Posted on 05/02/2022 9:32:34 AM PDT by marshmallow
In an extensive interview with an Italian TV network, the foreign minister discussed a whole range of problems in relations between Moscow and the collective West. In particular, comprehensive sanctions against Russian business and the oil and gas sector, that arose after the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday that over $300 billion was stolen from Russia, the majority of which was payments for oil and gas supplies, because energy giant Gazprom had to store money in Western bank accounts.
"They wanted to ‘punish’ Russia, so they stole it," Lavrov told the Italian Mediaset broadcaster, explaining that "money was stolen from us (over $300 billion)... most of the amount was received for oil and gas supplies."
Lavrov noted that "now we are offered to continue trading as before, and the money will remain with them."
"When they want, they will pocket them again. That's the reason," he added, noting that in the West, "no one talks about this."
Asked about why Russia is halting gas deliveries, which has caused concerns in Italy, Lavrov said that the West could take money away from Russia at any time in the future if the situation were to remain unchanged.
"...’Gazprom’ was forced to keep the money on its accounts in Western banks (according to your rules)," Lavrov said, adding that "now we proposed that the deliveries be considered paid for not when Gazprombank gets the euros or dollars, but when they are converted into rubles, which can no longer be stolen."
The foreign minister noted that "nothing changes for buyers," as they still pay the amounts for the energy specified in the contract in euros and dollars, and the conversion will be carried out after that.
Notably, Lavrov expressed his surprise at the......
(Excerpt) Read more at sputniknews.com ...
“Sovereign means you don’t annex territory for yourself, not that the regime has impunity to do what it wants...”
There you go. Make up the rules to suit your narrative.
Who, exactly, gets to make the decision when “do what you want” is over the line? Who gives the US and NATO that right? (mostly the US). Hell, we can’t even run our own country much less someone else’s!
Let’s face it. Japan invaded China and slaughtered and raped an entire population, Mao killed millions, Stalin killed millions, Cuba confiscated all private property and imprisoned innocent politicians and Venzeuala nationalized US companies. That’s just a shortlist. In all those situations they “did what they want” with impunity.
So, your new made up rule does not hold water. Especially, when you consider that two regions of Ukraine declared independence. So, Ukraine is guilty of invading an independent territory in the east.
How about the rule that says the Soloman Islands get to decide if the CCP is allowed to install a military base? And the collective west throws a hissy fit. Pretty much the same scenario that Ukraine planned to do with NATO. Where is the rule that covers that??
Please try another argument that makes sense.
“All the Eastern Europeans must be punished like the dogs that they are”
Okay. We bombed Serbia “for peace” according to Time (an excellent source of material). I’m not sure I’ve ever agreed with anything that appeared in Time, but you get to believe what you want.
Russia is invading Ukraine to allow peace in the east of Ukraine where the Ukes have killed over 13,000 people!
There you go. Good idea.
Don’t invade other countries and this won’t happen.
Pretty simple, really.
L
“Throw in a soupçon of doubt with the word “claim””
Is that you, Brandon???
Everyone complained about Russia pounding Chechnya, but no one did anything. Chechnya was not recognized as an independent state. Bosnia was, and the Serbian government was clearly supporting the the massacres there.
Kosovo was however a recognized part of Serbia, and its independence was not recognized until 2008. So you have a better argument regarding Kosovo.
*** Fortunately the US doesn’t keep their ministers for 20 years. ***
If you have followed Lavrov’s career, you should recall that in the past when he has voiced his desire to retire from his post, he has been begged to stay as he is so effective, and is not seen as a politician.
Just like Molotov.
The guy is a mouthpiece for a loser. That’s never a good place to be.
"WE" didn't "steal it." Our fake-ass Government ORDERED us to freeze those accounts and assets and disclose them to the ASSCLOWNS that run our Government so THEY could steal them later, at a time and method of their choosing.
Just sayin'...
He's been warning anyone who'd listen that when this is all over, Russia will ... WILL ... secretly hunt down and eliminate those who "stole" their assets and are in process destroying their economy.
He's seen them do it elsewhere.
“Kosovo was however a recognized part of Serbia, and its independence was not recognized until 2008. So you have a better argument regarding Kosovo.”
My initial point was a response to a comment regarding the point of NOT invading a sovereign country and not annexing the territory you want.
My point is that while that is a noble concept, it is clearly not reality and especially not the reality for many countries in the west — including us (the US).
Examples are Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan (US intrusion from Afghanistan), bay of pigs (Cuba), and last but not least Monroe Doctrine. Heck, I suspect there are some in Mexico who believe much of the western and southwestern US were “taken” from Mexico.
The bottom line is that maps have been redrawn by force on a fairly regular basis over the last few hundred years. It is just plain hypocrisy to say that Russia does not have a legitimate reason for invading Ukraine. They laid out their arguments very succinctly before this all began.
Ukraine and NATO could have easily negotiated a resolution before 2/24/22. NATO and the US DID NOT want a resolution. As many have pointed out this is a proxy war — between the West and Russia. Ukrainians are paying the price for this with their lives, not the US & NATO citizens. And further, Russia is certainly not going to give up the territory they have captured with their own blood at this point (last 60 days) without a fight to the death — which may happen (their deaths and ours).
This is a futile and senseless effort on the part of the west. The west is destroying their economies with the sanctions that do not work and moving us closer to WWIII. The time to have stopped all of this was with the expansion of NATO to Russia’s doorstep and continually poking the bear and not expecting blowback.
We, the west, will not win this. The end result will either be an all-out war or a settlement that leaves us in an equally and highly divided world and loss of our hegemony (militarily and economically).
Wow you’re brilliant, bashing a guy that’s on your pro-russia side.
Bitch! This will be transferred to Ukraine to rebuild. FOAD Lavrov. You steal from Ukraine, we steal from mother Russia.
“Wow you’re brilliant, bashing a guy that’s on your pro-russia side.’
That was not a bash. If that’s what you really want to see, I believe we can work that out.
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