US - Russia (Cold War)

[winston]

U.S. Business Warns on ‘Scorched Earth’ Russia Sanctions

By Henry Meyer and Andrey Biryukov

Legislation hitting Russia for meddling may come in early 2019
Sanctions against big state banks could disrupt energy exports

The main bills under consideration include broad limits on transactions with some or all of Russia’s big state-owned banks, including giants like Sberbank and VTB Bank.

Source: Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... -sanctions

[winston]

Congress Likely to Shelve New Russia Sanctions as Clock Runs Out

By Saleha Mohsin , Laura Litvan , Anna Edgerton , and Daniel Flatley

Congress isn’t expected to pass legislation ordering new U.S. sanctions on Russia before the end of the year, as lawmakers focus instead on government spending measures, judicial nominations and a farm bill, key senators said

Little evidence of broad Russian effort to disrupt midterms
Any new interference by Kremlin could trigger lawmakers to act

“It’s going to be a real race, unless everyone wants to stay here for Christmas.”

Source: Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... k-runs-out

[winston]

'Insane,' 'racketeering' and 'reckless': Russia's reactions to tougher US sanctions

Russia has rebuked proposals from U.S. senators for tougher sanctions on its banking and energy sectors, with Kremlin officials calling them "insane", "reckless" and tantamount to "racketeering."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the measures were like "racketeering attacks."

Other officials said the proposals were "insane."

by Holly Ellyatt

Source: CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/insane- ... ions-.html

[winston]

U.S. Senators To Try Again With Tougher Russia Sanctions Bill

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a bill that would impose drastic new sanctions on Russia over its meddling in U.S. elections and aggression against Ukraine.

The bill, the latest congressional effort to push President Donald Trump to ratchet up Washington's response to Moscow, was introduced on February 13, by both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

One of them, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, said lawmakers were determined to take action in response to Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad, "and the steady erosion of international norms."

"One thing is increasingly clear: Moscow will continue to push until it meets genuine resistance," Menendez said.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a vocal supporter of the president but also a hawk on Russia, said in a statement that "our goal is to change the status quo and impose meaningful sanctions and measures against [President Vladimir] Putin's Russia."

"He should cease and desist meddling in the U.S. electoral process, halt cyberattacks on American infrastructure, remove Russia from Ukraine, and stop efforts to create chaos in Syria," Graham added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 14 that the proposed legislation was drafted by U.S. senators with anti-Russian sentiments.

He also said the legislation flouted international trade rules and, if passed, would be an act of unfair competition aimed at helping U.S. business.

The measure is a tougher version of legislation the two lawmakers backed last year but which failed to pass in the Senate, which has a Republican majority.

The new bill may have a better chance of passing Congress now, either as a whole or as amendments to other legislation, in the face of growing bipartisan anger over Moscow's interference in other countries' affairs.

Trump's "willful paralysis in the face of Kremlin aggression has reached a boiling point in Congress," Menendez said in a statement.

The legislation sets out sanctions that would target Russian banks that support efforts to interfere in foreign elections; and individuals deemed to "facilitate illicit and corrupt activities, directly or indirectly, on behalf of Putin."

It would also include strict measures against Russia's oil and gas sector, including imposing sanctions against people who provide goods, services, or financing to support the development of crude oil in the country.

Trump would have to sign the bill before it became law.

In 2017, Congress passed a sanctions law known as CAATSA, with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans who overruled Trump's reluctance to impose punitive measures on Moscow.

Source: Reuters, CNN, and Interfax

https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senators-pre ... 69099.html

[winston]

‘Putin chose this war,’ Biden says, outlining measures US plans against Russian assets
‘Putin’s aggression against Ukraine will end up costing Russia dearly, economically and strategically,’ the US president vows

Washington will freeze all Russian assets in the US, restrict technology exports and sanction the Russian president and the oligarchs who back him

by Mark Magnier

Launched more than 100 missiles at targets that included airfields and ammunition depots across the nation of 44 million people.

Given European opposition, the US is not currently denying Russia access to the global system for transferring US dollars known as Swift.

Sanctions announced Thursday on four more Russian banks in addition to the two announced earlier this week – now target more than US$1 trillion in assets, or nearly 80 per cent of those held by the financial institutions.

Cut off what is estimated to be over half of the semiconductors and other high-tech imports that Russia needs for its shipbuilding, aerospace, maritime and other strategic industries.

Sanctioning 24 Belarusian individuals, banks, defence and related entities for that country’s support of the Russian invasion.

Releasing oil held in US and foreign strategic reserves.

Source: SCMP

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/ ... e=homepage

[winston]

C Suisse Warns Barring Russia from SWIFT Could Lead to Crisis Similar to Lehman; Central Banks Should be Ready with USD

Credit Suisse Group AG strategist Zoltan Pozsar expressed that the exclusion of multiple major Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system could lead to overdue payments and enormous overdrafts within the international banking system, which would leave the central banks around the world with no choice but to reactivate the daily operations to supply the market with USD, reported Bloomberg News.

Drawing comparisons between the current situation, the 2008 Lehman Brothers failure and the COVID-induced financial market seizures in March 2020, Pozsar warned that the central banks should begin with relevant preparations today.

Source: AAStocks Financial News

[winston]

Russian invasion a threat to China markets

Russian authorities own a combined US$140 billion (HK1.1 trillion) of Chinese bonds.

Kremlin has now banned coupon payments to foreigners.

Many countries are excluding Russian companies from international payment systems due to sanctions.

Bank of Russia could hold US$80 billion of yuan debt, while the National Wealth Fund is estimated to own US$60 billion. Together, that represents almost a quarter of foreign ownership in China's domestic bond market.

"We are watching if Russia will liquidate the assets if CNY cash is needed to meet other payment obligations."

Chinese traders are scaling back imports of Russian coal as they struggle to secure financing from state banks worried about potential sanctions.

Russian central bank has banned coupon payments to foreign owners of US$29 billion ruble bonds known as OFZs.

Apple halted product sales in Russia. Google said on Tuesday that it has blocked mobile apps connected to RT and Sputnik from its Play store, in line with an earlier move to remove Russian state publishers from its news-related features.

Exxon Mobil also said it would exit Russia oil and gas operations that it has valued at more than US$4 billion.

Source: AP

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section- ... na-markets

[behappyalways]

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w_U_peOiqmU



US Tells Europe That Russia Wanted Armed Drones And Beijing "Responded Positively"
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ ... r-march-14

[behappyalways]

俄裔美籍記者揭密 普丁從親西方被逼到發動戰爭 TVBS文茜的世界周報-歐洲版 20220319 X 富蘭克林‧國民的基金
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xD4eLjjjHz0

[behappyalways]

Hundreds of Jets Are Stuck in a Fight Between Russia and the West | WSJ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lfTTdSbspDo