this point.

Only now it’ll seem sad. Because no one is paying attention anymore.

The opposite of love isn’t hate – it’s indifference.

Danny Sjursen is a retired US Army officer and regular contributor to Antiwar.com He served combat tours with reconnaissance units in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at his alma mater, West Point. He is the author of a memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War, Ghostriders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge. Follow him on Twitter at @SkepticalVet.

[Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.]
Copyright 2019 Danny Sjursen

Originally Posted by OhOh

Is a rainbow forming in the stormy sky?

Do you mean "Is Ukraine going to elect a Putin brown noser?".

No.

^Why not to re-elect the current govt?
After all, and after 5 years, and after so many injections, the country has been flourishing, hasn't it?

That's why so many millions has left for good and/or working abroad on low-class jobs to be able to support their families...

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Do you mean "Is Ukraine going to elect a Putin brown noser?".

No.

The fact that somebody is publicising the option, in Ukraine, says nothing?

Originally Posted by OhOh

The fact that somebody is publicising the option, in Ukraine, says nothing?

Yeah, it says Ukraine is a democracy and Russia isn't.

Just business: British & US investors gobble up Russian government bonds



"Most Russian state-issued bonds were purchased by investors from Britain, the US and the European Union, according to Andrey Solovyev, global head of debt and capital markets at VTB Capital which ran the placement.

Russia’s Finance Ministry raised €750 million in a top-up issue of an existing euro-denominated Eurobond and $3 billion in a new dollar-denominated Eurobond.
Dollar-denominated obligations are set to be paid off in 2035 with a yield of 5.1 percent, while a yield for euro-denominated papers were set at 2.375 percent with final maturity in 7 years.

“British investors purchased 40 percent of the euro-denominated bonds, while European financiers bought 18 percent. Businessmen from the US accounted for 17 percent of the issuance,” Solovyev said, adding that 18 percent were purchased by Russians.

The economist noted that the share of Swiss investors totaled five percent, while two percent of the issuance were bought by financiers from Asia and other countries.
Britain also became the major buyer of dollar-denominated bonds, accounting for 55 percent of the issuance.

“American investors purchased 21 percent with 11 percent were bought by Russian financiers, while the share of Europe amounted to eight percent,” he said, stressing that four percent of the issuance were bought by Asian businessmen and one percent by Switzerland.

According to Solovyev, the latest bond placement was the biggest in nearly five years.

In November Russia raised a billion euros ($1.14 billion) via the first sale of euro-denominated Eurobonds in five years, paying a yield of 3.0 percent.
The latest issuance came months after US-based rating agency Moody’s upgraded Russia’s sovereign rating.

Russia opted to tap the Eurobond market amid a “burgeoning appetite for riskier assets which eclipses the continued threat of US sanctions,” according analysts at Alfa Bank, as quoted by Reuters."

https://www.rt.com/business/454485-r...onds-us-uk-eu/

You make it sound like that's something unusual. Russia is sitting on a shitload of oil, they can issue tens of billions of bonds without any problem and people will buy them.

Fuck, they could back them with all the Venezuelan oil they own.

Grandmaster Putin’s Western trap or why Russia sells energy for physical gold?

So, after realizing their failure in Ukraine, the West, led by the United States, set a goal to destroy the Russian economy by lowering the price of oil and gas, respectively, as the main budget-forming sources of Russia's export earnings and the main sources of replenishing Russian gold reserves. It should be noted here that the main failure of the West in Ukraine is not at all military or political. And in the actual refusal of Putin to finance this western project of Ukraine, at the expense of the budget of the Russian Federation. What makes this project of the West a priori non-viable, in the near and inevitable future.

Last time, under Reagan, similar actions by the West to lower oil prices led to the success and collapse of the USSR. But the story does not repeat. This time, for the West, everything turns out differently. What Putin answered to the West seems to be both chess and judo at the same time. Where the forces expended by the enemy to attack, is used against him, but with minimal expenditure of his own forces and means of the defender. Putin’s real policy is not public. Therefore, the real policy of Putin, to a greater extent, is always directed not so much at the effect as at efficiency.

Very few people understand what Putin is doing at the moment. And almost no one understands what he will do in the future.

However strange it may seem, right now, Putin is selling Russian oil and gas, only for physical gold.

Putin does not shout about it to the whole world in the style of intrusive advertising. And of course, he still accepts US dollars as an intermediate means of payment. But he immediately exchanges all those USD from the sale of oil and gas for physical gold!

To understand this, it is enough to look at the dynamics of the growth of gold in the structure of the gold reserves of Russia and compare these data with the currency earnings of the Russian Federation from the sale of oil and gas over the same period.

Moreover, in the third quarter, Russia's purchases of physical gold were at unprecedentedly high, record levels. In the third quarter of 2018, Russia bought an incredible amount of gold. This is more than purchased according to official data, Central Banks of all countries of the world, taken together!

Not so long ago, British scientists successfully came to the same conclusion, which, a few years ago, was published in the Conclusion of the US Geological Survey. Namely: Europe will not be able to survive without energy supplies from Russia. What is translated from English to any other language in the world means: “The world cannot survive if we deduct supplies of oil and gas from Russia from the global balance of energy supplies”

Thus, the entire Western world, built on the hegemony of the petrodollar, was in a catastrophic situation. In which, the West cannot survive without oil and gas supplies from Russia, and Russia is now ready to sell its oil and gas to the West, only in exchange for physical gold! The piquancy of the current situation in Putin’s party is that the mechanism for selling Russian energy to the West only for gold is now working, regardless of whether the West agrees to pay for Russian oil and gas, with its artificially cheap gold, or not.

Because Russia, having at its disposal regular receipts of dollars, from the sale of oil and gas, in any case will be able to buy gold for them. At current gold prices, suppressed by hook or by crook, by the West itself.

That is, at those prices of gold that were artificially and carefully lowered by the Fed and ESF by several times, against the artificially inflated with the help of market manipulations, the purchasing power of the US dollar. Interesting fact: The suppression of gold prices by a special section of the US Government - ESF (Exchange Stabilization Fund), in order to stabilize the US dollar, was elevated to the United States in the rank of the Law.

In the financial world, the postulate that gold is an antidollar is accepted as an axiom.

- In 1971, US President Richard Nixon, closed the "golden window", stopping the free exchange of dollars for gold, guaranteed by the US earlier, in 1944, in Bretton Wood.

- In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin opened this “golden window”, not paying attention to what they think and say about this in Washington.

Right now, the West is spending a lot of its forces and funds to suppress the prices of gold and oil. So that, on the one hand, distort the existing economic reality, in favor of the US dollar. On the other hand, in order to destroy the economy of Russia, which refuses to play the role of a submissive vassal of the West.

Right now, assets such as gold and oil look proportionally weakened and overvalued against the US dollar. As a result of colossal economic efforts on the part of the West.

And right now, Putin is selling Russian energy resources, in exchange for these artificially strengthened by the efforts of the West, US dollars. For which, he immediately buys gold - artificially humiliated against the US dollar, through the efforts of the West itself!

Another interesting moment in Putin’s party is Russian uranium. Due to the supply of which, every sixth light bulb is currently operating in the USA. And which Russia is selling the US for dollars too.

Thus, in exchange for Russian oil, gas and uranium, the West pays Russia with US dollars, the purchasing power of which is artificially inflated against oil and gold, through the efforts of the West itself. But Putin uses these US dollars only to withdraw his physical gold in exchange for them from the West, at the artificially lowered by the West itself gold prices expressed in US dollars.

This truly brilliant economic combination of Putin puts the West, led by the United States, in the position of a snake, aggressively and devoutly devouring its own tail.

The idea of ​​this economic gold trap for the West, most likely, originally did not belong to Putin himself. Most likely, this was the idea of ​​Putin’s Economic Advisor, Academician Glazyev. Otherwise, why, it would seem, the state official Glazyev, who was not involved in the business, along with many Russian businessmen, was personally included by Washington in the sanctions lists of the West? The idea of ​​the economist Academician Glazyev, Putin brilliantly realized, having previously obtained full support from his colleague from China, Xi Jinping.

Of particular interest in this context is the November statement by the First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Xenia Yudaeva. Which emphasized that the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, can use gold from the reserves, for payment of import, - if it is necessary. Obviously, in the conditions of sanctions from the Western world, this statement is addressed to the BRICS countries and, above all, to China. For China, Russia's readiness to pay for goods with western gold is very much the way it is. And that's why: as stated in one of the previous materials,

China has recently announced that it is ceasing to increase its gold reserves, denominated in US dollars. If we take into account the ever-growing trade balance deficit between the US and China (the current difference is five times in favor of China), this statement translated from a financial language reads as follows: "China stops selling its goods for dollars." The world's media, this is the grandest event in the latest monetary history, chose not to notice. And the question is not at all that China literally refuses to sell their goods for US dollars. China, of course, will still accept US dollars as an intermediate means of payment for its goods. But by accepting dollars, China will immediately get rid of them and replace the dollars in the structure of its gold reserves with something else. Otherwise, it makes no sense, the statement made by the monetary authorities of the PRC: “We stop building up our gold reserves, denominated in US dollars. " That is, China will no longer buy for the proceeds from trade with any countries dollars, treasures - US government bonds, as they did it all the time before.

Thus, China will replace all the dollars that it will receive for its goods not only from the United States, but also in general from any countries of the world, for something else - in order “not to increase its gold reserves denominated in US dollars”. And here, the most interesting question arises: what exactly will China replace all of its dollars from trade? What currency or asset? Analysis of the current monetary policy of the PRC shows that, most likely, the dollars coming from trade, or a significant part of them, China will quietly replace and de facto replace with Gold.

In this aspect, the solitaire of Russian-Chinese relations is extremely successful for both Moscow and Beijing. Russia buys goods from China directly for gold, at its current prices. And China, buys for gold at its current prices, Russian energy. At this Russian-Chinese celebration of life, there is a place for everything: Chinese goods, Russian energy resources, and gold as a means of mutual settlements. There is no place for this celebration of life, only one who wishes - the US dollar. And this is not surprising. Because the US dollar is neither a Chinese product, nor a Russian energy resource. It is only an interim financial instrument of mutual settlements - an unnecessary intermediary. And it is accepted to exclude unnecessary intermediaries from the scheme of interaction of two independent business partners.

It should be noted separately that the world market for physical gold is negligible in relation to the world market for physical supply of oil. And even more so, the world market for physical gold is microscopic, relative to the totality of the world markets for the physical supply of oil, gas, uranium and goods.

The emphasis on the phrase “physical gold” is made because in exchange for its physical, rather than paper, energy resources, Russia now withdraws gold from the West, only in the form of its physical, not paper, supply. The same thing makes China, withdrawing from the West at current artificially low prices at times, it is real physical gold - as a means of paying for physical supplies to the West, its real goods.

Hope of the West that Russia and China will accept as payment for their energy resources and goods of various kinds of Shitcoin or so-called "Paper gold", too, did not materialize. Russia and China, as a final means of payment, are only interested in gold and only as a physical metal.

For reference: Turnover in the paper gold market, only in the form of gold futures, is estimated at about $ 360 billion per month. But for only $ 280 million a month, a physical supply of gold is made. What constitutes at the auction of paper gold versus physical gold, the ratio is 1000 to 1.

By applying the mechanism of actively withdrawing from the market one financial asset artificially lowered by the West (gold), in exchange for another financial asset artificially inflated by the West (US dollars), Putin thereby included a countdown for the global hegemony of the petrodollar. Thus, Putin confounded the West in the absence of any positive economic outlook. The West can spend as much as it wants on the artificial increase in the purchasing power of the dollar, the decline in oil prices and the artificial decrease in the purchasing power of gold. The problem of the West is only that the reserves of physical gold at the disposal of the West are not unlimited. Therefore, the more the West devalues ​​oil and gold against the US dollar, the more rapidly it loses the declining Gold, from its far from infinite reserves. In this economic combination, brilliantly played by Putin, physical gold from the reserves of the West is rapidly flowing to Russia, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan and India - to the BRICS countries. With such a rate of decline in reserves of physical gold as it is now, the West simply does not have time to do anything against Putin’s Russia, until the collapse of the entire Western construction of the petrodollar world. In chess, the situation in which Putin put the West, led by the United States, is called "Time Tote".

The Western world has never faced such economic events and phenomena that are happening right now. The USSR, in the face of falling oil prices, was rapidly selling gold. Russia, in the face of falling oil prices, is rapidly buying gold. Thus, Russia creates a real threat to the existence of the American model of petrodollar world domination.

The main principle of the petro-dollar world model, which allows Western countries led by the United States to live at the expense of labor and resources of other countries and peoples, is based on the role of the national currency of the United States (world currency system). The role of the US dollar in MIF is that it is the ultimate means of payment. This means that the national currency of the United States in the structure of the AIM, is the final asset of accumulation, which does not make sense to change it to any other asset. What the BRICS countries are now doing, led by Russia and China, is actually changing the role and status of the US dollar in the global monetary system. From the final means of payment and the asset of accumulation, the national currency of the United States, by joint actions of Moscow and Beijing, is transformed only into a kind of intermediate means of payment. Intended only to in order to exchange this intermediate means of payment, for another and truly final financial asset is gold. Thereby, the US dollar actually loses its role as an ultimate means of payment and an accumulation asset, yielding both of these roles to another generally accepted, denationalized and depoliticized monetary asset — gold.

Traditionally, the West used two ways to eliminate the threats to the hegemony of the petrodollar model of the world and the exorbitant privileges that flow from it to the West.

One of these methods is color revolutions. The second method, which is usually used by the West, if the first method does not work, is military aggression and bombardment.

But in the case of Russia, both of these methods turn out to be either impossible or unacceptable for the West.

Because, firstly, the population of Russia, unlike the population of many other countries, stubbornly does not want to exchange their freedom and the future of their children for Western sausage, which can be obtained right now. This is becoming obvious, according to Putin’s record high ratings, regularly published by leading Western rating agencies. The personal friendship of Washington's Navalny's protege, with Senator McCain, played a very negative role for him and Washington. Having learned about this fact from the media, 98% of the population of Russia now perceive Navalny, exclusively as a vassal of Washington and a traitor to Russia's national interests. Therefore, about any color revolution in Russia, Western professionals, thinking the realities, while not even dream of.

As for the second, traditional for the West method - direct military aggression, then Russia is certainly not Yugoslavia, not Iraq and not Libya. With any non-nuclear military operation against Russia, on the territory of Russia itself, the West, led by the United States, is doomed to a crushing defeat. And the generals at the Pentagon, who exercise the real leadership of the NATO forces, understand this well. Similarly, the nuclear war against Russia is unpromising, including the concept of the so-called. "Preventive disarming nuclear strike". NATO simply does not have the technical ability to deliver such a blow, which could completely disarm Russia's nuclear potential, in all its many manifestations. A retaliatory, massive nuclear retaliation against the enemy or the pool of opponents will be inevitable in this case. And its total capacity will be enough to so that the survivors envy the dead. That is, the exchange of nuclear strikes with a country like Russia is not, in principle, a solution to the emerging problem of the collapse of the petro-dollar world. This is, at best, the final chord and the last point in the history of its existence. In the worst case, this is a nuclear winter and the cessation of the existence of all life on the planet, with the exception of bacteria mutated by radiation.

In the Western economic establishment, they see and well understand the essence of the occurring phenomena.

Leading Western economists are certainly aware of the depth of the tragedy and hopelessness of the situation in which the Western world found itself, having fallen into Putin’s economic golden trap. After all, since the time of the Bretton Woods Agreements, the golden rule is well known to all: " Whoever has the most gold sets the rules . " But about this in the West, everyone is silent. They are silent because no one knows how to find a way out of this situation.

And because if we explain to the western public all the details of the ongoing economic catastrophe, then this public will begin to ask the most terrible questions for the supporters of the petrodollar world.

That will sound like this:

- How long will the West be able to buy oil and gas from Russia, in exchange for physical gold?

“And what will happen to the US petrodollar after the West has run out of physical gold, to pay for Russian oil, gas and uranium, and also to pay for Chinese goods?”

In the West today no one can answer these seemingly simple questions.

https://cont.ws/@severro/1260219

Originally Posted by Klondyke

“And what will happen to the US petrodollar after the West has run out of physical gold, to pay for Russian oil, gas and uranium, and also to pay for Chinese goods?”

In the West today no one can answer these seemingly simple questions.

I think we can rely on history repeating itself.

^^Thanks for the article, where was the English version published.

^ Thanks for the video.

Originally Posted by OhOh

^^Thanks for the article, where was the English version published.

I have used a web translator.

U.S. halts F-35 equipment to Turkey, protests its plans to buy from Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has halted delivery of equipment related to the stealthy F-35 fighter aircraft to Turkey, marking the first concrete U.S. step to block delivery of the jet to the NATO ally in light of Ankara’s planned purchase of a Russian missile defense system.

U.S. officials told their Turkish counterparts they will not receive further shipments of F-35 related equipment needed to prepare for the arrival of the stealthy jet, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Monday.

“Pending an unequivocal Turkish decision to forgo delivery of the S-400, deliveries and activities associated with the stand-up of Turkey’s F-35 operational capability have been suspended,” Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews, a Defense Department spokesman, said in a statement.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has refused to back down from Ankara’s planned purchase of a Russian S-400 missile defense system that the United States has said would compromise the security of F-35 aircraft.The disagreement over the F-35 is the latest of a series of diplomatic disputes between the United States and Turkey including Turkish demands that the United States extradite Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, differences over Middle East policy and the war in Syria, and sanctions on Iran.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the next shipment of training equipment, and all subsequent shipments of F-35 related material, had been canceled. The aircraft is built by Lockheed Martin Corp.

A Pentagon official had told Reuters in March that the United States had a number of items it could withhold in order to send Turkey a signal that the United States was serious about Ankara dropping its ambition to own the S-400.

Turkish officials in Ankara were not immediately available for comment. Turkey has said it will take delivery of the S-400s in July.


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKCN1RD316

nothing like good old competition, the Russians are delivering

Originally Posted by Klondyke

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the next shipment of training equipment, and all subsequent shipments of F-35 related material, had been canceled. The aircraft is built by Lockheed Martin Corp.

One presumes all the up front cash Turkey has paid will be reimbursed by ameristan with interest.

Originally Posted by OhOh

One presumes all the up front cash Turkey has paid will be reimbursed by ameristan with interest.

That will depend on the terms of the contract.

Originally Posted by Cujo

That will depend on the terms of the contract.

Contracts, ameristan doesn't honour contracts, they smile at contracts, or haven't you noticed?

Originally Posted by OhOh

Contracts, ameristan doesn't honour contracts, they smile at contracts, or haven't you noticed?

That's odd, I have loads of contracts with seppos and they honour them all.

Performance bonds, the lot.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

That's odd, I have loads of contracts with seppos and they honour them all.

Performance bonds, the lot.

Usually, such zillions MickeyMouse contracts are well honoured enabling vessels with zillions containers to be embarked at both coasts, ensuring that the population do not stare on empty store shelves like in Russia times before dangerous (and ingenious) Mr. Putin arrived from Leipzig...

Other case are honouring contracts, treaties, that have an influence on lives of other populations...

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

with seppos

Individual seppos possibly. ameristan, the country, the political entity or even one or all the "states", not so much, if at all.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Individual seppos possibly. ameristan, the country, the political entity or even one or all the "states", not so much, if at all.

Yeah, making shit up doesn't really count, does it.

What sanctions?
03.04.2019
Mercedes plant opens in Moscow

Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU), Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche are opening Russia's first Mercedes-Benz plant near Moscow today. The plant, built for more than 250 million euros, is located in the Moscow region and offers more than 1,000 jobs.

From the Russian point of view, the opening is also a sign of the departure in economically difficult times. As a result of the EU and US sanctions imposed in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, German companies are also severely restricted in their dealings.

The new plant should also be an incentive for German and other foreign investors to continue to pump money into the Russian market despite all the risks. It was about creating new confidence, let Minister Altmaier before his departure communicate. In the talks with Putin and Russian ministers he wanted to strengthen old partnerships again. Just over a year in office, it is already his third trip to Russia .

The German manufacturers are traditionally welcomed by the car friend Putin, who speaks fluent German and often sits behind the wheel. Volkswagen stock market chart show produced in Russia. BMW stock market chart shows here can mount vehicles. And also the PSA subsidiary Opel announced now , after the retreat because of a sales crisis in 2015 this year with initially three models to start again.

Mercedes sold more cars in Russia in 2018 than in the previous year

The German brands enjoy an impeccable reputation among the Russians. Probably that's why Daimler's stock market chart now shows that it is opening a new chapter in the history of Mercedes-Benz in Russia - as the company announces. Daimler regards its first production facility in the Giant Kingdom as a "strategic investment". Although the Group already has trucks and vans in Russia produce, but no cars. So far, each car had to be imported. That should change now.

Daimler: Peter Altemaier und Wladimier Putin eröffnen Mercedes-Werk - manager magazin

Probably a good thing Turkey dodged taking on that white elephant (F-35) anyway. Lockheed will still make a sh*tload of $$$ off the the American taxpayer, no big loss for them.

Construction of Nord Stream 2 to Be Continued Despite New Gas Directive - Envoy




"The European Parliament plenary session's vote results earlier in the day showed that the parliament approved the amendments to the EU Gas Directive, relating to the rules of operation for offshore sections of gas pipelines in the European Union, including the Nord Stream.

Now the amendments will move on to be approved by the Council of the EU at the ministerial level.

Commenting on the EU's move, Russian Envoy to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said that the construction of Nord Stream 2 would still continue.

"Representatives of the Nord Stream 2 concern are showing independence, so I think it can be said with sufficient confidence that construction will continue, and we expect it to be completed in time", Chizhov said on the Rossiya 24 TV channel."

continues:

https://sputniknews.com/business/201904041073826465-construction-nord-stream-directive/

Energy Union: Commission takes steps to extend common EU gas rules to import pipelines

European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Energy Union: Commission takes steps to extend common EU gas rules to import pipelines

Questions and Answers on the Commission proposal to amend the Gas Directive (2009/73/EC)

Snippets:

"5. What would be the precise mechanism for granting the derogation for existing pipelines by Member States? In particular, which Member States would be responsible in the case of Nord Stream 1 to grant the derogation?

Member States would have to adopt a decision granting such derogation. The procedure would follow the respective administrative law of the Member State in question.

For existing pipelines which cross multiple Member States (such as Nord Stream 1), it will be the Member State where the first interconnection point is located that shall decide on a derogation. This will ensure a coherent regulatory framework for each pipeline.

7. What is the impact of the proposal on pipelines to and from EEA countries or Energy Community Contracting Parties?

In EEA countries and Energy Community Contracting Parties, rules which are similar to the Third Energy Package are already applicable or will become applicable in the future. Given the parallel regulatory regime, there appears to be no need to grant derogations for pipeline connections between the Union and such countries. If necessary, Member States would still be able to grant derogations in these cases, provided that the derogation would not be detrimental to competition, market functioning and the security of supply in the Union.

8. Is this about Nord Stream 2? Will the proposal prevent Nord Stream 2?

The proposal concerns all gas pipelines to and from third countries and is not aimed at preventing the construction of any new gas pipelines.

The recent legal and public debate concerning Nord Stream 2 only underscores the value of providing legal clarity on this issue across the EU. The Gas Directive sets out a clear regulatory framework for the operation of gas pipelines inside and on the borders of the EU. These rules will apply to Nord Stream 2 the same way as to all other projects. Project promoters should welcome the legal certainty this proposal would create.

9. What is the impact of the proposal on the negotiation mandate on Nord Stream 2 requested earlier this year?

This proposal is complementary to the Nord Stream 2 mandate. Given that Union law cannot be directly applied in third countries an agreement with Russia remains the best instrument to establish a clear, coherent and stable regulatory framework for the operation of Nord Stream 2.

The Commission considers this modification of the Gas Directive a priority since it will create legal clarity for all third-country projects, by filling a legal gap. Nevertheless, the Commission remains available to engage in negotiations on the operating conditions of Nord Stream 2. The Commission will therefore not withdraw its proposal for a negotiation mandate and awaits the Council's decision on its earlier recommendation to authorise negotiations with Russia. '

European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Questions and Answers on the Commission proposal to amend the Gas Directive (2009/73/EC)

Russia wins landmark WTO 'national security' case against Ukraine

The ruling opens the door for more countries to cite national security to seek an exemption from global trade rules.

Russia has won a dispute about "national security" at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in a ruling that may lend support to global car tariffs that could be imposed by the United States.

The WTO panel ruling on Friday - the first ever on the right to a national security exemption from global trade rules - awarded Russia a legal victory in the Ukrainian transit dispute.

The panel also confirmed the WTO's right to assess national security claims, denting US arguments that national security was not subject to review by the global trade body.

Any such claim should be "objectively" true and relating to weapons, war, fissionable materials or an "emergency in international relations", it said.

Kiev went to the Geneva-based trade body in 2016, complaining of a huge reduction in trade with Asia and the Caucasus region after Russian President Vladimir Putin banned road and rail transport from Ukraine unless the route also went through neighbouring Belarus.

Russia argued that the diversion was necessary to protect its national security following a conflict with Ukraine over the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The panel said there "existed a situation in Russia's relations with Ukraine that constitutes an emergency in international relations", which meant Russia had "met the requirements" for invoking national security.

Russia's Economy Minister Maxim Oreshkin said the ruling, which can be appealed by either side within 60 days, had recognised Ukraine's arguments to be unfounded and said the issue was of "systemic importance" for the WTO.

Friday's decisions could have ramifications for a number of WTO cases hinging on claims of national security threats, including US President Donald Trump's tariffs for steel, aluminium and potentially cars.

Canada, the European Union and several other US trading partners have asked the WTO to determine if the tariffs are indeed necessary to protect the US's national security.

Invoking national security was taboo at the WTO for decades after it was founded in 1995, with diplomats referring to the issue as a "Pandora's box", which could never be closed once it was opened and would undermine the discipline of the WTO's widely-accepted rules.

The body's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade includes a clause allowing countries to take steps to protect their "essential security interests". However, the WTO panel determined in Friday's ruling that the agency has the "jurisdiction" to rule in cases where national security concerns are invoked.

In the past three years, however, Russia has cited national security in the dispute with Ukraine, Trump has used it to justify tariffs and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have cited it in a diplomatic spat with Qatar.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/...135306187.html