Russian Patriarch Kirill says he has discussed ways to prevent global war with Pope Francis.

Russian Patriarch Kirill says he has discussed ways to prevent global war with Pope Francis. (Interfax).

One needs to drastically change relations between Russia and the United States in order to prevent a global war, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said.

"We need to do everything possible to engineer a drastic improvement of the relationship between the U.S. and Russia. We need to realize that these are two major powers that have the military power to destroy each other and the whole world. A large-scale war should be averted at all costs. This is what we discussed with Pope Francis," Patriarch Kirill told the Russia Today TV channel after a meeting with Pope Francis in Havana.

"It could be God's design to bring us together at this juncture when dark clouds are gathering over Syria and when there is a threat of confrontation between countries with an immense destructive force," Patriarch Kirill said.

"We need to do everything possible to avert war. This is our number one priority for the Americans, the Russians and many other people with a sensible perspective on what is happening," he said.

He recalled that even during the 'Cold War' Christians of the Soviet Union and the U.S. found an opportunity to "meet and work together for a better future."

"We had intensive contacts with the U.S. Christian community, including delegation visits, conferences in an effort to work out a concerted Christian approach to the issues that divided the U.S. and the Soviet Union," Patriarch Kirill said.

"Why can't we do it today? Why have we moved so much apart? Most of the people in the U.S. are Christians who share the same values and belong to the same global Christian family as us. We should use this opportunity to build bridges, rather than deepen the divide that lies between us. Then this grassroots support coming from ordinary people, clergymen and religious institutions will forge an environment in our respective countries that will have a positive impact on those who shape foreign policy," he said. Hmmm.........Erdogan Obama's BFF plays a huge role in this.

European Parliament: Russia is considering the possibility of nuclear strikes on Warsaw.

European Parliament: Russia is considering the possibility of nuclear strikes on Warsaw. (Charter97).

The Vice-President of the European Parliament, Polish politician Ryszard Czarnecki declared it on Polskie radio, Ukrinform reports.

He says the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs has adopted a so-called Black Sea report - draft resolution on strategic and military situation in the Black Sea basin, which mentions that Russia has conducted exercises on nuclear attack on Poland.

"EU-Russia relationships are the worst over the years. After all, the Black Sea report, adopted by the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday, proves it. It mentions that Russia has conducted exercises on nuclear attack on our country. This document is very skeptical towards Russia, this is a consequence of the EU continued tough course", the Vice-President of the European Parliament stated.

He stressed the failure of most European leaders to visit the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9 had a bad impact on the Russians, and it was the EU "accurate hit". The politician explains that the Victory Day for Russia has always been something extraordinary. Such anniversary is the way to demonstrate its power and the fact that Moscow should be taken into account.

"Until recently, Western leaders respected the view and arrived to Moscow. This time everything has changed. Putin expected softening of leading Western countries' line, but he was wrong", Czarnecki said.

It should be reminded that according to Polish media, Moscow rehearsed nuclear attack on Warsaw during joint exercises in Belarus in 2009 and 2013.

Thousands of Russian soldiers were involved. Except for a preventive nuclear strike, maneuvers also included "the suppression of a rebellion" of the Polish minority, as well as the invasion the territory of the Baltic States with a breakthrough to the Kaliningrad region.

According Czarnecki, the European Parliament rejected suggestions the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who said, "Forget about the Crimea and begin to build a relationship with Russia, recognizing that Crimea is part of the Russian Federation." "In such a consent of the European Parliament is not and will not" - said vice-president. [Google Translated].

Related: Russian Planes Can Deliver Nuclear Strike Even At London From Belarus....or is the 'target' Brussels?

Russia's Defense Minister Shoigu made the sign of the Cross before the beginning of the Victory day celebrations.

Defense Minister Shoigu made the sign of the Cross before the beginning of the Victory day celebrations. (TS).

Today will go down in Russian history, as a truly historical celebration of the victory over Nazi Germany. The parade – by far the most beautiful I have seen (alas, only on video, not in person) – was superb and for the first time included the Chinese PLA [People’s Liberation Army]. Clearly, we see history in the making.

But something else, no less amazing, also happened today: Defense Minister Shoigu made the sign of the Cross before the beginning of the celebrations.

This is an absolutely momentous moment for Russia. Never in the past history had any Russian Minister of Defense done anything like it. True, the old tradition was to make the sign of the Cross when passing under the Kremlin’s Savior Tower, if only because there is an icon of the Savior right over the gate. However, everybody in Russia immediately understood that there was much more to this gesture than an external compliance to an ancient tradition.

The Russian journalist Victor Baranets puts it very well when he wrote:”At that moment I felt that with his simple gesture Shoigu brought all of Russia to his feet. There was so much kindness, so much hope, so much of our Russian sense of the sacred [in this gesture]“. He is absolutely correct. To see this Tuvan Buddhist make the sign of the Cross in the Orthodox manner sent an electric shock through the Russian blogosphere: everybody felt that something amazing had happened.

For one thing, nobody in his right mind would suspect Shoigu of ever doing anything just “for show”. The man has an immense capital of popularity and credibility in Russia and he has no need for political hypocrisy. Furthermore, those who saw the footage will immediately see that Shoigu was very concentrated, very solemn, when he did this.

Personally, I believe that Shoigu quite literally asked for God’s help in one of the most dangerous moment in Russian history in which he, the Russian Minister of Defense, might be called to take momentous decisions from which the future of the planet might depend.

For centuries Russian soldiers have knelt and asked for God’s blessing, before going into battle and this is, I believe, what Shoigu did today.

He knows that 2015 will be the year of the big war between Russia and the Empire (even if, due to the presence of nuclear weapons on both sides, this war will remain 80% informational, 15% economic and 5% military). 

In placing himself and all of Russia in God’s hands, Shoigu declared a spiritual, cultural and civilizational war on the Empire. And just for that, he will go down in history as one of Russia’s greatest men.Read the full story here.

'Flexibility' - Two Russian Bear bombers enter U.S. Air defense zone; Obama 'admin' doesn't react.

'Flexibility' - Two Russian Bear bombers enter U.S. Air defense zone; Obama 'admin' doesn't react. (FB).

Two Russian nuclear-capable bombers intruded into the U.S. air defense zone near Alaska last week in the latest saber rattling by Moscow, defense officials said.

The Tu-95 Bear H bombers flew into the Alaska zone on April 22. But unlike most earlier incursions, no U.S. interceptor jets were dispatched to shadow them, said defense officials familiar with the latest U.S.-Russian aerial encounter.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), declined to confirm the incursion. But he said no jets were dispatched last week to intercept intruding aircraft.

The incident was the first Russian bomber incursion of a U.S. or Canadian air defense zone this year. Officials said it likely signals the start of Russia’s long-range aviation spring training cycle. Further aerial incursions are expected.

Last year, U.S. and Canadian jets intercepted Russian bombers on at least six occasions, and intruding Russian long-range aircraft were detected on 10 occasions, Davis said.

Despite remaining in international airspace, “we believe that if the Russian military filed flight plans and self-identified—by ‘squawking and talking’—the overall safety of flight would be enhanced,” Davis said.

These flights often enter the U.S. or Canadian [air defense identification zone], but have not entered U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace,” he said, adding that the flights are legal since the ADIZ is not sovereign airspace. Hmmmmm.......Once it becomes a 'habit' you become sloppy, that's when they get you! Read the full story here.

Obama Wants 'Carte Blanche' for Use of Military Force, But Refuses To Tell Congress Why or What For

Obama Wants 'Carte Blanche' for Use of Military Force, But Refuses To Tell Congress Why or What For. (WT), HT: InfidelBloggers.

Senators to Kerry: Tell Us What You Want to Fight ISIS

Senators from both parties pressed Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday on the White House's reticence to put forth a proposal for the fight against the Islamic State.

And while Kerry defended the administration's refusal to outline the confines of the conflict, he also took issue with the boundaries imposed by congressional proposals. If you didn't want Congress micromanaging the war, the senators responded, you should have told us what you wanted in the first place.

Kerry testified at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee--which he used to chair--telling members that an Authorization for Use of Military Force should include no restrictions against the use of ground troops and should not limit operations to Iraq and Syria, as the plan proposed by committee Chairman Robert Menendez does.

Though the White House does not intend to violate either of those confines, the restrictions would "preemptively bind the hands of the commander in chief" if unforeseen circumstances arose, Kerry said.

"Had the administration sent us an AUMF, maybe we would have been better versed as to what the administration seeks or does not seek," Menendez responded.

Kerry and Sen. John McCain got into a tiff over historical precedent, with McCain arguing that previous AUMFs have always moved with the impetus of the executive branch, and his longtime Senate colleague disputing that characterization. "It's got to be led by the commander in chief," McCain said. "That's how the system works." Kerry said some previous such actions have in fact originated in Congress. ...

Others were more forceful. After hearing Kerry's testimony on which congressional proposals the White House would support, Sen. Marco Rubio lamented that it had taken a hearing to garner that information. "You don't have anyone over there who could type that up real quick?" he asked.

But Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who has a long history of working with and against Mr. Kerry during their days together in the Senate, blasted his former colleague for being too timid in pursuing the Islamic State. He called Tuesday’s hearing a “charade.”   Hmmm....Anyone still doubting why Hagel had to go? Perhaps we should ask 'Neo Ottoman Turkey where this war is going? They seem to 'dictate' the US Foreign policy? Read the full story here.

"Long Russian Winter" coming - Saving up gas for winter: Ukraine cuts consumption 30%.

"Long Russian Winter" coming - Saving up gas for winter: Ukraine cuts consumption 30%. (RT).

The savings plan was announced by the deputy head of Naftogaz Alexander Todiichuk on Ukrainian TV in mid–July.

“The saving regime is being forced in Ukraine and it’ll officially come into operation as of August 1,” he said.

The 'regime of gas saving' includes cutting the use of gas by 30 percent in manufacturing and municipalities, while consumers that rely on government funding, such as schools and hospitals, would have to cut gas consumption by 10 percent.

The measure are expected to save about 150 million cubic meters of gas per month, which will be pumped into underground storage, said Todiichuk, adding that the volume should increase starting from August.

Coming into the winter, Ukraine has 16-17 billion cubic meters of natural gas saved up in underground storage.

The government in Kiev estimates Ukraine needs to import 7.23 billion cubic meters of gas in the next eight months through to March in order to keep economic activity stable, especially during the high-demand winter season.

Supplies from Russia were cut (link) in June after Kiev failed to pay a$5.3 billion gas bill and as Ukrainian and Russia sides squabbled over a fair price.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said reverse gas flow supplies from Slovakia could begin in August, if not September.

The US government has considered starting gas exports to Europe, but there is a lack of infrastructure.
On Friday Russia's permanent representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said there won’t be an alternative to Russian gas in the near future.

The diplomat said that US shale gas is not being delivered anywhere and the country has just one terminal for liquefying gas.Hmmm.....The government in Kiev estimates Ukraine needs to import 7.23 billion cubic meters of gas in the next eight months,  where do they think to steal it from EUROPE?



READ MORE: Russia-Ukraine gas war: Europe wonders what's in store

Russia Tests Cruise Missile In Violation Of Arms Treaty U.S. Says; Obama Sends Putin A Letter.

Russia Tests Cruise Missile In Violation Of Arms Treaty U.S. Says; Obama Sends Putin A Letter.(NYT)

WASHINGTON — The United States has concluded that Russia violated a landmark arms control treaty by testing a prohibited ground-launched cruise missile, according to senior American officials, a finding that was conveyed by President Obama to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in a letter on Monday.
It is the most serious allegation of an arms control treaty violation that the Obama administration has leveled against Russia and adds another dispute to a relationship already burdened by tensions over the Kremlin’s support for separatists in Ukraine and its decision to grant asylum to Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor.

In January, The New York Times reported that American officials had informed the NATO allies that Russia had tested a ground-launched cruise missile, raising serious concerns about Russia’s compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or I.N.F. treaty, as it is commonly called. The State Department said at the time that the issue was under review and that the Obama administration was not yet ready to formally declare it a treaty violation.

In recent months, however, the issue has been taken up by top-level officials, including a meeting this month of the Principals’ Committee, a cabinet-level body that includes Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, the defense secretary, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretary of state and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Senior officials said the president’s most senior advisers unanimously agreed that the test was a serious violation, and the allegation will be made public soon in the State Department’s annual report on international compliance with arms control agreements.

“The United States has determined that the Russian Federation is in violation of its obligations under the I.N.F. treaty not to possess, produce or flight test a ground launched cruise missile (GLCM) with a range capability of 500 kilometers to 5,500 kilometers or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles,” that report will say.

In his letter to Mr. Putin, delivered by the American Embassy, Mr. Obama underscored his interest in a high-level dialogue with Moscow with the aim of preserving the 1987 treaty and discussing steps the Kremlin might take to come back into compliance. Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a similar message in a Sunday phone call to Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister.

Because the treaty proscribes testing ground launched cruise missiles of medium-range, the Kremlin cannot undo the violation. But administration officials do not believe the cruise missile has been deployed and say there are measures the Russians can take to ameliorate the problem.

Administration officials declined to say what such steps might be, but arms control experts say they could include a promise not to deploy the system and inspections to demonstrate that the cruise missiles and their launchers have been destroyed. Because the missiles are small and easily concealed, obtaining complete confidence that the weapons have been eliminated might be difficult.

NATO’s top commander, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, has said that the violation requires a response if it cannot be resolved.

“A weapon capability that violates the I.N.F., that is introduced into the greater European land mass is absolutely a tool that will have to be dealt with,” he said in an interview in April. “It can’t go unanswered.” 

Mr. Obama has determined that the United States will not retaliate against the Russians by violating the treaty and deploying its own prohibited medium-range system, officials said. So the responses might include deploying sea-launched and air-launched cruise missiles, which would be an allowable under the accord.
Republican lawmakers have repeatedly criticized the administration for dragging its feet on the issue. Ms. Gottemoeller, the State Department official has had no discussions with her Russian counterparts on the subject since February. And Mr. Kerry’s Sunday call was the first time he has directly raised the violation with Mr. Lavrov, State Department officials said. Administration officials said the upheaval in Ukraine pushed the issue to the back burner and that the downturn in American-Russia relations has led to an interruption of regular meetings on arms control.

The prospects for resolving the violation are also uncertain at best. After Ms. Gottemoeller first raised the matter in 2013, Russian officials said that they had looked into the matter and consider the issue to be closed.

The Russians have also raised their own allegations, a move that American officials believe it is intended to muddy the issue and perhaps give them leverage in any negotiations over compliance. One month after Ms. Gottemoeller raised the American concerns about the testing of the ground launched cruise missile, the Russians responded by pointing to the United States plans to base the Aegis missile system in Romania.

The Aegis system, which is commonly used on warships, would be used to protect American and NATO forces from missile attacks. But the Russians have alleged that it could be used to fire prohibited cruise missiles.

When Mr. Kerry spoke with Mr. Lavrov on Sunday, the Russian foreign minister cited Russia’s concerns over “decoys.” That may have been a reference to Russian charges that the targets that the United States uses in antimissile tests are an I.N.F. treaty violation. American officials regard that allegation, about the issue of the Aegis system and complaints about the use of targets, to be spurious.

An underlying concern of the Obama administration in dealing with the Russians is that the Kremlin may not be wedded to the I.N.F. agreement. During the George W. Bush administration, some Russians officials argued that the treaty should be dropped so that the Kremlin could develop its military capabilities to deal with threats on its periphery including China and Pakistan.

In a June 2013 meeting with Russian defense industry officials, Mr. Putin described Mr. Gorbachev’s decision to sign the accord as “debatable to say the least,” but asserted that Russia would uphold the agreement. Even some conservative American analysts say that in pursing the compliance concern the United States should not provide the Kremlin with an opportunity to back out of the agreement.

“For the United States to declare that we are pulling out of the treaty in response to what Russia has done would actually be welcome in Moscow because they are wrestling with the question of how they terminate,” Stephen Rademaker, a former Bush administration official, told the House Armed Services Committee earlier this month.

“We shouldn’t make it any easier for them,” he added. “We should force them to take the onus of that.”

"CHANGE" - Russian ministry of foreign affairs calls Obama 'admin' the 'Washington regime'.

"CHANGE" - Russian ministry of foreign affairs calls Obama 'admin' the 'Washington regime'. (Mid.ru). [GoogleTranslate].

Comment of the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the continuing anti-Russian attacks by the U.S. Administration:

Judging by the unrelenting campaign of defamation against Russia organized by the American administration, blatant lies are increasingly being relied upon there to conduct foreign policy. Take for one the new statements by the U.S. President’s press secretary, Josh Earnest, who directly accuses our country of destroying the Malaysian Airlines airliner over Ukraine.

As is now Washington’s wont, in corroboration never mind evidence, not even simple references to facts are adduced, which one could consider and comment on. Everything in Washington is limited to mentioning certain “intelligence data” that cannot in any way be presented, and what is completely absurd, “information in social media”. In other words, the Washington regime in their constructs bases itself on anti-Russian conjectures gathered on the Internet that do not correspond to reality. Who is littering the Web with such rubbish is clear: the same Washington, and probably also Kyiv.

Nevertheless, a number of questions arise for the American side, which is increasingly isolating itself from the possibility of adequately understanding anything apart from its own schemes and conclusions. Before appointing “guilty ones,” the USA should answer the ten questions from the Russian Defense Ministry and the twenty-two questions posed through the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency. Why does Washington then remain silent? Apparently because Washington has nothing to reply. Or because the response boils down to one word: “sanctions”.

We will get through this, but it is deplorable that at the same time the USA is continuing to push Kyiv towards crushing the dissatisfaction of the Russian-speaking population by force. There is only one conclusion: the administration of B. Obama bears its share of responsibility for the internal conflict in Ukraine and its grave consequences.More here.

IMF experts do not understand what's happening in the Ukrainian economy, blocked transfer of the second tranche of financial aid

IMF experts do not understand what's happening in the Ukrainian economy, blocked transfer of the second tranche of financial aid. (VoiceOfRussia).

IMF experts do not understand what's happening in the Ukrainian economy. They even extended their stay in Kiev to gather more information and blocked pending the transfer of the second tranche of financial aid.

For cons, the situation in Ukraine is no doubt for most analysts: the country has been and remains on the brink of bankruptcy when the civil war started by Kiev made a clean sweep of the rest of industry and infrastructure .

It is still in April that the IMF had announced that Ukraine a loan of $ 17 billion spread over two years. The first installment of a little over $ 3 billion, was transferred shortly after but there was a delay in the second.

The IMF says this setback by "the situation is changing rapidly and the need to discuss a number of issues with the government." 

The West seems to gradually become aware of the pit he had dug for both Ukraine and the rest of Europe.

The Ukrainian economy was on the verge of bankruptcy before the Civil War. This is the situation that the new authorities in Kiev are powerless to recover and rely solely on Western aid.

Anxious to get it at any cost, they have already made cuts in planned spending by practicing job cuts in the public service, freezing wages and social benefits and rising gas prices, heating and electricity in the context of devaluation hrivnyia.

This is, indeed, the beginning, says political observer Alexander Kareevski: "The State missed tax revenue which will affect the salaries of doctors, teachers etc.. The standard of living will soon fall and already declining. Clearly, Ukraine is a failed state that can live only in external financial infusion.

Just this year, it must pay $ 20 billion to cushion the negative balance in its balance of payments, which roughly corresponds to the way it should receive credit from the IMF. "

The Ukrainian government also relies on the West to clear the avalanche of social problems. The World Bank had promised him a loan of $ 300 million supposedly to help the poorest layers of population. Remains whether this "astronomical" sum is sufficient to change anything - Sergei doubt Khestanov, director of group of companies "ALOR."

"$ 300 million in all and for all, divided by at least 10 million poor, this is at most $ 30 per person. It is for this reason that the money in question is likely to be broken down by other topics. "

It goes without saying that Western tranches can not solve all these problems because they barely enough to service the debt. Therefore, Poroshenko must prepare for a new Maidan to next winter if obviously it nothing happens in the meantime. Hmmmm.....It's going to be a long, cold Russian Winter.

Russian Planes Can Deliver Nuclear Strike Even At London From Belarus....or is the 'target' Brussels?

Russian Planes Can Deliver Nuclear Strike Even At London From Belarus....or is the 'target' Brussels? HT: charter97.


Russian aviation in Babruisk and Barabavichy poses a threat to entire Europe.

Military observer Aliaksandr Alesin said it to charter97.org commenting on possible stationing of Tu-160 Russian strategic bombers in Belarus.

– To what extent is it possible that these planes will be sent here?

– If we take only military arguments, it is not reasonable. Tu-160 is an intercontinental strategic bomber. Its range, to put it mildly, is 10,000 kilometres, but it can fly around the world with several in-flight refuellings. So, it doesn't matter where they are stationed. Taking into account that the plane's speed is more than 2,000 kilometres per hour, Belarus with a perimeter of 650 by 550 kilometres is the least comfortable place for it. Besides, Russia's unfriendly countries lie to the west, to the north and, to all appearances, to the south of the country. The plane has no place to fly except for the east. It even cannot perform normal practice flights.

– Do you mean it is more convenient for the planes to perform combat tasks from Russia?

– Yes. They are stationed on the Volga River, near the town of Engels. There's a long-range aviation base known from the Soviet times. If they arrive here in Belarus and probably take part in the parade, it will be a propagandist step to demonstrate Russia's readiness for decisive actions.

– Sending such planes that consume a lot of fuel only for the participation in the parade is not cheap, is it?

– The matter is that nobody counts money during the war. I think Russia can afford it to back its oral threats in case of opening NATO bases in the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine. 

From the military point of view, it is enough to station Tu-22MZ long-range planes in Belarus which were designed for the European theatre of war.

Russia also has new perfect Su-34 fighter bombers that have excellent electronics and can carry various weapons. From the military point of view, it would be more reasonable to station these aircraft here. 

In my opinion, Su-34 planes are an excellent tool to threaten Polish aerodromes, potential air defence systems in Poland and so on. Anyway, I think even the regiment of Su-27SMZ equipped with 300 km range missiles, which will be stationed here, will be more than enough to perform the tasks of containment and deterrence.

Moreover, they also can carry tactical nuclear weapons. They can fly about 1,500 kilometres without refuelling that is enough to threaten Berlin and even London.Hmmm......And NATO in Brussels.

"Anti-Semitism started World War II, Russophobia could start the third." Putin’s personal envoy Sergei Markov

"Anti-Semitism started World War II, Russophobia could start the third." Putin’s personal envoy Sergei Markov.HT: Barentsobserver

“Anti-Semitism started World War II, Russophobia could start the third. Finland is one of the most russiphobian countries in Europe, together with Sweden and the Baltic states,” says Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal envoy Sergei Markov, interviewed by Hufudstadsbladet this weekend.

The interview with Markov is made after Finland´s President Sauli Niinistö last week said a referendum would be required to change the country´s constitutionally neutral status before a possible NATO membership could be applied.

Finland is today, together with Sweden, members of NATO’s affiliate program known as the Partnership for Peace.

“Russia recommends Finland not to join NATO. That military alliance has lost its aim and goal and is therefore looking for new tasks. If Finland joins NATO it would weaken the security in Europe, not strengthen it,” says Sergei Markov in the interview.

Markov is closely working with Vladimir Putin on foreign policy affairs issues and serves as co-Chairman of the National Strategic Council of Russia.

His statement that a Finnish NATO membership could start World War III has made headlines across Finnish media this weekend.Read the full story here.

Ukraine Responsible For Russian Gas Delivery Risks to Europe – Putin.

Ukraine Responsible For Russian Gas Delivery shutoff Risks to Europe – Putin. (RN).

Ukraine is to blame for risks in Russian gas deliveries to Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.

“Russia has always valued its reputation as a reliable supplier of energy resources to Europe. Today’s risks, and they are appearing, with gas deliveries to the European continent appeared not because of us, and it needs to be said straightforward, everyone here understands what we’re talking about, but the fault of the transit country – Ukraine – which is abusing its position as a transit country of our gas to Europe,” Putin said.

On Wednesday, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the EU believes Russian gas giant Gazprom is responsible for deliveries to Europe in the required volumes, including those transiting through Ukraine.

Kiev’s debt for Russian gas deliveries has reached $3.5 billion as of the end of April. Russia has decided to switch to a prepayment scheme due to Ukraine’s outstanding bills, in full accordance with the countries’ contract. Following the decision, Gazprom prepared an advance bill for Ukraine’s Naftogaz for June deliveries. In case of non-payment, Russia can suspend the gas supply to Ukraine starting June 3.

Kiev has no funds to pay for an additional 8 billion cubic meters of gas, worth $4 billion, to be pumped into its underground facilities. According to Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, the contract with Ukraine includes commitments to transport Russian gas to Europe and responsibility for any gas that is siphoned off.

Gazprom earlier said Moscow’s conflict with the coup-imposed authority in Kiev could potentially hamper Russian natural gas deliveries to Europe through Ukraine. The company said it feared Ukraine’s Naftogas could fail on its transport obligations, withholding some gas allocated for Europe for itself.

The next round of trilateral talks on gas between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union is scheduled for May 26. The meeting is likely to be held in Berlin.

Dep PM Rogozin: "Moscow to ban US from using Russian rocket engines for military launches."

Rogozin holding a speech with The far-right Union of Orthodox Banner

Dep PM Rogozin: "Moscow to ban US from using Russian rocket engines for military launches."(RT).

Moscow is banning Washington from using Russian-made rocket engines, which the US has used to deliver its military satellites into orbit, said Russia’s Deputy PM, Dmitry Rogozin, who is in charge of space and defense industries.

According to Rogozin, Russia is also halting the operation of all American GPS stations on its territory from June 1.

Russia currently hosts 11 ground-based GPS stations, the Deputy PM said.

The move comes after the US refused to place a signal correction station for Russia’s own space-based satellite navigation system, GLONASS, on American territory, he explained.   Hmmmm.....Rogozin 'a man i've been warning about for a long time.....a man with a vision'

Gazprom to cut supplies to Ukraine from 03 June if no prepayment.

Gazprom to cut supplies to Ukraine from 03 June if no prepayment.(RT).

If Kiev does not pay its gas bills by June 2, exports to Ukraine will be halted the next day, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller said. Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev meanwhile urged demanding advanced payment from Kiev as early as Tuesday.

Miller told Medvedev on Monday that Gazprom will issue a preliminary June bill to Ukraine’s Naftogaz on May 13. According to Miller, Kiev already owes the company more than $3.5 billion, which compares to Gazprom’s annual gas supply to Poland.

“In case Ukraine does not pay for the June supplies, Gazprom will notify the Ukrainian side, before 10am on June 3, and the volume of gas will be supplied to Ukraine in accordance with the advanced payment,” Miller said.

He added that if Kiev pays for zero cubic meters of gas, it will receive none. Read the full story here.

Related: Flashback - January 2013. MFS The Other News.

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

Pipeline Predicament: The Ukraine-Syria-Russia-U.S. gas nexus                                            

Europe’s Energy Security: Options and Challenges to Natural Gas Supply Diversification

#Ukraine is now #Humpty_Dumpty fallen off the wall. All the king's horses, men cdnt put Humpty Dumpty back together againI
— Assad Massad (@Prof_dhistoire) May 12, 2014

"RESET" - Back to 'The Good Old Days' - US starts countrywide nuclear drill after similar war games in Russia.

"RESET" - Back to 'The Good Old Days' - US starts countrywide nuclear drill after similar war games in Russia. (RT).

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber built to carry nuclear weapons.

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American strategic bomber, designed for penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses that can drop up to sixteen 1,100 kg B83 nuclear bombs.

The exercise will be conducted from May 12-16 and is set “to deter and detect strategic attacks against the US and its allies,” the Strategic Command said in a statement.

“This exercise provides unique training opportunities to incorporate the most current technology and techniques in support of our mission. Continued focus and investment in our strategic capabilities allow US Stratcom to deter, dissuade, and defeat current and future threats to the U.S. and our allies.” said Admiral Cecil Haney, head of Strategic Command.

StratCom is the US’s nuclear command and is responsible for space operations, global strike, global missile defense; and global command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and combating weapons of mass destruction.

Though the timing of the exercise was declared as “unrelated to real-world events,” it does come on the heels of the recent war games in Russia. Announced in November 2013, military drills on countering nuclear strikes were overseen by President Vladimir Putin ahead of the May 9 celebrations dedicated to victory in World War II.

Contrary to the openness of the Russian war games, the US Strategic Command released very few details about the upcoming exercise.

Relations between Moscow and Washington have worsened significantly over the situation in Ukraine. The US continues to endorse and support a military operation by Kiev’s coup-installed government against federalization supporters in the southeast of the country.


Last week, NATO said it may permanently station additional troops in Eastern Europe as a defensive measure against Moscow. Russia views this recent buildup of NATO forces as a provocation and counterproductive in the struggle to deescalate tensions in Ukraine. Hmmmm......Flashback: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has sent NATO a rather unusual New Year's card... picturing Santa alongside a Russian inter-continental ballistic missile.

Russia Will No Longer inform Lithuania About Kaliningrad Weaponry, Which Might Include Nukes.

Russia Will No Longer inform Lithuania About Kaliningrad Weaponry, Which Might Include Nukes. (Trumpet).

Moscow unilaterally suspended a deal on May 5, under which it had agreed to provide information to Lithuania about Russian weapons and armed forces in the region of Kaliningrad.

The agreement, established by Russia and Lithuania bilaterally in 2001, said the two nations would exchange information regarding their armed forces, and said each were free to conduct military inspections of the other. While it required Lithuania to disclose information about the entirety of its armaments, the deal said Russia was required only to share data about its armaments in Kaliningrad Oblast—the Russian enclave situated on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania. Kaliningrad is home to Moscow’s Baltic Sea fleet.

Now Russia says it is no longer willing to uphold its end of the agreement, which has fueled concerns among many in Lithuania and beyond. “The move is upsetting,” said Linas Linkevičius, Lithuania’s minister of foreign affairs.

The suspension of the treaty is especially upsetting due to the possibility that Russia has nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad. In 2001, the United States infuriated Russia by announcing plans to put missile defense systems in Poland. Reports emerged saying Russia’s response to the announcement included the deployment of nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad—outside the range of the defense system.

Moscow denied the reports, but asserted it is under no legal obligation to keep nuclear weapons out of Kaliningrad, since it is, after all, Russia’s own territory.Read the full story here.

As Iran, P5+1 work to implement Geneva deal, US vows to tighten sanctions on Tehran.

As Iran, P5+1 work to implement Geneva deal, US vows to tighten sanctions on Tehran. (Jpost).
WASHINGTON - The United States is further tightening the screws on its sanctions regime against Iran, the US departments of State and Treasury announced on Thursday, citing "Iran's efforts to use deceptive practices and front companies to further its nuclear program" just as its government negotiates with world powers for a peaceful settlement to the longstanding crisis.
Action from the Obama administration comes just as a key group of bipartisan senators prepared finishing touches on a new sanctions bill against Iran that would go into effect should six months pass without a final-status agreement. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned such a bill would nullify the interim deal forged last month in Geneva.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Robert Menendez, ranking member Bob Corker and Mark Kirk, among others, fear that the interim deal reached last month between Iran and the P5+1— the US, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany— will crystalize into a new status quo.
The agreement freezes, but does not dismantle, Iran's nuclear program, in exchange for modest sanctions relief.
"It’s still in the oven," said one Senate aide familiar with the bill, adding that the timing and strategy for a vote remain uncertain. "It's possible it could happen fast, [and] possible it may take a bit of time."
The new enforcement measures announced Thursday include over a dozen designations of companies located across the world, including Singapore, Cyprus, and Iran itself.
Any assets between the companies listed and Iran that have come under US jurisdiction have been frozen.
A series of companies listed violate an executive order signed by US President Barack Obama that targets individuals, firms, and financial institutions involved in or linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Another group of firms evades existing sanctions, primarily the shipment of crude oil, including Vitaly Sokolenko, Ferland Company Limited, Siqiriya Maritime, Singa Tankers and Mid Oil Asia.
“The Joint Plan of Action reached in Geneva does not, and will not, interfere with our continued efforts to expose and disrupt those supporting Iran’s nuclear program or seeking to evade our sanctions," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.
Cohen listed the existing executive orders that have been violated as E.O. 13645 and E.O. 13382, and noted that the companies in violation have been added to a list of sanctions evaders consistent with practice under existing laws.
“Today’s actions should be a stark reminder to businesses, banks and brokers everywhere that we will continue relentlessly to enforce our sanctions," Cohen added, "even as we explore the possibility of a long-term, comprehensive resolution of our concerns with Iran’s nuclear program.”
"Sanctions pressure will be essential as we seek a comprehensive, long-term solution," one senior administration official said in reaction to the new enforcement measures.
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday briefed the Senate on the Iran deal and on their enforcement strategy, pressing his former colleagues to hold off on any and all new sanctions legislation. Zarif said such a move from Congress would render the interim agreement "entirely dead."
In the Join Plan of Action signed in Geneva in November, one provision of the deal outlines consent by the White House— on behalf of the entire US government— that "the US administration, acting consistent with the respective roles of the President and the Congress, will refrain from imposing new nuclear-related sanctions."
"There's a very clear distinction" between new sanctions legislation and stricter enforcement of existing sanctions, and the Iranians understand that, the senior administration official said.
Key senators are still negotiating over the new bill, which aims to bring Iranian crude exports down by at least half its current figure of roughly one million barrels per day. Senate leaders vow to respect the six-month time-frame built into the Geneva deal.
Sanctions since 2011 have already cut Iranian oil exports by 60 percent.
A source close to the negotiations told the Post that, with forceful pushback from the White House against any new legislation, the situation over a vote remains "fluid situation" as Congress prepares to recess for the holidays.
Senate Banking Committee chairman Tim Johnson has crafted a similar sanctions bill that would move through his committee "quickly," his office says, should Iran fail to comply with the interim deal or should negotiations flounder.
Responding to his colleagues, including Menendez, Kirk, and Corker as well as Chuck Schumer and John McCain, Johnson said that passing a bill now would be a "counterproductive" move that might "shatter Western unity on this issue."
The official said that claims in media outlets made by Israeli security officials that the Geneva deal grants Iran $20 billion in sanctions relief are "fantastical."
Business leaders are jumping the gun if they choose to forge relationships with Tehran, he added.
"I hope they don't have a six month visa," the official said. "There's no reason to think there's great business opportunity in Iran today."

Video - John McCain: Many of Kerry's US-Iran Facts 'False'

Video - John McCain: Many of Kerry's US-Iran Facts 'False'

‘Global war', even a war in which nuclear weapons are used likely if US hawks kill Iran deal.

‘Global war',  even a war in which nuclear weapons are used likely if US hawks kill Iran deal..(PressTv).

A “global war” beyond the Persian Gulf region would be likely should congressional hawks in the United States prevent a final nuclear agreement with Iran, an analyst says.

“It’s absolutely vital that the [Iran] deal does go through to the end because I think there is a very real chance it can be successful and also because if there is not an agreement, then we are on a definite slippery slope towards war,” Jeffrey Steinberg, a senior editor at Executive Intelligence Review, told Press TV on Wednesday.

“It would be a war that might start in the Persian Gulf, but very rapidly become a much bigger war and potentially even a global war in which nuclear weapons are used,” he added.

Steinberg made the comments one day after US Secretary of State John Kerry told members of Congress that an interim nuclear deal signed with Iran last month in Geneva “unequivocally” served US interests.
Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Kerry warned lawmakers that the deal could unravel if they pass new sanctions against Tehran.

“We’re asking you to give our negotiators and our experts the time and space to negotiate,” Kerry said.
Some members of Congress have been skeptical of the six-month agreement because it allows Iran to continue to enrich uranium.
Steinberg said it was “irresponsible” of the lawmakers for their willingness to press forward with more sanctions legislation in such delicate times.

“The stakes in this are enormously high and you have a bunch of people in the Congress who are acting completely irresponsibly, who are completely missing the big picture and the danger of a larger war and this needs to be basically prevented from happening,” Steinberg said.

He expressed hope that the interim deal can lead to “a viable deal that is acceptable to everybody.”

“I think that the circumstances are right for that to be able to happen and anybody who tries to get in the way of that should be just run over and prevented from doing it, because the consequences of failing to make a deal when the opportunity is there at this point are very grave for mankind as a whole,” he concluded. 

Turkey wants US to ready Syria ‘Plan B’ .

Turkey wants US to ready Syria ‘Plan B’.(HD).

Unable to conceal its skepticism about a Washington-Moscow deal to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons stocks, Ankara is set to ask Washington to prepare a “Plan B” for Syria on concerns that Damascus will abuse the process and continue its alleged attacks on its citizens.

“This process will give more time for [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad [to stay] in power. The deal should have been more open and straight in outlining the possible sanctions to be imposed on Damascus in the event of the regime’s incompliance with the deal,” a Turkish diplomatic source said over the weekend.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will outline the Turkish government’s position and its concerns with regard to developments in Syria at a meeting in Paris with the participation of foreign ministers from the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. Davutoğlu was invited to the meeting by John Kerry, with whom he exchanged two phone conversations on Sept. 14 and early yesterday.

Having already described the efforts as “cosmetic,” Davutoğlu bluntly expressed Turkey’s concerns over the deal’s effects on the ongoing civil war in Syria and repeated that the international community should be made well-aware of the potential massacres that could be committed by the Syrian government. Initially slated to be a meeting between the U.S., French and British foreign ministers, the scope of the Paris meetings was expanded in the wake of the Davutoğu-Kerry conversation.

“This deal should not delay the need for an immediate resolution of the ongoing human tragedy in Syria. Al-Assad should not be allowed to continue his massacres. We are concerned that the regime will abuse this deal for the continuation of the human tragedy in Syria,” Davutoğlu reportedly told Kerry over the phone.
Kerry was in Israel on Sunday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to inform him about the Sept. 14 deal.

Turkey, along with France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, favor a large-scale punitive military operation into Syria with the purpose of effectively toppling the al-Assad government after nearly 2.5 years of civil war that has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Syrians. The meeting in Paris will allow the U.S. and its allies to evaluate their next steps in Syria. Davutoğlu is expected to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts in Paris on the sidelines of Kerry’s initiative.

In Paris, the Turkish minister is expected to tell Kerry that al-Assad should not be permitted to abuse the process, arguing that Ankara, Washington and Moscow should accordingly prepare contingency plans with a view to Damascus’ potential incompliance with the terms of the deal.

Although the deal refers to the U.N. Charter’s Article 7, which outlines the measures to be imposed against Syria in the event of non-compliance, Ankara is of the opinion that a more concrete set of sanctions should be announced today.

One other issue Davutoğlu is likely to bring to the table today is the disappointment of Syrian opposition groups who have been fighting against the government since 2011. The Turkish minister will likely ask his counterparts to reinforce the opposition groups both politically and militarily so that they do not lose their positions in the field.

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu held a urgent meeting with top opposition figures late yesterday. Ahmad al-Jarba, head of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), Ahmad Saleh Touma, head of the interim Syrian government and Salim Idriss, head of the supreme military council were scheduled to meet with Davutoğlu in Ankara.