In a new report, United States Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke suggested the US could use the Navy to block Russian energy from hitting Middle East markets. But the head of the Russian Senate’s Information Policy Committee, Aleksey Pushkov, said that act would mean “war” with the US.
Zinke appeared to be concerned that the real reason behind Russia’s involvement in Syria is trade expansion. Pushokov said that that is “absolute nonsense,” according to Russia Today. The idea that Russia could potentially supply energy to the Middle East, which is literally “oozing with oil,” is absolutely detached from reality, Pushkov said. Russia does not supply any energy to the region, which is itself a major oil exporter and has never announced any plans to do so.
The Russian senator added that Zinke’s statement is “on par” with Sarah Palin’s claim that she was qualified to talk about Russia since “they’re our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia here from Alaska.” The former Alaska governor made the statement in an interview when she was the Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 US election. -RT
Attempts to exert further pressure on Russia “are not going to end in anything good,” a member of the Russian Senate’s Defense and Security Committee, Franz Klintsevich, told journalists, according to RT. Klintsevich added that these attempts would lead “to a major scandal” at the very least, and Washington “should clearly understand it.”
The Trump administration has been seeking to replace Russia as Europe’s gas supplier by boosting exports of its liquefied natural gas, even though Russian gas is a cheaper option for Europe. The Trump Administration is also going to have a tough time convincing countries to do more business with them in light of an economically disastrous trade war and ever-increasing tariffs on imported goods.
US officials, including President Donald Trump himself, have repeatedly pressed Germany to pull out of the “inappropriate” Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which is set to double Russia’s natural gas transport capacity to 110 billion cubic meters. While Moscow has stated more than once that it is a purely economic project, Trump claims it will make Germany a “captive” of Russia.
The US isn’t stopping at attempting to hamper Russia’s energy trade efforts either. It has also threatened to impose sanctions on countries buying Russian arms in what could be another example of competition between the two nations. These efforts, however, would appear to be in vain as well.
Most recently, India cleared the way for the purchase of Russian frigates and air defense systems. Turkey also defied threats from the US and said it does not need anyone’s permission to buy Russia’s S-400 missile systems. Even close US ally Saudi Arabia is now in talks with Russia to purchase the same defense systems. Moscow has repeatedly denounced US attempts to hamper its trade under various pretexts as unfair competition. -RT
The US is currently fighting a battle it doesn’t look like they can win. As nations continue to thumb their noses at sanctions as nothing more than ink on paper, and Washington seeks to use a trade war as a way to punish already cash-strapped Americans, the US struggles to hold onto any power at all, grasping for straws.
Give Sarah Palin a break. I think the “I can see Russia” statement was a figure of speech not meant to be taken literally.
I don’t pretend to understand foreign policy, but it does seem even to a simple person like me self, that we Americans are all up in other people’s business.
When are we going to build that wall?
_
Wall construction is currently going on in El Paso, Texas.
It’s not easy to get done when Congress doesn’t appropriate the money and those who want it would rather just gripe about it not going up instead of writing their Congressthing and demanding money for it in the budget bills.
Sarah Palin did not say “I can see Russia from my house !”
“Comedian Tina Fey made the remark while impersonating Palin on Saturday Night Live (SNL). The Christian Science Monitor ranks the expression “I can see Russia from my house!” as one of the top 10 political misquotes of all time.”
– CheckYourFact (dot) com
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As shown in this article, over the past decade and a half, Washington’s viewpoint on Russia has been completely inconsistent:
https://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2018/08/washingtons-ever-evolving-viewpoint-on.html
This is, in large part, because the United States and its military-industrial-intelligence network always needs an enemy.
From the article: “The Trump administration has been seeking to replace Russia as Europe’s gas supplier”
It goes back further than Trump, all the way back to the Clinton administration and Yugoslavia. Remember when Russia placed troops in eastern Yugoslavia and refused US/UN troops from advancing into “their” sector? That was to keep control of Russian interest’s Remember when Russia destroyed US equipment on the docks in Georgia? That too was to keep control of Russian interest’s. The US also slowed down Libyan oil export, and now, are involved with Syria as well. Georgia and Syria both have deep water ports.
WTH? Is this for real? Secretary Zinke should shut his pie hole before he causes big trouble. He ain’t in the Seals anymore and his job is the Interior. I like Rooskies less than anyone here but I don’t want to have to fight the bastards because this guy is running his yap about blockades.
Fritz, agreed about Zinke. The EU can do business with whoever they please. I’m not a fan of Russians myself but why go to war with them when it can be avoided. That Zinke character sounds like another scum neocon shithead who needs to be eliminated. Same goes for all the neocons.
From the article: “The Trump administration has been seeking to replace Russia as Europe’s gas supplier”
It actually started with the Clinton Administration in Yugoslavia. Remember when Russian forces intercepted US/UN forces and told them not to advance any further? Remember Russia destroying US equipment on the docks? The US has further disrupted oil from Libya and are now participating in Syria (to push through the pipeline attempt that failed in Yugoslavia)? There’s a much bigger picture than what is being shown.
Well, another Syria plan to block Russian energy.
Eventually this will spark a conflict that cannot be avoided.
“Pearl Harbor’s death knell was sounded on July 26, 1941. This is the day President Franklin D. Roosevelt cut off the Japanese empire from American oil in response to Tokyo’s aggression on the Asian mainland. This left the Imperial Navy with just 18 months supply of fuel.” -TheHour DOT com
Executive Order 8832
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=16148
http://ww2cartoons.org/july-1941-u-s-freezes-japanese-assets/
Western interests, not BRICS, developed the Mid East, economically — apparently, allowing the tinpot dictatorships, which they had installed, to become autonomous.
You could have invested the same effort, into sustainable resources, under your direct, physical control, kept secret, the intellectual property, and left the sheiks and mullahs to shower in camel piss.
Or we could have simply drilled and produced our own petroleum.
FWIW, America is currently the world’s largest producer of petroleum, producing more than either Russia or Saudi Arabia.
Mainly, my point was that a country should have direct, physical control, over it’s own energy concerns and tech, whatever kind.
Mr. Zinke is either insane, or has a very poor sense of humor!
We can’t stop Afghanistan goat herders let along stop Russia from delivering their petrol.
Our lives are not worth their market share and that is exactly what is going on here.
RickE., Zinke, I believe, is another scum neocon shithead. All the neocons need to be kicked out of the govt. before they start WW3. Although I don’t love Russians I’m not going to fight them if I don’t have any reason to do so.
And exactly how do we supply oil to Germany? Oil barges? They would be sunk by Russian subs in war. By undersea pipeline? Good luck with that.Let the Germans figure this out. If the Russians blackmail Germany with the delivery, no doubt we will be the first ones the Germans call. Hang up.
If we don’t get into WWIII its not for the lack of the US trying.
Memo from the capitalist pigs: So citizens of America your standard of living has to steadily fall because we have to control all huge deposits of oil and other resources around the world. This is a very expensive undertaking. We have the god given right to murder and pillage anyone we so choose. If you don’t like it you are dead meat. We know who you are. So grovel in your place and stfu before we send the gestapo after you.