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© 2021 AFPBiden warns Putin of strong Western response to any Ukraine attack
By Sebastian Smith and Anna Smolchenko WASHINGTON/MOSCOW©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
48 Comments
GdTokyo
Nord Stream 2 goes off line, the EU finds its LNG from another supplier.
SWIFT “swiftly” goes by-bye. Good luck buying or selling anything in USD, the world’s reserve currency. This goes double for private businesses in Russia.
All those oligarchs “asserts” frozen overseas.
Oh, and all the Javilins and anything else Ukraine needs at or below cost.
RegBilk
U.S. President Joe Biden warned President Vladimir Putin Tuesday of a "strong" Western economic response to any attack on Ukraine,
An economic boycott isn't going to deter Putin.
Michael Machida
I guess little man putin does not know Christmas is just right around the corner as well as a Happy New Year! celebration season world wide. Party pooper putin!
Kyo wa heiwa dayo ne
Putin not worried about Biden.
Why should he ?
The Avenger
Vladimir Putin's approval rate is 80%...
The other 20% are missing.
Alex
The US is the another supplier, but they are screwing the EU by selling LNG to China. Allies indeed.
GdTokyo
It is quite a difficult needle to thread. How to deter a thug without escalating and making the thug think you are getting ready to attack (Which is what the thug would do in your position) thus making war more, rather than less likely?
I personally think that any attempt at mitigation will be viewed as appeasement and will only encourage this particular thug. Boots on the ground? Not yet. But we should give any weapons that Ukraine can integrate into its arsenal quickly and we should volunteer to supply the EU with LNG at cost. I do not know for sure but I believe the US has the production capacity and the proven reserves to do so. I wonder if the excess shipping capability exists.
At minimum, it is nice to have a leader who does not stand meekly by and trash his own intelligence agencies, forbid advisors or even translator's notes and generally humiliates himself on the world stage.
TokyoLiving
Lord Putin is not afraid of US barking..
Aly Rustom
Putin and Xi are like rabid dogs that need to be put on leashes
bass4funk
Ok, so Biden wagged his finger at Vlad and in the meantime, more Russian troops are amassing along the Ukrainian border and what is Biden going to do exactly to halt this growing aggression? Either Putin didn’t listen or he doesn’t care what Biden said or both.
PTownsend
But Putin like other predatory capitalists knows for him plus his oligarchs and a few despots in states nearby to maintain their wealth and power he needs to expand, and to do so must be aware he cannot upset huge numbers of people outside his Federation.
It's doubtful many people outside the borders of Russia and Belarus want to see the USSR or the Russian Empire reformed. As flawed as democracies may be, it's doubtful most people want o see a single man ruling a nation or region for life. The era of czars, kaisers, Caesars, kings and queens should be relegated to history books, as should those of dictators, to provide examples of how bad things have been.
Stop all empires, especially those run by far right authoritarian regimes pushing ultra-nationalism.
commanteer
Exactly why the USD will not remain the world's reserve currency (that along with endless printing of new dollars). Nations cannot allow their economies and their ability to trade to be subject to the political whims of the US. A currency needs to be trusted.
The US is busy building up anti-Russian hysteria, for he usual reasons I guess. War is useful to corrupt governments and profiteers. How would the US tolerate it if Mexico welcomed anti-US missiles to its northern border? We know what happened with Cuba. NATO's reason for existence is to oppose Russia. A lot of people depend on that milk train, and can't afford to see peaceful relations with Russia.
At this point, Americans are so warlike it seems that a third world war is inevitable, case in point:
Fighto!
Put on leashes?
They need to be put down.
panyusg
A useless 2-hour summit. No agreement to make lasting peace. Russia's concerns are being ignored. USA is threatening but will threats stop a war? Neither leaders made any firm commitments.
There will be a War.
Strangerland
Do you think he should threaten to "reign hellfire" down upon Russia, then do photo ops and love letters like the last guy did with N. Korea? You supported that.
stormcrow
Putin”s got his wish list and Santa is checking to see who’s been naughty or nice. The only difference is that Putin make get get what he wants because he has been naughty not nice.
panyusg
Cutting Russia off from SWIFT will mean Russia will cut off Suez Canal too. No SWIFT, no free trade for any nation that uses USD and SWIFT. Only ships to China, India and other countries supportive of Russia will be allowed through. Want a hot war...welcome. The Eastern Mediterranean is already part of the Russian naval zone.
And do not expect China to sit on the sidelines. China's powerful navy will block the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea too.
Iran will block the Straits of Hormuz. Oil price will rise to $200 or higher.
Want an expanded hot war? Bring it on....
bass4funk
Yeah, ok and now what will Biden do to stop his imminent attack on the Ukraine?
And Biden?
Ok, more speeches and less action. Seems like Ukraine will not get anything but defense missiles and that’s it.
u_s__reamer
Clueless Western leaders, lost in wishful thinking, seem to have no idea of the emotional attachment in the minds of many Russians to the notion that the Ukraine (and btw, Belarus) belong culturally and historically as integral parts of the sovereign territory of "Greater Russia". The secession of California or Scotland wouldn't even come close. Sooner or later, for good or for bad, the Kremlin will claw back these western territories. And Putin's last wish must be to reunite these "lost" lands for the history books because his reputation will take a big hit when the truth of his criminal rule eventually comes to light. Biden's zoom threats will cut no ice with Putin who holds all the aces on the border and can raise the ante at any time.
gokai_wo_maneku
Is it just me? Looking at all the things going on, it looks like the world is gearing up for WWIII.
mz16
What does Biden and the US even have to do in territories way far away than their own?
The only reason the US' is even concerned with Ukraine is just so that they can set up another NATO site close to the Russian border. And then complain Russia is being aggressive, ironic.
Blacklabel
very little information is being provided about what they actually discussed.
how about a transcript?
Aly Rustom
I'm not American
I humbly stand corrected
Bob Fosse
You didn’t mind not getting one last time. Why is it important to you now?
Asakaze
@GdTokyo
You promised me all these last week. When can I expect your dreams come true?
@Fighto!
Administer this measure to those responsible for invasions and destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya will be very much more appropriate and reasonable.
bass4funk
After 12 months of continuous geopolitical blunders internationally as well as domestically Psaki saying “trust us” has turned into a big joke so a transcript would be fitting from these people to verify.
itsonlyrocknroll
President Vladimir Putin is the master of deception, disinformation, dissimulation.
The Government of Russia has been destabilizing Europe with very clandestine tricky that is the art of new generation warfare, the ability to smudge the accepted states of war and peace.
Sitting on the Ukraine boarder is close to 100 battalions of tactical ground troops supported with heavy armour, artillery and tank divisions.
The US Government has warned EU member stands and The UK time and again to take the necessary measures, to no avail.
Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania could be the next Putin’s objectives with methodical use of special operations inflaming internal opposition to create a agenda to permanently provoke fostering discontent
Germany energy security will become inextricably interwined with Nord Stream 2.
Blacklabel
because you criticized there not being one every other time for 4 years, I thought you would support there being one from that time on.
No?
GdTokyo
Funny how neither the Belarus or Ukraine feel the same way. Their populations overwhelmingly think that they are independent sovereign nations and their populations consistently vote the same way.
”Asakaze” patience, sweetheart. SWIFT will be used when necessary and I will say “I told you so.”
And to whom ever: The thought of the “mighty” Russian navy closing the Suez Canal made me giggle. Thanks, I needed a laugh.
Monty
From a German news this morning about the conclusion of the conversation between Putin and Biden:
Kurz danach stellen die USA klar: Auf eine durch Russland provozierte Eskalation folgt eine militärische Antwort.
In English:
Shortly thereafter, the US made it clear: an escalation provoked by Russia will be followed by a military response.
Iron Lad
I doubt it.
Strangerland
Apparently they asked Biden if he thought Putin had interfered in US elections. His response: ""President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be,"
bass4funk
I already gave you the answer as to one option. The other would be to supply the Ukrainians with an offensive missile capability as a big sign of support.
Bob Fosse
The US already do this. Keep up.
Blacklabel
So should there be transcripts when a US President talks to a hostile foreign leader, or not?
We have one "I never said that" and one "people have supported".
would "people" include any posters here in this situation? Because I certainly remember the days and days of complaints that there were no transcripts prior to Jan 2021.
Strangerland
There's no need if they hug, do photo ops, and then send love letters later on.
Blacklabel
But what if they don’t? Transcripts?
Asakaze
@GdTokyo
All right, Cassandra, wake me up when ready. Just afraid I'll have to wait too long. I remeber this brave SWIFT cutting talk since 2014.
@itsonlyrocknroll
No need for Putin to do anything to "foster discontent" there, respective governments did exellent job of ruining their countries. They destroyed all the industries they inherited from the USSR and now live on EU loans and handouts. The only reason there is no street protests there is that too little of active population remained, young people mostly emigrated to EU and UK for jobs.
To the contrary, "methodical use of special operations inflaming internal opposition to create a agenda to permanently provoke fostering discontent" is very actively used by the West. It suceeded in 2014 in Ukraine, it failed in Belarus last year, it constatly fails in Russia.
Strangerland
If they don't what? Have photo-ops and love letters?
If they don't do that, you guys should get very, very angry. Then blame it on the other team.
Strangerland
Yes, you should get very angry at them for not doing what your guy didn't do. You should get very, very angry. Maybe even stomp your feet a little bit, I bet that will get someone to care!
bass4funk
Defensive not offensive very big difference.
Desert Tortoise
The same was said of Iraq until the US and its allies rolled over them in 100 hours with minimal losses. I doubt many here remember the dire predictions of US forces being bled white by "superior" Iraqi forces. I'm sure that battalion of Wagner mercenaries in Syria thought the 40 or so US Army soldiers guarding that Conoco refinery would be push overs. They lost around 300 of the 500 attackers in that one. The US has a lot of capabilities the Russians do not have and their tech falls behind that of the US and China every year. They can't retain young engineers and the old ones aren't getting any younger.