Chairman of the State Duma’s int affairs CMTE, Pushkov: EU gives cold shoulder to Ukraine’s 'Big Parasite Doctrine'.

Chairman of the State Duma’s int affairs CMTE, Pushkov: EU gives cold shoulder to Ukraine’s 'Big Parasite Doctrine'. (Tass).

European Commission President Jean-Claud Juncker’s statement Ukraine will have no chances of joining the European Union and NATO over the next 20-25 years is a sure sign the doctrine of "Europe’s Big Parasite," which Kiev has pressed for all along is doomed to receive no support, the chairman of the State Duma’s international affairs committee, Alexey Pushkov, has told TASS.

In his speech entitled European Union: a Source of Stability in a Time of Crisis Juncker reaffirmed the idea he had put forward when he took office as the EU leader: the European Union will need a long pause before admitting new member-states. This does not apply to the Balkan countries with which the European Union is already in talks over membership. As for Ukraine, it will certainly have no chance of joining the EU over 20-25 years and the same is true of NATO membership, Juncker said.

"Ukraine has dreamed of becoming the largest parasite on the body of the European Union of all newcomers admitted over the past 10-15 years. This doctrine of the largest parasite has met with no support from the European Union at all," Pushkov said.

Pushkov believes that the Juncker expressed the EU’s prevailing point of view: Ukraine is unprepared for joining the European Union and it should not be admitted to NATO.

Pushkov suspects that the European Union is already experiencing what he has described as "expansion fatigue."

"The EU has already accommodated a number of states that have not benefited it at all. In reality, some countries, for instance, Bulgaria and Romania, make life harder for the EU," he explained.

"These are countries with weak economies that pull the EU back, and not forward. They had been admitted precisely for geopolitical reasons, for the sake of adding the economic component to their military-political integration with NATO," Pushkov said. "As far as I understand, that was done under certain pressures from the United States, but now it is the Europeans who have to pay for the admission of states that have added nothing to the EU’s potential." Read the full story here.

Russia says U.S. refused guarantees for Ukraine's Financial liabilities.

Russia says U.S. refused guarantees for Ukraine's Financial liabilities.(Reuters).

Russia has received an official refusal from the U.S. government to provide guarantees for Ukraine's liabilities, Russian news agencies reported on Saturday, citing Russia's Finance Ministry.

Russia and Ukraine are at loggerheads over a $3 billion Ukrainian Eurobond held by Russia and maturing on Dec. 20.

Russia has offered to restructure the debt in equal installments over the next three years if the West provides guarantees. But Ukraine has included it among the sovereign and sovereign-guaranteed bonds to be restructured in a deal with a group of its largest creditors.

"This week we received an official refusal from the U.S. government to provide guarantees on Ukraine's liabilities. In this regard, there is nothing left but for us to file a legal case against Ukraine if the debtor does not fulfill its liabilities fully on Dec. 20," RIA news agency cited the Finance Ministry as saying in a statement. Hmmmm........Yup a country with nearly 19 Trillion $ debt isn't the greatest choice for 'Financial guarantor'. Read the full story here.

Russia Confirms Turkish Stream Pipeline abandoned.

Russia Confirms Turkish Stream Pipeline abandoned. (Novinite).

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has announced the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project between Moscow and Ankara has been abandoned.

Novak's statement that work on the project is now suspended comes after earlier comments by Russian officials that talks between Russia and Turkey over the project had not yet been frozen as reported.

The development comes amid heightened Ankara-Moscow tensions over the downing of a Russian jet by the Turkish air forces.

Turkish Stream was announced on December 02 of last year as an alternative to South Stream, a pipeline project that was to carry gas to Central Europe via Bulgaria and Serbia. Russian President Vladimir Putin than declared South Stream abandoned, citing EU opposition which had resulted in Bulgaria's refusal to issue construction permits.

Russia introduced economic sanctions against Turkey after the incident, but initially maintained current projects such as Turkish Stream and the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant would not fall in the scope of restrictions.

Bilateral talks on the project had been in limbo for months, with the two state-run companies, Gazprom and Botas, failing to agree on gas pricing.

Russia's TASS agency earlier quoted Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller as saying if Turkey is intersted in Turkish Stream it must turn to Russia so that talks are carried out.

"[If it] turns to us - we'll consider [renewing talks]. Turkey hasn't turned to us with a proposal to build Turkish Stream." Hmmmm......Already in June I said the 'Turkish stream' was a 'dead stream'. 

Why the EU politicians never Will criticize Erdogan's 'rule.

Map from 2013 ! #NATO’s Energy Security Strategy: Break Russia’s control over European gas markets.

Why the EU politicians never Will criticize Erdogan's 'rule. Iran has potential to increase gas supply to Turkey, export it to Europe. (Taz).

Iran has great potential and technical opportunities to increase gas supply to Turkey, Amir Abbas Soltani, first secretary of Iranian parliament's energy commission exclusively told Trend.

The country also has technical potential to export its gas to European countries, he added.

Soltani said currently, Iran can meet 8-9 percent of the world market’s demand for natural gas and expressed regret that the sanctions didn’t allow Iran to use this potential.

Tehran always expresses readiness to cooperate with all countries which want to import Iranian gas, he noted.

Touching upon the relations between Iran and Turkey, Soltani pointed out that before the imposition of sanctions by the West, Ankara and Tehran had close bilateral relations.

Furthermore, he said that Ankara’s policy towards Syria and opening its military base for the US would inevitably affect the relations between Turkey and Iran. Hmmm.....As i said before EU parlimentarians would sell mother and father for cheap energy....human rights or a nuclear armed Iran won't stop them. Read the full story here.

Related:

'Sanctions that Benefit' - Iranian MPs Visit Belgian Gas Transmission Firm.

More on Iran's potential as EU's 'official gas provider' in cooperation with the 'Angry man of Europe' Turkey here below.

NATO’s Energy Security Strategy: Break Russia’s control over European gas markets.

http://www.naturalgaseurope.com/unprecedented-opportunity-for-nato-allies-natural-gas-diversification

http://csis.org/files/publication/100228_Smith_RussiaEuropeEnergy_Web.pdf

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2014/542167/EPRS_BRI(2014)542167_REV1_EN.pdf

http://www.nato-pa.int/default.asp?SHORTCUT=2074

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/research/groups/eucers/fu-pubs.pdf

Russia's gas pipelines to Europe by 2018.

Russia's gas pipelines to Europe by 2018. (TASS).

Obama 'admin' backed Ukraine to honor groups that killed Jews in World War II.

Obama 'admin' backed Ukraine to honor groups that killed Jews in World War II. (Haaretz).

New Ukrainian laws that came into effect over the past two months will outlaw the display of objects and names from the country's communist past, while honoring groups that collaborated with the Nazis in the extermination of Ukrainian Jewry, Bloomberg reports.

A law signed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko last week bans all Soviet and Nazi symbols, including town and street names.

It is expected to lead to the renaming such regional centers as Dnipropetrovsk (named after Grigory Petrovsky, who ran Ukraine in the 1920s and 1930s) and Kirovograd (bearing the name of Sergei Kirov, a Bolshevik leader allegedly killed by Stalin,) as well as dozens of other towns and hundreds of streets.

Another bill, signed into law in April, prescribes that Ukrainians honor a number of World War II nationalist organizations, some of which – such as the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) – fought alongside the Nazis.

The law was protested by 40 historians from major Western universities in an open letter to Poroshenko and Ukrainian legislators.

"Not only would it be a crime to question the legitimacy of an organization (UPA) that slaughtered tens of thousands of Poles in one of the most heinous acts of ethnic cleansing in the history of Ukraine," the historians wrote, " but also it would exempt from criticism the OUN, one of the most extreme political groups in Western Ukraine between the wars, and one which collaborated with Nazi Germany at the outset of the Soviet invasion in 1941.

"It also took part in anti-Jewish pogroms in Ukraine and, in the case of the Melnyk faction, remained allied with the occupation regime throughout the war."

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also criticized the laws.

"As Ukraine advances on the difficult road to full democracy, we strongly urge the nation's government to refrain from any measure that preempts or censors discussion or politicizes the study of history," the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum said in a statement. Read the full story here.

'Flexibility' - Russian Ground Forces to hold drills with Indian, Mongolian, Chinese, Belarusian troops this year.

'Flexibility' - Russian Ground Forces to hold drills with Indian, Mongolian, Chinese, Belarusian troops this year. (RBTH).

The Russian Armed Forces' Ground Forces will hold joint military peacekeeping and anti-terror exercises with troops from India, Mongolia, China and Belarus in the second half of 2015.

"In the second half of 2015, the Ground Forces units and formations are expected to take part in five joint military peacekeeping and anti-terror drills with army units from India, Mongolia, China and the Republic of Belarus, as well as with the armed forces of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) member states," according to the documents prepared for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, focused on the development of the Russian Armed Forces.

A total of 18 inter-service drills involving Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy units, armed forces branches and specialist troops are expected to be held before the end of 2015.

"The main event during the summer training period will be a joint command post exercise with central military-command offices, command post crisis-resolution and peacekeeping drills supervised by the Ground Forces commander-in-chief," according to the documents.

In addition, in 2015 the Ground Forces will conduct over 150 tactical and specialist tactical drills with various armed forces branches and specialist troops, as well as field and map command post exercises. Hmmm.......'Practices make perfect' 

Former Amb of Ukraine to Belarus Bezsmertnyi: Gomel and Vitebsk regions have already distributed leaflets that they are "native Russian land".

Former Amb of Ukraine to Belarus Bezsmertnyi: Gomel and Vitebsk regions have already distributed leaflets that they are "native Russian land". (Gordonua). [GoogleTranslate].

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in an interview with Bloomberg said that Belarus will never be a part of Russia, and the Kremlin has threatened the most severe reaction to the attempted military invasion of the country.

Why Belarusian president brought up this topic for the public, what lies behind it, and what can be further developments? All these questions correspondent "Gordon" said Ambassador of Ukraine to Belarus in 2010-2011 Roman Bezsmertnyi.

His position is clear. And whether the current Russian leadership plans for the annexation of Belarus? Especially because the Kremlin has long been talk of the seizure of the Baltic states and threaten Finland, Poland.

- If the spring and autumn of this year, Putin will not be able to explode the situation in Latvia, where it is also possible developments on the "Donbass" scenario, I do not rule out that he may come to Belarus and take Vitebsk and Gomel regions. And this need to think very seriously by the Belarusians, as they missed the moment when you could still get the Eurasian train. This could have been done a year ago, yet they are not completely "swallowed the" bait with EurAsEC.

- And how many are now in the territory of Belarus is the Russian troops?

- Now there are two radar base and several air bases that host five squadrons of aircraft.

- As far as we know, this year want to open another Russian airbase with modern aircraft?

- And they keep doing it, because Belarus does not have its base maintenance of aircraft, left over from the Soviet Union.

- What is the current state of the Belarusian army?

- I can say briefly: the parade have something to show. But I am afraid that it is only "show". If the Ukrainian army to the conflict in the Donbas had tripled stamp to everything fell apart, there is enough only two.

- That is the word Lukashenka: "We will fight against the Europeans, Americans, Russians, anyone, if they set a goal to win this piece of land" - this is just bravado?

- Yes, because that can tell people, long considered to be a dictator in the West, so light-yourself option Gaddafi? Just this.

- How the West react to a possible attack on Putin Belarus, given its long-standing aversion to Lukashenka?

- Just as in the Ukrainian conflict. Will statements conviction concern. It's not in the country, and the principle of territorial integrity. Especially, that Belarus is one of the countries - founders of the United Nations.

Ukrainian Min of Finance: 'West should provide more then 40 billion dollars, bankruptcy will cost more'.

Ukrainian Min of Finance: 'West should provide more then 40 billion dollars, bankruptcy will cost more'. (vz.ru) [GoogleTranslate].

One of the largest Ukrainian state-owned banks - Ukreximbank - threatens to default.

The only way out of this situation - the consent of holders of notes in the amount of $ 750 million to extend the maturity of these securities. This period, according to The Sunday Times, expires at the end of this month. Material edition leads InoTV .

The author notes that last week, the international rating agency Fitch downgraded the credit rating of Ukreximbank to "C", while noting that a default on external debt of the bank "is now inevitable."

Recently, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine appealed to the creditors of the bank with a request to extend the maturity of the securities, which was announced on the background of the negotiations between Kiev and "holders of bonds of the City and Wall Street" about the huge Ukrainian debt.

Head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance Natalya Yaresko urged creditors to "forgive" Ukraine more than 15 billion debt. According to The Sunday Times, itself a default Ukreksimbanka not lead to a breach of Kiev any loan agreements. But here's the response to the request of creditors Yaresko will be an indicator of a vector will be given a large-scale negotiations on the restructuring of the Ukrainian debt.

The publication stresses that the holders of Eurobonds, led by US investment fund Franklin Templeton  are «furious" from the announced before the start of negotiations "insistence" Natalia Yaresko that creditors will have to write off a portion of the external debt of Ukraine. 

The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance stressed that the question of its restructuring should be resolved before the end of May, so that Ukraine was not out of the program IMF assistance.

Recall that in late March Yaresko stated that the West should provide additional financial assistance to Ukraine in addition to the package of 40 billion dollars, as the country is bankrupt will cost more. 

"I firmly believe that" Seven "and to be honest, as the" Group of Twenty "now have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to Ukraine on a larger scale," - stated Yaresko.

Earlier on Sunday celebrated the Agence France-Presse, Ukraine rocked by a series of crises, because of which she threatened decades of dependence on external assistance.

March 12 The International Monetary Fund has sent Ukraine the first tranche of financial assistance in the amount of $ 5 billion in total this year it will be allocated 10 billion. The money would not be used for social needs , they will go to pay off the national debt.

Meanwhile, prices for electricity, gas, heat and hot water rose to the population of Ukraine on April 1. According to the agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund, the average price of gas for the population increased by 285%.

Tariffs on light for the population of Ukraine also will be increased by 3.5 times in two years. In addition, water tariffs for the population will increase to 4-100% from May 1, due to the rising cost of electricity.

The International Monetary Fund believes that the decline in the economy of Ukraine in 2015 will amount to 5.5%. In addition, the IMF experts believe that in 2015 Ukrainian exports fell against the general deterioration of trade.