This article was originally written for Russia Insider: http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/eu-sanctions-russia-be-extended-no-veto-or-discussion-allowed/ri11858
In conversations with Russian news agency TASS EU diplomats and officials outline the undemocratic means whereby the decision to extend the sanctions will be imposed.
by Alexander Mercouris
Recently I wrote a piece for Russia Insider discussing how the EU really works.
I pointed out that the veto small states supposedly have over key EU decisions is a fiction.
Decisions are made by a small group who decide things between themselves and who because they control the EU’s bureaucracy can impose their decisions on everyone else.
An EU official – someone described as “close to the European Council” (the EU’s main policy making body) has basically confirmed as much in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS.
The subject discussed was the sectoral sanctions the EU has imposed on Russia, which are due to expire on 31st January 2016.
A political decision to extend the sanctions was made by the five big EU states – France, Germany, Italy, Britain and Spain – after consultations with the US at the G20 summit at Antaliya in Turkey.
Italy subsequently delayed announcement of this decision saying more discussion was needed.
In my piece I said Italy’s decision should not be taken seriously. The Italians were simply putting a marker down.
The source who has spoken to TASS has all but said the same thing. These are his words as TASS reports them:
“It is as simple as this: the EU Council has related the limiting measures with implementation of the Minsk accords.
It is not an issue to be discussed, it is a political objective we have now. By and large, the Minsk accords are not implemented as of today, thus sanctions are to be extended. They say, for another six months.
At present, the work continues at the level of working groups. The plans are, the EU ambassadors approve it (decision) in a written procedure, though later on the procedure was postponed (at Italy’s insistence – AM) as the work still continues.
Nobody is really in a hurry, since the sanctions expire only in late January.
No, this topic is not on the agenda (of the European Council meeting on 14th December 2015 – AM).
I do not think any discussion will take place, and the reason is very simple: the agreement is the sanctions will remain until the Minsk accords are implemented. In fact, there is nothing to discuss, which is clear to everyone.
It is tough to say now on what day, as it is not clear yet what procedure will be used. But I do not think it will happen very soon. Anyway, there is quite a time to January 31.
the very fact of the sanctions’ extension is a ready decision now.
Right, some EU countries speak for discussing the sanctions package at the level of ministers (including Italy, Luxembourg – TASS), others are ready to extend them automatically so that not to waste time discussing the Ukrainian crisis at the last meetings of this year, which will be aimed at settlement of many problems related to migration; however, as of today not a single EU country out of the list of 28 has spoken against extension of the limitation measures.”
Though these comments say no more than what I previously reported, their cynicism still takes the breath away.
The sanctions are to go on being extended until the Minsk Accords are “fully implemented”.
No explanation is given as to what “fully implemented” means or who will decide that – especially since there is to be no discussion of the question (see below).
It is the Ukrainians who are not implementing the Minsk Accords – a fact now acknowledged by everyone including the German and French governments. Nonetheless it is the sanctions on Russia that are to be extended.
Taken literally this gives Kiev a veto over when the sanctions will be lifted.
No discussion of whether or or not the sanctions are to be extended is to take place.
The only question to be decided – by whom one wonders since there is to be no discussion? – is the purely bureaucratic one of whether there will be a simple announcement that the sanctions have been extended, or whether there will be a statement to that effect following a meeting of the EU Council of Ministers – where however the subject of the sanctions will not be discussed.
The source does say that no EU member state has “spoken against extending” the sanctions.
Since there is no discussion one wonders how he knows?
TASS also reports another almost identical conversation with another European diplomat:
“Another European diplomat also confirmed to TASS the sanctions “are bound to be extended.”
He said the issues of milder or tougher sanctions “even have not been raised.”
“Nobody is going to review each of the sanctions. This work is very effort-consuming, and it is not reasonable to begin it under the conditions, where the situation in the zone of the Ukrainian conflict has not changed radically in either direction,” he said.”
Apparently even relaxing the sanctions is not going to be discussed because this is “very effort-consuming” – a bizarre comment given the pain the sanctions and Russia’s counter sanctions are causing European businesses and European agriculture.
Though information about how the EU works today is abundant, it still surprises me that there is still so little awareness of this. Even alternative media rarely touches on the question.
Instead one repeatedly comes across meaningless head counts of which countries supposedly oppose the sanctions as if that really mattered.
If the big five states agree that sanctions are to be extended, extended they will be. A decision to that effect will be published by the EU bureaucracy – which they control – as if all the EU states had agreed to it.
None of the smaller EU states can veto this decision because – since it is not going to be discussed by the European Council or by the EU Council of Ministers – they are not being provided with a proper forum where they could exercise such a veto.
If they publicly objected to the way the decision was made – or if they ever were to try to impose a veto whether through their permanent representative or at a meeting of the European Council or of the Council of Ministers – their objection and their veto would be simply ignored and would go unreported.
There would however be serious repercussions, with threats made in private that their structural funds might be cut if they continued to rock the boat by publicly defying the official line.
Only two EU states are powerful enough to ensure their vetoes are always respected. These are Germany and France. Precisely because these two states control the EU they scarcely ever need to wield a veto since it barely conceivable that the European Council or the Council of Ministers would ever take a decision they objected to.
Italy and Spain are strong enough to be listened to, but are not strong enough to veto a decision by themselves without some support from other EU states save in very exceptional circumstances which scarcely ever arise.
Britain is in an intermediate position. It has shown that it can veto decisions relating to the EU’s budget – to which it is a major contributor – but that it cannot veto anything else. The British have been unhappy about the process of EU integration the Germans and the French have been pursuing for the last twenty years (“ever closer union”) but despite possessing a veto they have been unable to prevent it.
None of the other EU states has any power of veto at all. Even when their electorates have voted against EU decisions in elections or referendums their objections have been ignored.
What invariably happens is that if the results of such elections or referendums go against what the EU authorities want, they simply overrule them (as was the case with Greece) or instruct the state that held the elections or the referendums to hold them again (as happened with Denmark and Ireland) until their people vote the “right” way.
This is how the EU works. To dispute it is to engage in denial.
It is why for all their cynicism the EU officials TASS spoke to are right: the sanctions against Russia will be extended before they expire on 31st January 2016 whatever objections some of the EU’s smaller countries may have against them.
It is about high time that the over-polite, nay obsequious, leaders of Russia gave the EU a BIG kick on its backside – economically and politically. How about “No gas for Nato Europe” or how about “No EU planes in Russian skies”? Ground their airlines, ground their exports, turn off their heating. Maybe, perhaps maybe, eating cold dinner and shivering in cold homes, and with difficulty flying out of Europe, these idiots may come to their senses. Maybe. Idiots may well still choose to remain idiots.
Russian doesn’t use gas or oil as a weapon. The only reasons Russia would turn off the gas would be in the case of full scale war.
Russia turned off the gas to Ukraine twice, in the winters of 2006 & 2009.
Only because gas was not being paid for.
That’s right, the precedent is there.
The gas denial would be shooting themselves in the foot. However, I see absolutely NO reason why Russia should not close it’s airspace to the EU and other countries that have imposed sanctions upon it, especially given the unjust nature of sanctions applied on the basis of Ukraine, an aggressor and enemy of Russia, failing to implement Minsk II, a peace deal Ukraine continues to oppose.
“It is about high time that the over-polite, nay obsequious, leaders of Russia gave the EU a BIG kick on its backside”
It would appear that you are oblivious to spiders and the concept of time.
/eu-sanctions-on-russia-to-be-extended-no-veto-or-discussion-allowed/comment-page-1/#comment-188164
It would also appear that you rely on assertions and certainty.
To paraphrase Mr. Bertrand Russell – The ignorant have certainty; the wise doubt.
The trouble with sanctions is that it is the ordinary people who will bear the brunt of the effects. The idiots in charge will take care of themselves, as they always do – they will not be cold, have trouble traveling, etc…, all that will fall upon ordinary folk. It may take another 10 years of sanctions before the people have had enough and start demonstrating in the streets.
It will be the internal contradictions that will undermine the EU idiots in charge – they will destroy themselves with their politicking, shady deals and inconsistent policies. One of the key aspects of this process is to keep the information free and flowing. There is nothing that can stop well informed, angry and fed up masses.
It is becoming ever more apparent after Paris, that it makes little sense for the EU to rely on Russian military force in Syria, while attempting to strangle the Russia’s economy.
Marine Le Pen and Farage for president – no more EU! EU will consist only of Germany and eastern states.
Marine Le Pen and Farage will take their countries out of EU, then it will only be Germany left.
@Liz
I have a wonderful bridge (barely used) built right out in the middle of the Sonoran desert just for you! Trust me it’ll make you a bundle in toll revenues!
Of course I’m being sarcastic: Marine and Farage are controlled opposition they will not ever carry through on their promises like every other compromised politician. They are nothing more that safety valves in the jack booted pressure cooker of social engineering and fraud that the contemptuous European & British elite have entrapped their citizen/serfs/livestock into. Le Pen and Farage’s presence helps keeps their whole fraud and controlled state from exploding unpredictably, it helps direct the anger of the bitter and disaffected into a fake feeling of empowerment and hope to achieve change thru the system. In fact, their real purpose is to gauge the level and size of the awakened portion of the population and then to distract, derail & demoralize this segment of the population.
The EU will shrink or degenerate because it is systemically & structurally unsustainable (and run by incompetents), but not because of lightweight caricatures like Marine (patricidus) Le Pen and Niggel Farage. (And because the US wants this to happen).
Mirror, well I don’t know how you know all that about Le Pen and Farage, no links, just smarty talk…
I don’t agree with you…although I expect that Farage won’t ever be in the leadership role in England…because he is what he is…he’s a good friend of Ron Paul, who I suppose you think you’re superior too as well.
It is not smartly talk.
Le Pen was a political party with 200 members until French president Mitterrand promoted it in order to get reelected by splitting the right in the 80s .
Since then it has been one of the most promoted political party in France, every election they use the same tactic.
There is two step in almost every french election in the first one you have to reach a certain % of vote to reach the second one.
Before the first step Le Pen get a disproportionate amount of air time with all the media telling this is the one this is it LE PEn is going to break through.
Because more then half of the people don’t vote anymore and because they here is so much discontent with the two big traditional parties in france Le Pen is ale to get a decent score, even sometimes the biggest score .
After the first step the medias change their posture and expose how bad Le PEn is , how much a catastrophy it would be for them to reing. Also the other parties call in for the republicain front to make a barrage for Le Pen. You also have to realise that Le Pen is viewed as a racist party in France and people are ashamed to say publicly they vote LePen.
Because of that Le PEn never get more than 14% of the total votes since the last 41 elections and never get elected. But it DOES insure that the two sold out traditional parties get elected and that no serious oposition party ever emerge.
Another thing to consider is that Le Pen never say in their program that they want to get out of Europe or NATO it is written nowhere in their official program
If you go on their website and take a look at their program they say that they will change of the UE work (like the other party) which is impossible because you have to get an approval of all the other members (26 countries) to change the constitution.
They also say about NATO that they will “denounce it ” which doesn’t mean anything except that they will stay in it .
In the following video you can see 21 (contradictory) different versions by LePEn officials of what LePen will do with Europe if they get elected. None of them saying that they will unilateraly get out of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwvnNJO6RBo
All that to say that if you put your hope in LePen you’re betting on the wrong horse and are getting played.
There is one political party in France that does want to get out of UE and NATO as soon as elected guess how much airtime they get ?
none .
You are talking about Popular Republican Union, with François Asselineau as the leader.
Guess what!!!
An equivelent Party in Greece is EPAM. With Dimitris Kazakis as the General Secretary.
Well after this we may be getting ready to rid of ourselves from the Criminals in Brussells.
Ann I found your post very funny and almost cute. It’s your right to disagree with my post. You have your comfort zone and views that challenge that can be unsettling.
Funny you should mention Ron Paul…
Now regarding Ron Paul, he is supposedly a Libertarian? Yes? –> Yes, he’s a free-enterprise Libertarian, at least that what he tells us. Yet…. When he had a dispute with supporters of his, over an internet domain name, instead of settling the matter the Libertarian way, thru the free market, Ron Paul used his personal connections at the UN and ICANN to try to use the force of government to take the Domain names by force from his own supporters. What could be more hypocritical? His supporters had legally obtained the domain name, built up a site and grown the traffic to that site thru their own hard work and here comes ungrateful Ron Paul wanting to usurp it from them. Despite the roughshod treatment they received, his fansite reluctantly offered to sell the domain to Ron Paul when he demanded that they release it. However, Ron Paul, a supposed Libertarian, instead of buying the domain name as per the free market, went running to the “guberment” to take by force what he could have obtained thru the free market. In other words he doesn’t even live up to his own political ideology.
When the chips were down, Ron Paul threw all his principles into the trash and tried to appeal to government body, the UN (an organization he attacked thru out his career), to get his way instead of just paying the market rate for the Internet domain he was disputing. So much for your heroes. Btw he lost case and he was found guilty of doing exactly what he was accusing the other party of doing, which makes him a double hypocrite.
Now can you at least try to be more adult about this in future? Nowhere did I mention Ron Paul in my org post nor did I say I was superior to him: as for links, I don’t owe you any links, this is a comments section not a submittal form for formal articles. Stop being so lazy and go google those items that you object to for yourself, if I’m wrong you’ll can verify that to your own satisfaction but don’t expect anyone to spoon feed you.
Thank you to Frenchdude and “C I Eh?” for shedding more facts on the matter.
Well put.
As soon as we all understand only controlled opposition is permitted in so called democracies, the sooner we can begin building alternatives which circumvent all approved/useful candidates.
When Pandora opened her jar, releasing the passions of the world, one thing remained inside:
Optimism.
The ancient Greeks had an ambivalent attitude towards optimism. It might help you get through the day but it is always better to see things as they are, without false hope, prepared to do what is necessary to fix your (our) mess.
Well certainly those sanctions that allow Russia to industrialize herself are not a problem. But the financial ones seem to be. Hopefully Russia will also announce that her counter sanctions will remain in place until the EU sanctions are removed. That no more of a “year at a time”. Just they will all remain as long as EU sanctions remain (and I’d add to them as well)..
Exactly right Bob1.
The sanctions are good for the Russian domestic agricultural sector and light to heavy industrial sector, it helps provide them with predictable market conditions (reducing risk to their investment) and provides them with the time they require to receive cash flow from the investments they sunk in at the start of the sanctions and any further required cap-ex. I’ve followed how small and med sized farmers have taken the risk to expand or even start new crops to meet anticipated domestic demand in Russia. Can you imagine how badly burned these guys would be, at this stage, if the EU sanctions were lifted? They’d lose their shirts because they’ve sunk capital in and are only going to see returning cash flow from next year onwards. Also, a lot of fence sitters were waiting to see if the sanctions would lift before investing into retooling or expanding crop/product output; the rubicon they were looking for just passed and that frees them to proceed.
I would add an even more assertive feature to your suggestion: the Russian government should re-table the sanctions legislation such that the sanctions remain open-ended and require at least 6 months to 1 year to lift AFTER the EU lifts theirs. Why? To provide Russian domestic producers sufficient time to adjust to the deluge of EU subsidized Agro goods and Fiat currency subsidized industrial goods. If the Russians aren’t comfortable with doing this overtly in the legislation then they should do it covertly thru operational non-tarriff procedural delays and regulatory barriers.
The Russian government should also add punitive fines (or selective tarriffs or fees) on any EU Financial institutions that want to do business in Russia (after sanctions clear) equal to costs the Russian economy suffered due to the sanctions (they can calculate this) as well as the $3Billlion Ukraine owes Russia.
Most important thing Putin can do during this opportunity is to get full control of the Russian money supply and internal interest rates. If he can’t do that in time, then open up his banking sector enough to allow Russian businesses to borrow from Chinese banks in Rubles (using a bilateral clearing house) at Chinese set interest rates (the Chinese are desperate to spread their risk portfolio from it current configuration), private Chinese investors are looking to diversify away from their domestic market (where most of it has gone into real estate or over-saturated heavy industries) – Putin needs to put in place some kind investment preference to shield Chinese investors from the local court/bureaucracy/court/mafia combines that plague investment in Russia’s regions.
If he does this, he’ll forever reduce the conditions that favored Western banks over domestic banks to finance domestic projects and he’ ll introduce pressure on the central bank regarding industrial loans. As well he’ll have grown his internal industrial and agro sector.
One other point Putin should consider: what would happen to world oil prices if Saudi Arabia found its infrastructure destroyed or disrupted because their leadership made the incredibly stupid decision to engage in an overt war in the middle east against Russia and it’s key allies?
I really hope the Saudis don’t make such stupid move because it will destabilize the world for quite a while.
Some good ideas there Espelho,thank you.
Come on, get up to speed already!!! What part of ‘biden controls the EU with regard to Ukraine’ do you NOT understand??? So many wasted words, which I summarised in one sentence. QED.
@Liz on December 16, 2015 · at 10:55 pm UTC
Mr. Farage is yelling and making comments, but nothing else. NO action at all and he agrees with every single vote at the EU parliament ?????????????
Isn’t it interesting?? Till now he is just acting like provocateur. At the exact moment when he will show any real action against this fascist tyranny he will get more votes, till now he just lost his trust in public.
Nigel Farage is a political chameleon.
Yeah, but that is how it is, there is no perfect leader.
Here you can hear Farage support Russia over Ukraine, that is a very radical position for a W.European.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VTWKTij684
Liz I really like Farage…
“Liz I really like Farage…”
Facts be damned.
Some might refer to the US influenced EU as Ignorant Priques.
No worries,Next time when Ukies launch a full scale attack on Novorussia, let them be their last one.Divide the so-called Ukraine between Poland,Hungary and Russia. Sanction will be futile then.
Patience is a virtue but it has its limits!!!
Ps.
I am against war of any kind!!! But Western arrogant and hypocritical behaviour must be contained!!!
Don’t forget that Romania is owed a small part too.
If you look at history, sanctions against cuba lasted over 50 years.. They start small and only goes UP.. The same as other countries.. Why cuba and iran were removed must have been some kind of hidden military objective other wise they will never be removed. It took over 5 years to get sanctions against Iraq removed.. And they were conquered.. Before, sanctions were just a form of war. Many actually considered them war and fought. And all the methods used in sanctions are methods of war.. Especially how sanctions were implemented against Iran.. The only thing now is, it is rather easy to see who controls it and why. Yet.. Most never seem to consider any kind of longer implication. If Brazil and Argentina have not learnt and still want to think of themselves as white.. Well them uncle throws a can of black poo on them which will happen sooner or later.. Well.. who can be sorry for them.. The only 2 who seem to have learnt seem to be Russia and China. Anyone who thinks China is playing games and such.. After all these centuries, you got to wonder are the Chinese stupid enough to not have learnt from history? Even though currently the Chinese issue twice the number of patents as the US..
Mirror wrote this above, and it seems to me worthy of re-posting and considering:
“Marine and Farage are controlled opposition they will not ever carry through on their promises like every other compromised politician. They are nothing more that safety valves in the jack booted pressure cooker of social engineering and fraud that the contemptuous European & British elite have entrapped their citizen/serfs/livestock into. Le Pen and Farage’s presence helps keeps their whole fraud and controlled state from exploding unpredictably, it helps direct the anger of the bitter and disaffected into a fake feeling of empowerment and hope to achieve change thru the system. In fact, their real purpose is to gauge the level and size of the awakened portion of the population and then to distract, derail & demoralize this segment of the population.”
Guess the IMF thingy to stick russia with ukie debt as junk bonds did not work out. Because then we would see most countries which have difficulty paying them off do the same thing. It would have made forcing 3rd world countries to destroy itself to payback their debts almost impossible without the use of force.
IMF recognizes Ukraine’s contested $3bn debt to Russia as sovereign
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund has recognized Ukraine’s $3 billion debt to Russia as official and sovereign – a status Kiev has been attempting to contest. Russia is to sue Ukraine if it fails to pay by the December 20 deadline.
Russia asked the IMF for clarification on this issue after Kiev attempted to proclaim the debt was commercial and refused to accept Moscow’s terms for the debt’s restructuring.
The December 2013 deal, which envisaged Moscow buying $15 billion worth of Ukrainian Eurobonds ($3 billion in the first tranche), was officially struck between Ukraine’s then-head of state President Viktor Yanukovich and President Vladimir Putin. In spite of this fact, some Ukrainian and US officials have been making statements contesting the status of the deal.
The sovereign status of the debt means Ukraine may have to declare default as early as December 20, when the deadline expires – unless Kiev responds to Moscow’s restructuring plan.
https://www.rt.com/business/326167-imf-ukraine-debt-russia-sovereign/
Perhaps a solution for Ukraine’s ‘sovereign debt’ will be to cede Novorossia to the Russian federation. anyone thought of that as a solution?
Nope. Russia prefers to keep Novorussia and it’s voters in the Ukraine, for now anyway.
And nobody would want to link these things in a deal.
Well, you can’t always have what you want, including maybe a buffer zone and whatever. It might be nice to dream about Ukraine being healed but I don’t think it’s going to happen, and I don’t see Donbas / Novorossia being part of Ukraine again after all that’s happened, regardless of what sort of ties or member status it has with Russia. Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall.
The eu simplifies things for the ZPC/NWO oligarchy…
How clear it is that this is a non democratic western world now. How can humanity go along with these bankers ? Its alarming, to say the least. I wonder how this will end…end it must…
The sanctions are to go on being extended until the Minsk Accords are “fully implemented”.
My question is ….it means if Ukraine does not fully implement the Minsk accord the sanctions will stay on Russia.
Yes,that’s the trick they are using. The one not implementing the Minsk agreement fully is Ukraine. And so they get to punish Russia for that. The facts are the US/EU has no intention of removing the sanctions. And they just use that as an excuse. I’ve commented on that several times. Its a fools day dream to think they are going to take the sanctions off unless Russia totally surrenders to the West. And since (I believe) they won’t,the sanctions will remain until the multi-polar World comes to pass.
The sanctions will be never lifted, no matter what happens with Minsk accords. US will not allow Ukraine to fulfill them, and even if they did, some other excuse would arise, ie; Russia’s annexation of Crimea or actions in Syria, to maintain them.
Russia needs to deal with the reality of sanctions. Espelho has outlined some excellent suggestions. These sanctions can be a blessing in disguise. Russia has many cards to play.
The EU will collapse sooner or later due to its inherent contradictions. Russia can then go back to dealing with individual states which it prefers to do in any event.
The time for endless analysis seems to have passed. It is now US empire vs Russia and a few small states like Syria and Iran.
US controls the EU and five eyes plus other states totally.
The Russian economy is laying off paper shufflers and looking for bricklayers. They have shifted east and the NSR will be a reality in a decade, a bumpy decade especially for the West having lost the Russian market but Russia is going to look like the USA of the 1950’s as far as development goes.
well-when Ukr government falls, martial law imposed, then of course Minsk can never be fulfilled-perhaps this is a motive enabling USA to keep on stirring it up-sanctions will be here for a decade, despite Bidens leaked suggestion about federalisation in Ukraine,because the chaos weakens Russia is the strategy.Yesterday Rus blocked/stopped the trade association they have with ukr, note Ukr charged with treason a person in Kharkiv who was suggesting or promulgating that that region has its own “economic” region.
Presumably as so much trade in that area is with Russia, Ukr is determined to isolate Kharkiv from Russia, but it may aggravate the situation, Ukr trying to keep itself together, and proving that any further”separatism” in any ways is treasonable, and betraying Biden too, as could not be even be allowed to be suggested publicly. Maybe his motives meant regions could develop economic opportunities away from central ukr governement, ie, get back the oil gas and fracking companies, land privatisation etc in the east.
“”Constitutional reform that includes judicial reform and decentralization does not compromise your sovereignty, it enhances it. It’s an important step to building a strong new nation. It is important for Ukrainian European future (here Biden turns away from the room and the following sentence is addressed to someone in the government box). This issue of federalism is a thing that almost prevented our nation from coming into being. (Biden turns again to the audience, making meaningful theatrical pause, looks around the audience’s gaze and begins to dictate) Autonomous independent states, the parties to have their own police forces, their determination to have their own education system, to have their own government under a united constitution”.
But what the Ukrainians heard in the translation:
“Constitutional reform, including reform of the judicial system and decentralization that involves the use of the best European edit – not an abandonment of democratic principles, not an erosion of sovereignty. It is very important for Ukraine’s future in Europe, uh, very important. This also happened in our country, and almost… (Sigh, mumbling, pause, the Director of the broadcast switches the camera from Biden to the government box)… similar situation. It is important to have the Autonomous independent States, have their own forces that determine its own educational system, the government in the framework of the United Constitution.”
It is not necessary to know Ukrainian demotic script, to understand what the word “federalism” is not present at all.
I think the professional translator who understood what Biden said, was just horrified by the use of the forbidden in Ukraine word and decided to pretend that she had forgotten the English language. The poor woman was probably shot by Praviy Sektor. Just kidding.”
extract
http://fortruss.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/what-did-joe-biden-really-say-to.html
Ukr is now seriously heading to schizophrenia-hearing voices in its head, ignoring any reason on its path to immolation, but usually innocents suffer .
http://fortruss.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/ukraine-is-fighting-with-its-russian.html
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“Alexei Martynov, head of the Moscow-based International Institute of the Newly Established States, has meanwhile warned that the internal situation in Ukraine is getting closer to a full-blown political crisis, which could take place as soon as early 2016.
“I’m not sure that it will occur this month, but early next year we will see mass [government] resignations in Ukraine, which may be followed by a political crisis and early elections,” Martynov said.
According to him, Ukrainian politicians started to lose their nerves after US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Ukraine in early December, which Martynov said prompted many Ukrainian politicians to remain downbeat about the future of their country.”
Read more: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151217/1031881807/ukraine-politicians-crisis.html#ixzz3uZ8qTcpU
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“Commenting on the Ukrainian political system’s descent into a series of slapstick altercations between supporters of President Poroshenko and Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, journalist Leonid Bershidsky lamented that, mere days after Joe Biden “asked Ukraine’s political leaders to play nice,” the two sides are again at each other’s throats.”
Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151216/1031852046/ukraine-politics-degenerates-slapstick.html#ixzz3uZ97STOI
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“Dear friends! Analysis of recent libel in MAHRARKE, led me to this conclusion.
With the increase of the abyss in the Ukrainian society, I mean relationship – Judeo – Bandera – Caucasian clan with the local indigenous population, increases self-destructive pseudo-education which we still perceive as a post-Soviet Ukraine!
And so conclusions.
1.Stepen zombie population increased to monstrous Russophobic state! The impoverishment of the people is directly proportional to the enrichment of elected Victoria Nuland rulers! But while all their troubles zombie population blames Russia!
2.Protsessy criminalization, corruption component of the Judeo – Bandera – Caucasian clan took out of control. Even the father of Ukrainian democracy Biden slightly for x l see reality…….All covering psychosis, heated TV, bought the format as: “Well that the Turks your plane shot down, well that the Turks will block you to the Bosphorus, well that the ruble is falling, the dollar is growing, and so on. D.” How nice Tatar – fascist bandero- Kherson guys looted, with even tried to block the Crimea! It is not even an attempt to compare the degree of economic interdependence and CFOs flows between Russia and Ukraine!”
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49597
the rest of this google translate adds to the hilarity…………
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mean while Saker might like this discussion
“Away from the leading studios online channel News Anna Sophia Steblovskaya director of the fund “Revival of Cultural Heritage Center Krokhino” Anor Tukaeva and a volunteer community project “Public work” Andrei Lebedev. Today’s program is dedicated to the Russian North, its temples and the restoration and preservation of this unique cultural heritage of Russia.”
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49551
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“Kiev broke the line of contact in the Donbas two columns of military hardware — said Wednesday at a press briefing Deputy Chief of Staff of the People’s Militia Igor Yaschenko LC. “Our investigation is still continuing to record the facts tightening techniques prohibited Ming arrangements and personnel to the line of contact,” – said Yaschenko. According to the People’s Militia, from the village wide, Stanichno Luhansk region in the direction of the contact line moved a convoy of 20 armored vehicles, including 15 tanks. ……The Contact Group during a meeting in Minsk reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Donets Basin during the Christmas holidays — said Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova. “There have been new arrangements for demining, supported the proposal to complete ceasefire during the Christmas holidays and Christmas, “- said Zakharov at a briefing.” You can also say that before the end of the year will be held another meeting of the Contact Group, there is a relevant agreement, “- said the representative of the Foreign Ministry.”
Perhaps…………………….
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49549
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But
“December 16 briefing in LuganskInformTsentre deputy chief of staff of the People’s Militia Corps Colonel Igor LC Yaschenko said that radical Ukrainian nationalists calling for the overthrow of the government in Kiev, may destabilize the situation on the contact line in the Donbass, and APU prepare for the resumption of the active phase of hostilities
As evidenced by the contraction of military equipment and personnel to the contact line. Yaschenko also noted that Ukraine in the framework of the seventh wave of mobilization may prohibit travel abroad to citizens falling under appeal.”
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49507
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“The head of the Donetsk People’s Republic spoke about the vision of a possible dialogue with Ukraine.
I am often asked: under what conditions Donbass can go to the dialogue with Ukraine and establish neighborly relations with it? And I can not answer. Terms few. Usurpers of power – those who gave and executed the criminal orders to kill civilians once their country and introduced new standards by which people become divided into first and second grade – must be brought to justice. It must be initiated investigation of the crimes committed by the regime in the Ukraine, and the crimes that are committed in the land of Donbass Ukrainian army and punitive battalions.
And the main thing! In Ukraine, should be initiated process of denazification, as once in Germany after Hitler. And this is a lot of work. We often talk about that part of the Ukrainian people as sick, he caught the virus of Nazism. So, denazification – it is just a vaccine against Nazism. As they say, time-tested.
Without this, I do not see the possibility to conduct meaningful dialogue with Ukraine. What’s the point if tens of thousands of brutal violence with blood and swells to Bandera in the head and the Nazi swastika in his heart be glad Ukrainian politicians for a threshold and simply deal with them? What to do with these crazy Bandera, who believe themselves to be real Europeans? And how can you communicate with them?
So, the case of the Ukrainian people. Perhaps it will need international assistance, but, above all, it is a question of the Ukrainian people – whether he wants to continue to have the power, based on a neo-Nazi Bandera misanthropic ideology?”
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49598
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“And now the West wanted more and deprive us of the right to apply the law to these nice people, any judgment on the case of anyone who is against the government, the ECHR merely cancels without looking. In fact, this state generally be prohibited. Exist. It is the creation untouchables Herostratus for which Europe creates all the conditions for the smooth ignition Russia. At this very Russian at the system level it is prohibited to extinguish the fire and fight arsonists.
That’s what it was for a long time.
Today, by force of law, which is the legal basis allows not execute the decisions of the ECHR if they contradict the Russian Constitution or decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.”
extract
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49594
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looking forward to VP Q and A’s today……..hope we get a link
” Decisions are made by a small group who decide things between themselves and who because they control the EU’s bureaucracy can impose their decisions on everyone else.”
The ‘small group’ consists of GoldmanSachs trolls and CIA assets.
GoldmanSachs is writing all the kosher NWO legislation and regulations and is handing out the bonuses for Oscar worthy performances in lying and cheating.
The CIA is responsible for the fireworks (hoaxes, terrorists, false flags, military build-up) and keeps the flock in check.
Win-win!
Viewing through a microscope restricts vision.
http://russia-insider.com/en/imf-says-russia-right-about-ukraine-3-billion-loan/ri11877
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2015/12/17/global-financial-order-could-utterly-collapse-on-dec.-21.html
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/eu-sanctions-russia-be-extended-no-veto-or-discussion-allowed/ri11858
Those with restricted vision often stumble over things.
Although Russia was the Minsk agreement driver, Russia has no deliverables in it.
Hence, it is quite ridiculous that Russia be punished for something they are not bound to deliver!
The EU surprise will be when they eventually want to restore relations with Russia, Putin can quote that famous ‘Gone with the Wind’ phrase:
Frankly, my dear lady, I don’t give a damn!
OPEC oil is the backstop to the petro-dollar right The low oil/crash price is a huge bonanza to China {stockpiling huge reserves at extremely low price/trading …Trading devalued treasuries/Dollars for valuable black gold which has the effect of greater reductions in OPEC leverage thus China basically is controlling the worlds commodity markets to Back the yuan {IMO}. Russia China tandomly are removing threats to themselves threw leverage as when leverage fails {ecconomic diplomacy} war is the deciding force …having reserves stored up in excess is preparation for the shortages a MEA war would bring ,..Russia to is increasing its independance and backstopping that with Proven military avenues on the table protecting its gains Threw history we learn Independance can only be kept by a willing people and a capable military including Strategic Alliances -Russia has both in ascendance while the west {dollar-kingdom} declines. The Russia/China alliance is proving its enourmous leverage is sustainable-enduring-and growing expotentially hoo-ray
re: Mercouris article. Thanks for the excellent information. Is it possible for ,say, a farmer’s cooperative in France which is adversely affected by these unending sanctions against Russia to sue the EU? Say, on the grounds that since Ukraine was not part of the EU, then the EU council has no jurisdiction? Or they are using unfair economic measures which unfairly place the burden on the farmers of France in order to effect political policies which are immaterial to the well being of not only the farmers but also the people of France?
Interesting to note also: That Kerry was in Moscow creating a diversion—“Go tell the Ruskies what they want to hear, John-John.” So are we supposed to believe that the Russians are now on “the same page” as everyone else so then when they do not go along with some Washington directive, they become the bad guys again? I think rather Mr. Putin is at the bottom of the page of history about to turn it onto the first page of a new chapter called “Win-Win for the Masses”. M Ghandi called it acting in enlightened self interest.
It is becoming ever more apparent after Paris, that it makes little sense for the EU to rely on Russian military force in Syria, while attempting to strangle the Russia’s economy.