This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.

"They Never Learn" - Russia's Take On The "West" And The Shifting Geopolitical Balance Of Power

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Over the past month, there has been a lot of "Hilsenrathing", or the biased media urgently "explaining" to the Western world, just what Russia's actions mean both tactically in response to Ukraine developments, and strategically as part of Putin's global perspective. So instead of relying on the broken media narrative which serves merely to perpetuate US corporate interests and rally the public behind this or that company's geopolitical interests, here, straight from the horse's mouth, in this case Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, how Russia sees itself in a world in which it is allegedly "isolated", and "threatening Ukraine" with further invasion but more importantly, how the Russians view the rapidly changing global balance of power, in which post-USSR Russia has emerged from the backwood of slighted nations and stormed to the stage of nations who dare defy the former global hegemon, the US.

Some notable highlights by Lavrov from the interview conducted with Rossiya 24:

  • “Isolation” is a term invented by our Western partners who act with nostalgic neo-imperial ambitions in mind. The instant something isn’t to their liking they draw out this sanctions stick. The times when such strategy could be employed are long gone.... I’m surprised at how obsessively they’re trying to – create rather than find – proof of Russia’s isolation.
  • China is a very close partner of Russia. In our joint documents our relations are defined as comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. All of China’s actions reaffirm its commitment to the principles we agreed on. If, as you say, the Americans did try to convince China to review its economic agreements with Russia on the highest level, it’s an off-the-scale naïve or brazen attitude. I would even say that not understanding the essence of Chinese politics and mentality is just inexcusable for the officials in charge of such negotiations.
  • At the very beginning China said that it takes into consideration the combination of historical and political factors. China strongly opposed using non-diplomatic measures and threats of sanctions to resolve this problem. Our contacts with our Chinese partners show that they not only understand Russia’s rightful interests in this case, but are also hand-in-hand with us in the understanding of the initial causes of the current crisis in Ukraine. There is no doubt about it.
  • Over a month ago I raised the issue of the Right Sector and the necessity to dissociate from the radical forces with our Western partners. I asked them a very simple question: “If you agree that we need to defuse the situation, why won’t you publicly say what the Right Sector really is?” Same to a degree goes for the Svoboda party, whose platform references The Declaration of June 30, 1941, which expressed support of Nazi Germany and its efforts to establish a new world order. According to the party’s charter, it’s still committed to this principle. US Secretary of State John Kerry told me that after close scrutiny they concluded that the Right Sector was trying to become a political movement. The subtext was that it’s a good thing, and Svoboda is moving towards [the] mainstream. That’s a quote.

The punchline:

  • It is wrong for NATO members to be protected with indivisible security and for everybody else to be treated as second-rate nations, so NATO can act as a magnet to attract new members and keep pushing the dividing line further to the east.
  • We were promised that NATO would not bring its military infrastructure closer to our borders – and we were cheated. We were promised there would be no military installations on the territory of the new NATO members. At first, we just listened to those promises and believed them. Then we started putting them on paper as political obligations, and serious people, Western leaders, signed those documents. But when we asked them how come those political obligations were ignored and whether we can make them legally binding, they told us, “No, political obligations are enough, and anyway, don’t worry, whatever we do is not against you.”
  • Eastern Partnership – as well as NATO expansion – was simply an instrument used to quickly take control over geopolitical territory. The EU was ready to push this project through at any cost. It completely ignored legitimate economic interests of both Ukraine’s neighbors, like Russia and other countries, and even the nations that were part of this program. There have been many studies on this issue. No wonder even Yatsenyuk says that Ukraine needs to take a closer look at the economic section of this agreement.

And the next steps in terms of what Russia sees an ongoing response to NATO incursion:

  • The same will happen with Moldova. They are doing their best to sign a similar agreement with Moldova this summer, before the upcoming election. And this agreement they intend to sign with Moldova – it completely ignores the issue of Transnistria. It ignores the 1997 agreement between Chisinau and Tiraspol which entitled Transnistria to international trade. It ignores what is happening with Transnistria today: Chisinau and the new Ukrainian authorities have basically blockaded the territory. But our European partners keep mum about that. In fact, the European Union and, I think, the United States approve of this policy.

     

  • We want to talk to them very seriously about that, because they are escalating tensions over Transnistria, almost claiming that it will be next. This is outrageous, provocative rhetoric. Actually, they want to create unbearable conditions for Tiraspol in violation, I repeat, of the agreements which entitled Transnistrians to certain travel, transit and trade rights. This is outrageous. They never learn. Once again, they seek to create a sore point in our relations.

Click on the image below for the full interview:

And the full transcript, courtesy of RT.com

There is no intention in Moscow to send its troops into eastern Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Hopefully, the growing understanding in the West of Russia’s position will allow for a de-escalation of the tension, he added.

In an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel, Lavrov spoke on the futile western attempts to isolate Russia diplomatically, the growing acceptance of the need for constitutional reform, which Moscow proposes, the prospects of NATO’s expansion into Ukraine and the potential for global presence of the Russian Navy.

‘No isolation of Russia in UN Assembly vote on Crimea’

Question: After the G7 countries announced their decision to withdraw from the G8, it was said that now Russia is isolated in the international arena. In the UN General Assembly 100 countries voted against Russia. The claim of Russia being isolated is true, then?

Sergey Lavrov: “Isolation” is a term invented by our Western partners who act with nostalgic neo-imperial ambitions in mind. The instant something isn’t to their liking they draw out this sanctions stick. The times when such strategy could be employed are long gone. They should think about getting everyone, with no exceptions, to work together, not about isolating their partners.

I’m surprised at how obsessively they’re trying to – create rather than find – proof of Russia’s isolation. I’ve seen a lot in my time, but for major countries to use all their diplomatic resources to twist the arms of the entire world, including our closest partners, in order for them to agree with the argument about Ukraine’s territorial integrity while ignoring the rest of the principles outlined in the UN Charter? I was astonished with the alacrity. Key government institutions expend so much effort on this.

It’s the case with the UN General Assembly vote. Such results are achieved by a combination of several means. First, our Ukrainian neighbors were advised to keep the tone of their draft resolution non-confrontational and level-headed, to send a positive message of the need to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Who would oppose that? But that’s not even half of the truth, it’s just a sliver of it. You and our viewers understand what I’m talking about.

 

Diplomats watch electronic monitors showing a vote count, as the U.N. General Assembly voted and approved a draft resolution on the territorial integrity of the Ukraine at the U.N. headquarters in New York March 27, 2014. (Reuters / Eduardo Munoz)

Diplomats watch electronic monitors showing a vote count, as the U.N. General Assembly voted and approved a draft resolution on the territorial integrity of the Ukraine at the U.N. headquarters in New York March 27, 2014. (Reuters / Eduardo Munoz)

Then, some countries that are naïve enough for it are told, “Look, it’s such a great resolution, why don’t you sign it and become a co-sponsor.” The more experienced ones who realize what’s really going on are approached with, “If you don’t support this resolution, there will be consequences.” And then they describe these consequences. We know about that. Our colleagues come to us and confide why this or that relatively small country has to cave in. For example, they were told contracts would not be signed or political dividends would be withheld. If we take into consideration that the West in the broad sense, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan etc., amounts to about 40-something countries, basically 50 states were forced or somehow persuaded to do it.

We hold no grudge against these delegations. It will not affect our relations with them. I can’t but point out another number: about 70 countries refused to support this resolution.

Q: And if we count the countries who didn’t cast a vote that would make it 93.

SL: So basically it’s a tie. The Western propaganda machine – there’s really no other way to call it – will hail it as a great victory in the media, but we know the value of this victory.

Q: 100 countries voted against Russia. The number of countries that voted for Russia abstained or didn’t cast a vote comes up to 93. This includes the brave countries that, despite the pressure, made this choice.

SL: This is no doubt a brave thing to do. It’s not anti-Western or anti-Ukrainian. It reflects a deep understanding of what’s going on the part of the countries who didn’t vote in favor and especially those who voted against. This wasn’t about territorial integrity or Ukraine at all.

‘China understands legitimate Russian interests and concerns in Ukraine’

Q: Three weeks ago, on our program, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said that Russia expects to see moral support from China. China abstained from voting on the resolution. After that President Obama and President of China Xi Jinping held a meeting, during which, as my Western colleagues told me, the Americans were trying to persuade China to scrap gas supply contracts with Russia. And then you met with Xi Jinping. So what is China to Russia?

SL: China is a very close partner of Russia. In our joint documents our relations are defined as comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. All of China’s actions reaffirm its commitment to the principles we agreed on. If, as you say, the Americans did try to convince China to review its economic agreements with Russia on the highest level, it’s an off-the-scale naïve or brazen attitude. I would even say that not understanding the essence of Chinese politics and mentality is just inexcusable for the officials in charge of such negotiations.

At the very beginning China said that it takes into consideration the combination of historical and political factors. China strongly opposed using non-diplomatic measures and threats of sanctions to resolve this problem. Our contacts with our Chinese partners show that they not only understand Russia’s rightful interests in this case, but are also hand-in-hand with us in the understanding of the initial causes of the current crisis in Ukraine. There is no doubt about it. President Putin and President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone. On March 24, I met with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague. BRICS foreign ministers held talks as well.

Q: Did BRICS work out the joint statement in The Hague?

SL: It’s the chairperson’s statement, which the Foreign Minister of South Africa delivered after our meeting.

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter (R), whose country currently holds the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) rotating presidency, prior to their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council session on March 3, 2014 at the UN headquarters in Geneva. (AFP Photo / Salvatore Di Nolfi)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter (R), whose country currently holds the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) rotating presidency, prior to their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council session on March 3, 2014 at the UN headquarters in Geneva. (AFP Photo / Salvatore Di Nolfi)

'Ukraine, not Russia hampered OSCE mission deployment'

Q: Last Saturday we informed our viewers that the OSCE agreed on the mandate of a mission to be sent to Ukraine. Why did Russia object to it initially? What’s the mission going to work on?

SL: I would say that it was our Western and Ukrainian partners that initially objected to this mission.

Q: But as usual it was presented the other way around – Russia against the rest of Europe.

SL: We’re used to that. Orwellian talents are still widely used. Russia was willing to send the OSCE mission a week before the decision was finally made. Even though everything was clear by then, our partners demanded with inexplicable determination for Crimea to be included in the mandate as part of Ukraine.

One can completely disagree with our take on the situation, one can refuse to recognize the decisions made by Russia based on the will of the Crimean people and supported by an overwhelming majority. We understand that, it happens. But it’s just diplomatic impudence or complete diplomatic incompetence to fail to comprehend the real political situation and the utter uselessness of their demands after we said we would recognize any outcome of the referendum in Crimea, telling us that despite what the President said the mandate of the mission should include Crimea as part of Ukraine.

Q: Moscow was insisting that the mission should go to western regions of Ukraine as well as eastern. Was that achieved?

SL: Taking into consideration our Western colleagues’ well-proven talents to twist words and interpret provisions, we were insisting that cities and regions be listed in the mandate instead of it just saying “mission to Ukraine.” Of course the list includes cities situated both in western and eastern parts of Ukraine, but none situated on the territory of the Republic of Crimea of the Russian Federation.

‘Denunciations of Right Sector were long overdue’

Q: Maybe then what we see is some progress not only in terms of sending an OSCE mission to Ukraine, but also new Ukrainian authorities, their legitimacy aside, dealing with the Right Sector problem, as evidenced by the last 36-48 hours.

SL: It’s taken them too long, though it’s true that [it’s] better late than never. Over a month ago I raised the issue of the Right Sector and the necessity to dissociate from the radical forces with our Western partners. I asked them a very simple question: “If you agree that we need to defuse the situation, why won’t you publicly say what the Right Sector really is?” Same to a degree goes for the Svoboda party, whose platform references The Declaration of June 30, 1941, which expressed support of Nazi Germany and its efforts to establish a new world order. According to the party’s charter, it’s still committed to this principle.

Our colleagues reacted quite strangely to our requests to at least publicly express their opinion on these forces and exert their influence on the people in Kiev who claim they’re the new authorities so that they do the same. At first they avoided the issue, and then at one of the recent meetings, I think it was in London, US Secretary of State John Kerry told me that after close scrutiny they concluded that the Right Sector was trying to become a political movement. The subtext was that it’s a good thing, and Svoboda is moving towards [the] mainstream. That’s a quote. A lot of people were present at the meeting, so I’m not revealing a secret here. I was giving examples of the opposite trend concerning these groups, starting with their urging the public to shoot Russians in the head and kill them, calling Russians names, and all the way up to the beatings that take place even in the eastern parts of Ukraine where the members of these groups consider themselves at home.

 

Members of the Ukrainian far-right radical group Right Sector stand outside the parliament in Kiev March 28, 2014. (Reuters / Valentyn Ogirenko)

Members of the Ukrainian far-right radical group Right Sector stand outside the parliament in Kiev March 28, 2014. (Reuters / Valentyn Ogirenko)

As for what’s been happening in the last few days, let’s hope that the Ukrainian government’s statements and steps are the result of some awareness campaign conducted by our Western partners. Like I said, better late than never.

Let’s see what comes out of it and whether those in power manage to bring to heel the people they relied on to get their current positions. The recent events, that is, when the Right Sector surrounded the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian Parliament] building again and demanded for the Interior Minister to be sacked because of [Right Sector leader] Sashko Bilyi’s death, are very telling. Whatever one might think about the circumstances of his death, which, like in any such case, should be investigated thoroughly, one can’t fail to notice the moral boost his death gave to the people wearing Right Sector colors who follow the principles we all know about. It’s a very alarming signal.

It surprised me that while Russian television, including your channel, showed the siege of the Verkhovna Rada and commented comprehensively on the events unfolding between the Right Sector and the members of parliament, on their possible ramifications, Euronews hasn’t said a word about it, with Ukraine mentioned in the context of the IMF deal in the third or fourth news piece.

Sadly, this kind of coverage is also telling. We’ll try to establish the truth through channels alternative to mainstream Western media. I hope that your alternative channels become the mainstream.

‘Sad to see OSCE justify censorship of media in Ukraine’

Q: Alternative channels – that’s another matter, since Ukrainian cable providers were banned from transmitting Russian TV channels. At first, the OSCE condemned it. As far as I understand, this issue was raised even at your talks with the Western partners. Then it was slowly moved towards the bottom of the priorities list. As the OSCE representative said, there are national interests that allow for TV censorship.

SL: Yes, Dunja Mijatovi? said that. Let’s just say that being the OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media, she should show more freedom in her judgments. It’s lamentable that excuses are made for banning Russian channels. Who could imagine that channels can be banned if it’s done for protecting fundamental values? However, Ms. Mijatovi? dismissed in the past our numerous appeals that demonstrations with fascist and neo-Nazi slogans held in a number of the OSCE countries were unacceptable, citing freedom of speech. So in Ms. Mijatovi?’s opinion four channels are more dangerous than neo-Nazi demonstrations in the Baltic states and a number of other countries, including Germany.

‘Idea of Ukrainian Federation no longer taboo for western diplomats’

Q: What kind of a compromise with the West is possible? Russia is on one side of the line, and the US and the West are on the other, so which points can you agree on with your colleagues?

SL: I don’t believe we’re divided by that strict a line. We’re working on aligning our positions. Based on my latest meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry in The Hague and my contacts with Germany, France and a number of other countries, I can say that there’s a possibility of drafting a joint initiative that we could offer to our Ukrainian colleagues.

It’s a very important consideration, because up until now our partners have been offering to set up a contact group within the framework of which Russia and the people who seized power in Kiev would negotiate under their supervision. Such a platform is absolutely unacceptable, and that’s not even the issue. What’s happening in Ukraine now is the result of the deep crisis in the political system, triggered by the inability – I wouldn’t want to accuse anyone of deliberately avoiding it – of each successive leader to reconcile the interests of the western and southeastern regions of Ukraine. It can’t go on like this.

We are convinced that Ukraine needs a fundamental constitutional reform. To be honest, we see no other way that would ensure Ukraine’s sustainable development except becoming a federation. Maybe someone knows better, and there’s a magic formula that would make a unitary system of government work in a state where in western, eastern and southern regions people celebrate different holidays, honor different heroes, have economic structure, speak different languages and think differently and gravitate towards different European cultures. It’s tough to live in a unitary state like that.

That’s why on March 10 we gave an unofficial document outlining our vision to our American, European and Chinese partners and other colleagues, including BRICS countries.

Q: So, a constitutional reform, elections...

SL: No. First of all, it states that the most urgent task is to stop the violence of armed groups, disarm militants and free all illegally seized buildings – which hasn’t been done yet – as well as squares, streets, cities, towns and villages.

First and foremost we mean Maidan. It’s just a disgrace for a European country and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe to have this kind of thing for half a year, and in front of Western visitors besides. We’re told Maidan will stay until presidential election take place, with the outcome that satisfies Maidan. It’s a disgrace for all who put up with it.

We proposed to start with sorting out these issues, especially since it was a responsibility Mr Klichko, Mr Yatsenyuk, and Mr Tyagnibok assumed when they signed the document along with the German, French and Polish foreign ministers.

 

Another thing we proposed was to begin a comprehensive constitutional reform right away, with all political forces and regions having an equal say in it, to discuss establishing a federation, which would grant every region wide powers in the spheres of economy, culture, language, education, economic and cultural ties with neighboring countries or regions and guarantee minority rights.

Taking into consideration the number of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine, we propose and we’re convinced that there’s no other option – and a few presidential candidates said so on numerous occasions – but to make Russian language the second official language of Ukraine, and ensure the rights of minorities in every constituent entity in accordance with the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Q: There are Hungarians and Romanians living there as well.

SL: Hungarians, Czechs, Germans – they are all complaining to the governments of their countries that they are no longer comfortable living in Ukraine. Czechs even wanted to go back home but the Czech government said, “No, we looked at the conditions you live in and we think you are fine.” This indicates that they care more about geopolitical matters and political expediency than about human rights.

A constitutional reform should be approved by a referendum. It should take into account the interests of all the regions. And once this constitution is approved by a nationwide vote, there should be a presidential and parliamentary election; new legislative assemblies should be elected in all the regions; and there should be new governors. Governors should be elected, not appointed. Eastern and southern regions insist on that.

We strongly believe this is the right way to go. In response, we are told through the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry that Russian proposals are a provocation and that we are meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs, because our ideas are inconsistent with the foundations of the Ukrainian state. Which ideas? First, federalization, and, second, Russian as the second official language. I don’t see how this is inconsistent with the foundations of the Ukrainian state.

Q: Do Western partners hear these proposals?

SL: They do. I can tell you that “federalization” is definitely no longer a taboo word in our talks. I really believe we should insist on it – not because it is our whim but because southern and eastern regions want that.

Q: Do you expect that these ideas will eventually reach Kiev, at least through Western capitals?

SL: That’s what I count on, because the current Ukrainian government can hardly be suspected of being independent.

‘Ukraine’s military neutrality must be stated unambiguously’

Q: Do Moscow and, say, Washington talk about Ukraine’s non-bloc status?

SL: This idea is present in our proposals. We definitely think that the new constitution should clearly say that Ukraine cannot be part of any bloc.

Q: Do Americans hear that?

SL: They hear that and you can tell whether they understand it or not by listening to their public statements. Speaking in Brussels last week, President Obama said that neither Ukraine nor NATO were ready and that there was no point talking about that.

Q: By the way, Yatsenyuk says he is not considering this option at this point.

SL: “At this point.” We are convinced there can be no ambiguity on this issue. There are too many of those caveats – “at this point” and “no intention.” Intentions can change, and you end up facing new facts on the ground.

 

Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (L) holds a new conference with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels March 6, 2014. (Reuters / Laurent Dubrule)

Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (L) holds a new conference with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels March 6, 2014. (Reuters / Laurent Dubrule)

Q: Especially in the last couple of months.

SL: Not just in the last couple of months – in the last 25 years. We are told that the West keeps extending a hand of friendship, and Russia keeps choosing a zero-sum game. A few days ago, my colleague, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, published an article, in which he writes that Russia faces global isolation again, because, he says, you come to Russia with open arms and it turns away and pursues zero-sum mentality. But that’s totally unfair. On the contrary, we are always eager to engage in fair partnership. This is reflected in our proposals on indivisible security, which should be the same for everybody. It is wrong for NATO members to be protected with indivisible security and for everybody else to be treated as second-rate nations, so NATO can act as a magnet to attract new members and keep pushing the dividing line further to the east.

We were promised that this would not happen – and we were cheated. We were promised that NATO would not bring its military infrastructure closer to our borders – and we were cheated. We were promised there would be no military installations on the territory of the new NATO members. At first, we just listened to those promises and believed them. Then we started putting them on paper as political obligations, and serious people, Western leaders, signed those documents. But when we asked them how come those political obligations were ignored and whether we can make them legally binding, they told us, “No, political obligations are enough, and anyway, don’t worry, whatever we do is not against you.”

‘West plays ‘either-or’ game with Eastern Partnership’

SL: Speaking of zero-sum games we are being accused of, the EU Eastern Partnership project from the very beginning was based on the “either-or” concept: either you’re with us or you’re against us. Actually, our Western partners have been talking about this since the 2004 election in Ukraine. Back then, there was no Customs Union and no Eastern Partnership; there was an unconstitutional, artificially invented third round of the presidential election. Karel de Gucht, who then was the foreign minister of Belgium and who is now, by the way, the EU Trade Commissioner, publicly demanded that Ukrainians should vote and decide whether they want to be with Europe or with Russia. This is where such mentality comes from.

Eastern Partnership – as well as NATO expansion – was simply an instrument used to quickly take control over geopolitical territory. The EU was ready to push this project through at any cost. It completely ignored legitimate economic interests of both Ukraine’s neighbors, like Russia and other countries, and even the nations that were part of this program. There have been many studies on this issue. No wonder even Yatsenyuk says that Ukraine needs to take a closer look at the economic section of this agreement.

The same will happen with Moldova. They are doing their best to sign a similar agreement with Moldova this summer, before the upcoming election. And this agreement they intend to sign with Moldova – it completely ignores the issue of Transnistria. It ignores the 1997 agreement between Chisinau and Tiraspol which entitled Transnistria to international trade. It ignores what is happening with Transnistria today: Chisinau and the new Ukrainian authorities have basically blockaded the territory. But our European partners keep mum about that. In fact, the European Union and, I think, the United States approve of this policy.

We want to talk to them very seriously about that, because they are escalating tensions over Transnistria, almost claiming that it will be next. This is outrageous, provocative rhetoric. Actually, they want to create unbearable conditions for Tiraspol in violation, I repeat, of the agreements which entitled Transnistrians to certain travel, transit and trade rights. This is outrageous. They never learn. Once again, they seek to create a sore point in our relations.

‘Russia has no intention to send troops across Ukrainian border’

Q: Almost all the statements regarding sanctions, including those made by the EU and the US official political institutions, contain the phrase “further escalation.” By “further escalation” my Western colleagues mean that Russian military forces may cross the borders of the mainland Ukraine and move toward Kharkov, for example. Will this happen or not?

SL: President of Russia Vladimir Putin in his address given on March 18 in the Georgievsky Hall said clearly that we are very concerned with the situation with Russians and Russian speakers in eastern and southern Ukraine, especially after various Right Sector groups, a certain Beletsky and the Eastern Front rushed there. Those are absolutely odious people. You don’t need to be a physiognomist to be able to tell what their intentions are. They speak openly about that. Many leaked phone calls indicate how Russians will be treated in Ukraine not just by the Right Sector members.

The Russian president demanded that Ukrainian authorities and their Western patrons take immediate action to stop the violence. He said we are going to protect the rights of Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine using all the political, diplomatic and legal methods. I have nothing to add to that.

 

Soldiers of the separate tank battalion of the Baltic Fleet motorized infantry brigade, during loading of tanks on flatcars, for dislocation to the district selected for military exercises, in the city of Gusev, Kaliningrad Region on February 28, 2014. (RIA Novosti / Igor Zarembo)

Soldiers of the separate tank battalion of the Baltic Fleet motorized infantry brigade, during loading of tanks on flatcars, for dislocation to the district selected for military exercises, in the city of Gusev, Kaliningrad Region on February 28, 2014. (RIA Novosti / Igor Zarembo)

We need to be honest. You cannot just say like many times before – regarding Syria, Iran, etc. – that we have come to a crisis and that we just need to accept the reality. Russia is to settle the Syrian crisis, to solve the Iranian problem and to resolve the situation in Ukraine through direct talks with the Ukrainian authorities. The West is consistently trying to avoid the responsibility of dealing with those whom they nurtured and continue to support for their geopolitical purposes.

We have absolutely no intentions of crossing Ukrainian borders. This is not in our interests. We simply want everybody to work together; we want the violence to stop and we want the Western countries who are trying to sweep under the rug those cases of violence and to portray the situation in Ukraine in a positive light to realize they need to bear the responsibility.

According to Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, the Ukrainian authorities lately have been trying to disarm all those who possess firearms illegally – that is, the criminals. If this is the result of our Western partners’ efforts, then, I repeat, we are satisfied with that. We are ready to continue to work out joint recommendations for the Ukrainians to stop all the lawlessness and to start a deep constitutional process to reform their country.

‘No US-style naval bases build-up planned’

Q: There are speculations that Russia may respond to all these events by setting up its military bases in the Seychelles, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Cuba and even in Argentina.

SL: This is a complete lie. We have no plans whatsoever to build naval and military bases abroad in the sense which you put into the term. The Russian Navy is now much stronger than before. I believe after Crimea joined Russia, it will have much more opportunities for development. Along with the Black Sea Fleet, we also have the Pacific, the Northern Fleet, etc.

It’s very important for a country to have highly trained Navy, especially because today the Navy has not just to plough the ocean for training purposes but also to complete specific tasks like counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and elsewhere. Ships have to travel to remote places. We have agreements with some countries allowing our vessels and warships to use their existing infrastructure for servicing, minor repairs, water and food replenishments and for the crew to rest.

We are absolutely not considering building bases similar to how America does it. And of course, unlike the US, we will not have any agreements, which would make our personnel immune to criminal prosecution in the countries where they are deployed.

By the way, I recently saw an interesting picture on the Internet: a map of the Russian Federation and US military bases around it. It looks very impressive. There are over a hundred of them. And there is a quote from a US soldier: “How dare Russians be so close to our bases?”

Q: Are you talking to the countries I mentioned about the possibility of our warships entering their seaports?

SL: There are a few countries we are talking to but these issues are handled by defense ministries.

 

- advertisements -

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Sun, 03/30/2014 - 10:57 | 4607616 WhyWait
WhyWait's picture

"By the way, I recently saw an interesting picture on the Internet: a map of the Russian Federation and US military bases around it. It looks very impressive. There are over a hundred of them. And there is a quote from a US soldier: 'How dare Russians be so close to our bases?' "  -  Lavrov, from the interview

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 11:03 | 4607627 deepsouthdoug
deepsouthdoug's picture

This site is increasingly in the tank for Putin. Just because Obama is a disaster does not justify the fact of what Putin has done. He is a brute and a thug.  

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 12:36 | 4607820 MrPalladium
MrPalladium's picture

B.S.!

We do not admire Putin. We just want the U.S. to stop its dangerous meddling and interventions around the world.

Our leaders are dangerous clowns and we want them to stop. It is obvious that their adventurism is not intended to produce tangible benefits for the average American, but is designed to consolidate the power of Western bankers at the risk of destroying the northern hemisphere.

A bad and stupid risk

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:20 | 4607919 deepsouthdoug
deepsouthdoug's picture

What adventurism in this case? What? Sanctions on the Russian rich pigs? That what ya got?

Seems to me that Putin had his masked troops rolling across borders - right? Is that not adventurism?

And while you claim you do not admire Putin, I said Obama was a disaster.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 16:36 | 4608386 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

The Kharkiv Pact allows the Black Sea Fleet to be in Crimea until 2017. They were there legally. They didn't just roll across the border. Did they build up and send troops? Yes. The unrest fostered by Western influences and Ukrainean angst to their leadership became a confluence of disturbance. The Russians reacted. Feeling more Russian than NeoNazi.....err....Ukrainean, Crimeans had an open vote to join Russia. Even if every Crimean voted, the result was 75% of population(93% of those who voted) chose to join Russia.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:07 | 4608745 libertysghost
libertysghost's picture

You think the revolution in Kiev had no western help?  That alone would qualify as some adventurism...but he was referring to Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya....etc etc etc.  You remember those adventures I assume. ..none were on the US border BTW.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 16:35 | 4608385 Gavrikon
Gavrikon's picture

"We do not admire Putin."

Speak for yourself, Pal.  I named my son Vladimir after him and would vote for Putin in a New York minute, given the opportunity.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 17:17 | 4608479 ebear
ebear's picture

Yeah!  I would go fishing or horseback riding with Putin anytime.

Obama, not so much.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 17:57 | 4608556 Sages wife
Sages wife's picture

Just don't go hunting with Dick Cheney.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:52 | 4608703 SAT 800
SAT 800's picture

Agreed. I remember you from the old days on the Market Watch blog debates about Gold and Silver. Good day to you.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:55 | 4608863 Wild tree
Wild tree's picture

SAT,

Many fled MarketWatch after they slowly throttled the comments section. Went back couple of months back, could not find any discourse. Just another MSM retread of faux news....

That is why many of us ended up here. Wild Tree

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:01 | 4607993 Joenobody12
Joenobody12's picture

Go travel Russia sometime and talk to the people on the street to get a grip on how they view Putin and their country. The young people there admire him. The older people dislike him because they see their entitlement cut. 

Personaly, I dont think there is anything wrong for Putin to be a brute and a thug( in your words )for his own people. It is much better than Oobumpma being a brute and a thug AGAINST the US people, AGAINST the principle upon which this country was built.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:00 | 4608145 disabledvet
disabledvet's picture

i'm startin' to warm up to the guy actually.
it's not like we import any energy from Europe.

"This alliance doesn't appear to be working at the moment and will be annulled."

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 11:04 | 4607629 hookah
hookah's picture

Usual Lavrov shit: No problems here, look how bad west there.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 11:47 | 4607720 MeBizarro
MeBizarro's picture

Pretty much.  I bet it is a foregone conclusion too that there will be an incident/issue that comes up where Putin moves into Eastern Ukraine to assist ethnic Russians who have called for aid ala what he did with Crimea.  Ultimately, Russia will look to carve out 'ethnic safety zones' just as they did with Georgia too I bet in Eastern Ukraine. 

Picture that people seem to lack to grasp is that the West couldn't stop Putin even if it wanted to it from doing this.  The real issue in this if Putin goes to far military and rolls Russian armored columns through Western Ukraine to the borders of Poland, Romania, etc and annex Ukraine by defacto.  That would elicit an actual and real response militarily from NATO and even the most reluctant members (France, Italy) would be forced to at least go along with it in theory.

Putin just hasn't given any indication that he will take such a wild and unprovoked move.  More of a poker play who knows he has a big stack in this case and can just grind down his opponent. 

Still don't remotely understand how Putin is seen as any but the classic Russian autocrat/strong man though.  Only question is whether Putin is really running the show & largely arbitrarily calling the shots or if he is the public frontman for a highly-concentrated and small circle of military and economic insiders. 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 11:04 | 4607630 b_thunder
b_thunder's picture

if u read this, u lost 20min of your life.  lol.

lavrov's job is to lie in public. moreover, he doesn't even know what really russian policy is.  he's not on eof the putin's inner circle ex-kgb comrades.  when russia invades next country, lavrov will find out about it from  twitter like the rest of us.  putin doesn't tell lavrov in advance what he's really up to.

is ZH a web equivalent of Cremlin- financed RT.com  or they seriously think that russian regime is more truthful and more democratic than the american or EU regimes?

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:04 | 4608005 TPTB_r_TBTF
TPTB_r_TBTF's picture

.

 

is ZH a web equivalent of Cremlin- financed RT.com  or they seriously think that russian regime is more truthful and more democratic than the american or EU regimes?

Both.

The Tylers get financing from many directions

and

the readers believe "that russian regime is more truthful and more democratic than the american or EU regimes".

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:44 | 4608102 MeBizarro
MeBizarro's picture

Truthful?  It depends on the topic.

More democratic?  That's a joke.  You can make a very valid argument that your individual vote in national in Europe/federal elections in the US (to a lesser degre in state elections) means little but voting at the local level in the US does matter despite the massive amount of a-holes on here who constantly give me thumbs down on here when I bring it up.  Guarantee that the same kind of people who give thumbs down are the same people whose own voting record is piss poor, doesn't get involved in local gov't election/issues, and just are complainers/whiners/etc. 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 11:23 | 4607661 Jayda1850
Jayda1850's picture

The leaders in this country constantly label other countries that don't line up with our imperial policies as evil(axis of evil, evil empire, etc). I just wish one day they would come out and say the truth, all governments are evil.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:06 | 4608743 quasistable
quasistable's picture

This moral relativism generally true, but doesn't apply to russia. Russia is evil in the purest sense of the word evil (not religious). And it was so for at least last 100 years. 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:22 | 4607669 ATG
ATG's picture

Banker, Scientologist and 'Fatherland' party PM Yatsenyuk worked with Condi Rice, George Soros and the World Trade Organization.

http://bit.ly/NVlKeM

That alone might disqualify him as a real Ukrainian leader of liberty:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arseniy_Yatsenyuk

http://alj.am/1lwiMvD

 

In the meantime, with 70,000 heroin overdose deaths,

Russia repeatedly asked NATO to stop the opium cultivation industry they support in Afghanistan.

The powers that be said "Nyet" and are even running a potential candidate for President again:

http://bit.ly/1kbK46l

 

Wake up Amerika.

Kris Kristofferson as Nebraska American Central Administrative Area maverick politician Devin Milford,

was so uncomfortably close to right about the impending American Police State,

that the 1987 ABC TV Miniseries was only shown once:

http://bit.ly/1kbJ9Ts

 

For those that claim politics, the practice of power, is no solution, it is the only solution.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing: Edmund Burke

 

Burke also observed:

  • There is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue.
  • Whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither is safe.
  • Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny.
  • People crushed by law, have no hopes but from power.
  • The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.

http://bit.ly/1gEOiEp

 

How much is enough?

http://bit.ly/P6SHpc

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 11:43 | 4607710 lakecity55
lakecity55's picture

Funny, as a US veteran, I am actually counting on Mr Lavrov to help avoid a war, not the swift boater in my own country.

Or perhaps its just sad.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 12:45 | 4607841 MrPalladium
MrPalladium's picture

Agreed!

I served for a year in Berlin back in 1970 - in reality one of 10,000 hostages forming a nuclear trip wire surrounded by 250,000 Russian and East German troops.

I know what it feels like, and I can say for certain that the pussies in charge of the U.S. have no idea what they are dealing with or risking. This game of international chicken they are playing isn't worth the candle.

What benefits can it yield for the average American that could make this dangerous game worth the risk?

The truth is there are no benefits to be had from this game except perhaps for a delusional cosmopolitan elite.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:47 | 4607968 lakecity55
lakecity55's picture

Hey, I served with a guy who had been posted to Berlin Brigade. A nervy job, soldier.

Since we know Bath House is Jarrett's meat puppet, and she is a corrupt Chicago Communist on the Take, with NO experience in anything other than money-grubbing, I would not expect the US to have any resemblance of a coherent foreign policy. Apparently, who ever gives her orders is from the same bolt of cloth.

This is how Wars get started.

Jarrett and Bath House need to be removed ASAP, asthey are the Number One immediate threat to our lives. I am sure they are in violation of a few laws requiring immediate jail time.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:40 | 4608092 MrPalladium
MrPalladium's picture

I used to explain to the troops that Berlin was a wonderful posting as long as nothing happened - you couldn't dig a fox hole or fire a round, all you could do was party.

But then if anything did happen, it would be infinitely more dangerous and lethal than a tour in Viet Nam.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:21 | 4608044 ATG
ATG's picture

More usury more often

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:37 | 4608248 css1971
css1971's picture

Just like here. It's you vs your "leaders".

 

Stop giving consent.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 12:04 | 4607758 Handful of Dust
Handful of Dust's picture

It's a good time for China ot move on those islands I suspect. I'm sure they are thinkinbg carefullyu about it.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 12:17 | 4607785 SweetDoug
SweetDoug's picture

'

'

'

"China strongly opposed using non-diplomatic measures and threats of sanctions to resolve this problem."

Of course the ChiComs would oppose these tactics, they're meaningful. The Chinese love diplomacy, as while everyone talks and talks, it stalls any real solution to the problem, allowing them to entrench their position, dragging everyone into the weeds. The filthy ChiComs or Russians would only move their position, through force, being brought to heel, by sanctions.

Study the history of these @$$?Ø£?$, the Russkies and the Chinks.

They only understand power through the barrel of a gun.

•J•
V-V

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:41 | 4607960 Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill's picture

1978 called.They want you back.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 12:46 | 4607837 elegance
elegance's picture

We wanted to do it better but it turned out as usual. This Russian modus operandi is the only thing West ever needed to learn. It will not end in any other way...

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 12:47 | 4607839 Canucklehead
Canucklehead's picture

I don't expect any thinking person to accept a MSM analysis of a geopolitical situation as anything close to accurate. In most instances, I expect one would see the MSM analysis as manipulated to the extreme. You disect the MSM position along the simple SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to glean a better picture of what is happening.

A simple real time example is the Malaysia Airline 370 media spin. The current spin is to find wreckage based on Rolls Royce ACARS data. The Rolls Royce - Honeywell system is typical of the technical talent in Britain in that it is a system that cannot perform when most needed.

From an maintenance objective point of view, ACARS should provide real time engine data and engine location so the technical people can assess the importance of a maintenance problem and vector the plane to the nearest airport/maintenance depot.

Rolls Royce - Honeywell spends millions developing ACARS but does not use GPS to locate their engines in real time?

Do you really believe that? Rolls Royce uses GPS and knows exactly where those engines are/were.

This MSM crap about the location of the plane being somewhere on an "arc" is pure bullshit.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:04 | 4607887 Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch's picture

Stop consuming MSM.

Don't buy products advertised on MSM.

Buy a weapon and learn how to use it.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:03 | 4607882 yogibear
yogibear's picture

Obama was talking about a nuke going off in Manhattan. Does he know something?

It would certainly roil the financial markets.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:19 | 4607913 Chuck Knoblauch
Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:39 | 4607959 lakecity55
lakecity55's picture

Wow! Yes, the markets will be blown to the Moon! Up 20,000 points!!

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:19 | 4608037 ATG
ATG's picture

Boo yah

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:18 | 4608030 ATG
ATG's picture

Maybe.

Criminal News Network reported 0 just dropped 10 more Nuclar air force commanders from duty for "cheating to get 100% results on missile exams when 90% will do", said the nice blonde lady spokesmodel:

http://cnn.it/1lwytmv

After Senator Lindsey Graham speculated on a domestic nuclear event in radical Charleston if we did not bomb Iran and Syria, two top Nuke Commanders were fired (without pension saves 0 more money for stag golf vacays?):

http://bit.ly/1lfux75

Our civic duty for constitutional impeachment of government criminals is clear:

http://bit.ly/1i68Kvz

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:15 | 4607892 Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch's picture

Why does DC think they can survive nuclear war? What gives them such confidence?

Maybe Iran, Russia, and China will just surrender? Maybe they won't. Then what happens?

Will they surrender their sovereignty, military, natural resources, and people to the Zionists?

I'd rather die than do that.

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:04 | 4608161 disabledvet
disabledvet's picture

because we've already worked out the targeting solutions with the Russians in advance.

this is strictly "conventional" so we'll just have to see if there are any fighting men left in Europe I guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uVjvXBivmE

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:35 | 4608243 Emergency Ward
Emergency Ward's picture

Obama and Kerry have checked out the nuclear bunker under the WH and figure they could hold out....

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:26 | 4607924 tony wilson
tony wilson's picture

lavrov is a liar you cannot trust him.

he is the new hitler is is dangerous

a mad dog he seems out of control most of the time.

not a statesman like william hague or presdent obarmo.

this is just crazy are presdent in washin tons has the best jewish advisors soros rothschilds money can buy.

they do not have a dog in the race apart from making some cash and protecting israel.

what is good for jewish folks should be good for us they are so clever and i am sure they are taking us to the aerolane nuclear false flag blink for a very good reason.

we cannot really udderstand what is going on becaaause it is top secret and anyways even if they told us we wood not udderstand

my view is just believe obarmme and his jewish team they haves nose reesons to lies.

and if they did they wood get captured out.

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:32 | 4607948 Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch's picture

the asylum only gives tony 10 minutes each day to connect with humanity outside the walls

follow the light, man

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:54 | 4607987 tony wilson
tony wilson's picture

mr nob

the questions is am i right or am i rite

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:02 | 4608002 ATG
ATG's picture

death rite

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 16:22 | 4608347 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

Diet Rite

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:30 | 4608232 MrPalladium
MrPalladium's picture

Classic sarc!

Absolute classic!

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 16:07 | 4608314 jtg
jtg's picture

Didn't take meds this morning?

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 13:26 | 4607935 no more banksters
no more banksters's picture

Breaking: Motion of no confidence by SYRIZA against Stournaras!

http://failedevolution.blogspot.gr/2014/03/breaking-motion-of-no-confide...

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:13 | 4608018 Joenobody12
Joenobody12's picture

And so it begins. 

 

Putin Flushes the US Dollar: Russia’s Gold Ruble Payments System Delinked from Dollar


Moscow (Mar 30)  Russia announces that it will sell (and buy) {their} products and commodities – including oil – in rubles; not anymore in dollars.

......

http://www.gold-eagle.com/putin-flushes-us-dollar-russia’s-gold-ruble-payments-system-delinked-dollar

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:39 | 4608120 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

If this is true, we have the first true econ salvo by Russia. The rest has been symbolic. 

 

"The move has not been done in secret. On the contrary. A huge golden ruble symbol will be set up in front of bank Rossiya headquarters in Perevedensky Pereulok in Moscow “to symbolize the rouble’s stability and its backing by the country’s gold reserves,” the official agency Itar-Tass explains quoting the bank officials."

 

EDIT: I have found more links to this.

 

Putin Backs National Card Payment System


MOSCOW--President Vladimir Putin Thursday backed plans for Russia to create its own national payment system to protect itself against the kind of disruption caused when Visa and MasterCard cut ties with Russian banks hit by U.S. sanctions over the annexation of Crimea.

Russia has floated developing such a system for years although few steps have ever been taken. But the idea resurfaced after the international payment providers stopped servicing four banks last week when Russia came up against a broader round of sanctions.

Thursday marked the first time the idea received presidential backing. "Why do we not do this? This definitely should be done and we will do this," Mr. Putin said in a meeting with members of Russia's upper house of parliament. "We need to protect our interests, and we will do it."

He pointed to similar national systems in Asia which he said should be used as models for creating Russia's own network.

 



Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/putin-calls-for-creation-of-banking-payment-system-20140327-00598#ixzz2xTbQQddo

Putin Flushes the US Dollar: Russia’s Gold Ruble Payments System Delinked from Dollar?

Russia “forced” by the sanctions to create a system independent from the Dollar.  

Russia announces that it will sell (and buy) his products and commodities – including oil – in rubles; not anymore in dollars

Putin has been preparing this move — the creation of a payment system in rubles completely independent and protected from the Dollar and the killer speculations of the big Western financial institutions — for a long time.

After sanctioning several Russian banks to punish Russia for Crimea, the Washington politicians were told by the financial power-to-be to step back because obviously, the Wall Street vampires understand that putting Russian banks outside the reach of their blood sucking teeth is never a good idea.

For Wall Street and the city’s financial services, countries like Russia should always have an open financial door through which their real economy can be periodically looted. So Washington announced that it was a mistake to enforce sanctions on all those Russian banks; only one, the Rossiya bank shall be hit by sanctions, just for propaganda reasons and to make an example out of it.

It is what Putin needed. Since at least 2007, he was trying to launch an independent Ruble System, a financial system that would be based on Russia’s real economy and resources and guaranteed by its gold reserves. No  tolerance for looting and financial speculation: A peaceful move, but at the same time a declaration of independence that Wall Street will consider as a “declaration of war”.

According to the Judo strategy, the sanction attack created the ideal situation for a “defensive” move that would redirect the brute force of the adversary against him.  And now it’s happening. Bank Rossiya will be the first Russian bank to use exclusively the Russian ruble.

The move has not been done in secret. On the contrary. A huge golden ruble symbol will be set up in front of bank Rossiya headquarters in Perevedensky Pereulok in Moscow “to symbolize the rouble’s stability and its backing by the country’s gold reserves,” the official agency Itar-Tass explains quoting the bank officials.  

In fact, the officials  are very clear on their intention to punish the western speculators that have been looting their country for a long time: 

“Russia, at its present stage of development, should not be dependent on foreign currencies; its internal resources will make its own economy invulnerable to political wheeler dealers.”

This is only the first step, declared Andrei Kostin, the president of VTB, another bank previously sanctioned: 

“We have been moving towards wider use of the Russian rouble as the currency of settlement for a long time. The ruble became fully convertible quite a long time ago. Unfortunately, we have seen predominantly negative consequences of this step so far revealed in the outflow of capital from this country. The influx of foreign investments into Russia has been speculative and considerably destabilizing to our stock markets.”

According to Itar-Tass, Kostin was very precise and concrete:

“Russia should sell domestic products – from weapons to gas and oil – abroad for roubles and buy foreign goods also for rubles….Only then are we going to use the advantages of the rouble being a foreign currency in full measure.”

Putin himself lobbied for the new siystem in meetings with members of the Upper House of the Duma, the parliament, on March 28, overcoming the last doubts and indecisions: “

“Why do we not do this? This definitely should be done, we need to protect our interests, and we will do it. These systems work, and work very successfully in such countries as Japan and China. They originally started as exclusively national [systems] confined to their own market and territory and their own population, but have gradually become more and more popular…”

 http://www.globalresearch.ca/putin-flushes-the-us-dollar-russias-gold-ru...

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:50 | 4608700 MeBizarro
MeBizarro's picture

If Russia wants this right, it will have to fight for it since the only way that the reserve currency status has changed is directly or indirectly due to the effects of a large conflict. 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:08 | 4608746 SAT 800
SAT 800's picture

And Obama's Teleprompter lights up---"FAIL".  Nice job; you lying fool.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:20 | 4608768 smacker
smacker's picture

I'm not sure if Obama knows the difference between "blowback" and "blowjob", but this is definitely not the latter.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:22 | 4608210 A82EBA
A82EBA's picture

Thanks..Finally!

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:50 | 4608253 A82EBA
A82EBA's picture

the web page will not load for me, did you save the text of the article?

 

got it, thanks

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:15 | 4608027 MarcusAurelius
MarcusAurelius's picture

We all know that the west has an agenda which is simply Russian natural resources that they are so heavily depended on. Russia has large reserves of most natural resources and they are independent of the west in most circumstances. Good for them I say. The same cannot be said of the Eurozone or the UK. 

It really is simple. If you play the west game of buying in (quite literally) to the US world reserve currency status and the petro dollar then you can count on bail out money forever and ever and ever amen. With this monopoly no one ever need be responsible for their debts or fiscal recklessness. It essentially keeps you from ending up like Venezuala which has no such curtain of protection. 

Russia knows that it has not been invited to the party in the same way as the rest of the kleptocrats and so it opts for its own independence. It's alliance with China keeps the western governments from completely having this monopoly of bought and paid for coutries. With this alliance there is always the threat to the world reserve currency that it just might be replaced rather than deal with bufoons who think that the party should go on forever regardless of what the rest of the world thinks. 

I am not saying that I would want to live in a Putin or Chinese regime because I certainly would not. However it is staggering to see tha number of people who despise their government and all it stands for here. Truely epic.  

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 14:56 | 4608129 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/live-turkish-pm-erdogan-and-his-family-...

 

20:45 - The main opposition CHP’s Istanbul chair, O?uzhan Sal?c?, has complained about unusual power blackouts in districts like Bak?rköy while the votes were still being counted. Sal?c? claimed that the CHP's mayoral candidate Mustafa Sar?gül won the election with 39.02 percent of the vote, ahead of the AKP's candidate, Kadir Topba?, at 37.02 percent.

20:37 - Mansur Yava?, CHP's mayoral candidate for Ankara, has declared victory over the incumbent mayor Melih Gökçek from the ruling AKP, claiming to have won "almost 50 percent" of the votes.

20:10 - Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Mustafa Sar?gül leads the race in Istanbul, while Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate Melih Gökçek is ahead in Ankara, after 10 percent of the votes have been counted. While the CHP’s vote rate in Istanbul is 45.01 percent, the AKP’s candidate Kadir Topba? follows with 44,62 percent. Gökçek leads the race with 45.77 percent of the counted votes in Ankara, followed by the CHP’s candidate with 42.76 percent. In ?zmir, with 12 percent of the votes counted, the CHP’s candidate and incumbent mayor Aziz Kocao?lu is ahead with 52.86 percent of the counted votes, while former Transport Minister Binali Y?ld?r?m from the AKP trails with 34.41 percent.

19:57 - The figures for initial results given by the semi-official Anadolu Agency and the private Cihan News Agency differ wildly. Anadolu reports that AKP candidate Kadir Topba? leads in Istanbul with 50.14 percent, as 16.27 percent of votes are counted. According to Cihan, however, CHP candidate Mustafa Sar?gül leads in Istanbul with 45.53 percent, as 7.81 percent of votes are counted.
 
19:43 - In Istanbul, anti-riot vehicles and police water cannons have been deployed in the area around Taksim Square, presumably for potential protests.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 15:01 | 4608153 besnook
besnook's picture

that picture of the right sector guys is photoshopped. i saw those guys in missouri. skinheads are all over the usa. a lot of them wear uniforms.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:48 | 4608696 stopthejunk1
stopthejunk1's picture

Link? Put up or shut up. Anybody can say anything on the Internet.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 16:03 | 4608305 bugs_
bugs_'s picture

How quickly the "New World Order" fog has blown away revealing the Old World Order is still calling the shots.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 16:25 | 4608355 franciscopendergrass
franciscopendergrass's picture

The Russians are in the drivers seat finally.  No more scorched earth policy when dealing with the west

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 16:26 | 4608357 no1wonder
no1wonder's picture

"...highlights by Lavrov from the interview conducted with Rossiya 24"

There is one more interview with Lavrov published on RT, it is of today as he spoke to Russia’s Channel One TV:

Lavrov: If West accepts coup-appointed Kiev govt, it must accept a Russian Crimea

Highlights:

  • Ukraine needs end of violence, constitutional reform and federalization
  • Rights of Russian-speakers in Ukraine are not guaranteed
  • Russia’s troops in their right to relocate on own territory
  • If West accepts coup-appointed Kiev govt, it must accept a Russian Crimea
  • West refuses to accept awkward reality
  • We had no other choice for Crimea
  • Western sanctions vs Russia a decent way of expressing offense
  • Russia won’t obey the western rules
  • Countries pressured into voting for UN Assembly resolution on Ukraine
  • West's duplicity and inconsistency obstructs dialogue over Ukraine
  • EU giving visas only to Crimean Ukrainians would be gravest violation of human rights
  • Moscow has info that Right Sector was behind snipers shootings
Sun, 03/30/2014 - 17:21 | 4608488 Deer Hunter
Deer Hunter's picture

Here comes the Gold Rubble:  

If true, then it's WAR.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 17:31 | 4608495 no1wonder
no1wonder's picture

Indeed!

Influential Republicans working to draft Jeb Bush into 2016 presidential race

Bush 3.0 era in the making.

Lavrov is damn right: ”They (the Americans) never learn.”

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:47 | 4608682 stopthejunk1
stopthejunk1's picture

There will never be another Bush elected in this country.

If Jeb Bush gets the ticket, then the Democrats win in 2016, even if they're running Mickey Mouse.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:53 | 4608707 MeBizarro
MeBizarro's picture

Pretty much unless they nominate a black, homosexual, Marxist midget with multiple children out of wedlock.

Mon, 03/31/2014 - 04:20 | 4609824 francis_sawyer666
francis_sawyer666's picture

If the DEM's offer an ugly bitch like me as a candidate for president, I will win.

 

Just the truth,... HELL if the PUG's put up BUSH 3.0, even folks on the center will vote for me ( Hillary 2016 ).

 

p.s. If I bring out  every bastard child that Bill has sired, then we can win every demography in the USA.

 

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 17:55 | 4608551 besnook
besnook's picture

the importance of this interview is the tone lavrov has throughout the dialogue. russia no longer needs to mince words because these are the words the rest of the world wants the usa to hear. it is a warning, an explicit warning, to stop meddling within russian, chinese, and now, indian domain(and soon, indonesia and the rest of the brics and iran).

this is epic history. almost as good as good sex! i just hope the trapped rabid dog and its equally trapped rabid raccoon buddy, israel, can be tranquilized before they do any damage.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:14 | 4608753 SAT 800
SAT 800's picture

I much prefer to read a rational adult discussion of the stiuation; rather than be yelled at like a retarded child; and serenaded with a continual spewing buzzwords and falsehoods that are easily discredited.  I'll read any discussion of the situation on this level; I won't read or listen to any discussion on the Obama level; it's an insult; the assumption is that you're an ignorant bumpkin. Not acceptable.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:01 | 4608567 q99x2
q99x2's picture

Dude needs a hydraulic lift just to keep his chin up.

Talk about long-faced discussions. With him and Kerry in a room time slows to a standstill.

20 of his brothers standing in a field are enough to stop enemy artillary in mid-air.

Makes Kerry look like a drug peddling addict.

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:01 | 4608568 q99x2
q99x2's picture

Dude needs a hydraulic lift just to keep his chin up.

Talk about long-faced discussions. With him and Kerry in a room time slows to a standstill.

20 of his brothers standing in a field are enough to stop enemy artillary in mid-air.

Makes Kerry look like a drug peddling addict.

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:22 | 4608634 Rising Sun
Rising Sun's picture

Moldova almost rhymes with mulva - almost, but not quite.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:30 | 4608655 gwar5
gwar5's picture

Russian Foreign Policy: Keep letting the US assholes commit suicide 

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:44 | 4608684 quasistable
quasistable's picture

It's so sad to see that russian propaganda "bought" even so reasonable people. So many commentators are blinded by their hate towards Obama's policies (which I also hate btw) that it makes me doubt in their reason and objectivity. There were very few conflicts in history between really good and evil. Usually it's black-and-gray. But current situation is black-and-white. Half of my life I lived in USSR. It is evil (not in religion sense, but in real sense). Not just the system and soviet leaders are evil, but people, most of them. And now, after 20 years, it's even worse. This is what Ukraine is fighting against. If the West doesn't stop Putler, it will pay heavy price. There is no such thing as weak goodness.

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:46 | 4608692 stopthejunk1
stopthejunk1's picture

Sorry, but pick your lunatics. The Right Sector are Nazis waiting for their Hitler.

And why shouldn't the will of the Crimean people be respected? 93% want to join Russia. That's not exactly a close margin of victory.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:01 | 4608728 MeBizarro
MeBizarro's picture

That the ridiculous '93%' number gets brought up on here time and time again as if he was a legit process with a legit result.  Go back and look at any democratic election for a national leader and see where the result was 93%. 

It is likely the Crimea would have voted to rejoin Russia given the larger group of ethnic Russians there but the vote was as honest and real as any reality TV show.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:59 | 4608869 quasistable
quasistable's picture

Here is the list of people, killed on Maidan. I wish you good luck searchng for Nazi's there. 

http://crime.in.ua/statti/20140222/nebesna-sotnya

Here is russian Putler-gugend, supporting putin's invasion into Ukraine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO5DqCnwMhY

Here is how russian police treats few people that oppose the invasion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba7dbFVZwE4

You can still call ukrainian protesters nazis, but there is an old wisdom: "When words lose their meaning, people lose their freedom".

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:37 | 4608820 quasistable
quasistable's picture

I see that billions that russia spent on RT propaganda weren't for vain. There is no such Ukrainian media, so, I guess, you have no choice, but to believe to RT.

There are people from all nationalities (including jews or half-jews like me), different political views and different wealth. They all were/are supporting Maidan or fighting on it against the real fascist-communistic-kleptocratic regime - agains russian regime. The so-called far-right are just the most brave fighters. Without them Maidan wouldn't succeed. They are real-life heroes.

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:59 | 4608721 MeBizarro
MeBizarro's picture

It isn't even black and gray.  It is one side with their vested interests vs another side with their own vested interests and very often neither side has a clear edge on morality or on what they actually deliever to the masses.  Maybe one side is more deplorable than the other but if you look on history it was built on a pile of skulls.  It is really only until the last 100 years did large numbers of people really start to live longer and healthier lives. 

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:18 | 4608764 quasistable
quasistable's picture

I agree, but in case of Russia it didn't change even in the last century. It just became worse.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 23:09 | 4609419 jtg
jtg's picture

By your own words you thinking is already poisoned by extreme bias. Don't project your problem on us.

Mon, 03/31/2014 - 07:00 | 4609912 smacker
smacker's picture

Reading a few of your comments gives me the strong impression that you believe simply because many people here are critical of their own Western governments who are playing with fire and making a dog's breakfast of geo-politics, that they are therefore supporters of Putin and Russia in blind ignorance. That's a way too simplistic view and is akin to the fallacious black & white argument put up by GW Bush "you're either with us or against us".

A very good way to see many comments on the West -vs- Russia pantomime on ZH is through the prism of schadenfreude. Putting it more bluntly, people are darned angry with the West's political march towards war, the drift towards totalitarianism and the banksters criminal mind-blowing meddling with free market economics. They often see our own politicos becoming exactly what the Cold War was supposed to be fighting against. Thus, when Putin out-smarts our criminal "leaders", as he's been doing a lot lately, people give him credit for it.

None of that should be read as being support for the Russian model of politics or government. People here are not dumb.

Mon, 03/31/2014 - 10:21 | 4610434 quasistable
quasistable's picture

I understand it. This is what I called "blinded by hate towards Obama's policies". Because russian regime and regimes that it forces on its neighbors are much worse. And while we are typing our jokes against Obama, ukrainians went to real fight for exactly the same freedoms, and they won. But now begins the dirty game, which they aren't ready to play. 

 

 

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 18:44 | 4608689 stopthejunk1
stopthejunk1's picture

"You don’t need to be a physiognomist to be able to tell what their intentions are. "

+100 irony points.

Sun, 03/30/2014 - 19:57 | 4608868 holdbuysell
holdbuysell's picture

"We were promised that NATO would not bring its military infrastructure closer to our borders – and we were cheated."

Reminds me of this line from Animal House:

'You f*cked up...you trusted us!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOXtWxhlsUg

Mon, 03/31/2014 - 01:55 | 4609083 WhyWait
WhyWait's picture

<posted here by accident>

Mon, 03/31/2014 - 04:56 | 4609846 paddyirishman
paddyirishman's picture

Mr Putin can we in Ireland join the Russian federation, please say us from the undemocratic lunatic eussr, never thought I would be saying that twenty years ago.

Mon, 03/31/2014 - 04:57 | 4609847 paddyirishman
paddyirishman's picture

Mr Putin can we in Ireland join the Russian federation, please save us from the undemocratic lunatic communist eussr, never thought I would be saying that.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!