The leader of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Germany and a candidate for chancellor, Armin Laschet, said in an interview with the ARD TV channel that stopping the Nord Stream-2 is possible if this project turns out to be directed against Ukraine. He stressed that this had already been discussed earlier.
“If President Putin does not adhere to this rule and uses it against Ukraine, it is possible to stop it at any time, even when the pipeline is ready, because then the basis of the agreement will disappear,” Lachet said. He added that Europe has always sent appropriate signals, and the project itself is purely economic in nature.
Lachette said this during a joint interview with the candidates for chancellor from the Green and SPD parties Annalena Burbock and Olaf Scholz. The latter noted that Russia should ensure the transit of gas through the territory of Ukraine, and Germany should cooperate with Kiev in the survey of hydrogen fuel supplies.
Burbock made a more strident statement, noting that the Nord Stream-2 is aimed at destabilizing the situation in Ukraine and should not be finished. The gas pipeline is not a purely economic project, the politician objected to Lachet. The leader of the” greens ” recalled that the gas pipeline must receive another permit from the EU gas directive, that its operator cannot be the owner of the pipeline. This is a chance to block the completion of the construction of the Nord Stream-2.
Circus artist and TV presenter Edgard Zapashny severely criticized what was happening at the graduates ‘ holiday in St. Petersburg “Scarlet Sails”. Recall that thousands of young people gathered there on the eve of the ban on holding mass events to admire the passage of the brig “Russia” under scarlet sails. Also, a mass concert was held in the city center with the participation of a number of stars.
As can be seen in the photos and videos published on the network, the participants of the event were without masks, and they did not observe the social distance. Zapashny stressed that he was amazed at such a frank demonstration of double standards. “In the literal sense of the word, I am overwhelmed with anger!” – Zapashny began his appeal to the Russian authorities.
Photo: A frame from the video
The artist recalled the recent records on morbidity and new restrictions imposed by the authorities. “This is your handiwork – what was happening in St. Petersburg tonight!” he writes. Zapashny recalled that Russians now have to use QR codes just to eat, playgrounds are closed, restaurants do not work at night. Zapashny pointed out that officials are trying to force people to get vaccinated by any means and immediately hold festivals with an audience of many thousands with budget money.
” You are just mocking common sense and provoking our people to hate you! This is not possible, ” added Zapashny.
It is worth noting that under this entry, some Russian artists, in particular, Vitaly Gogunsky, Oscar Kucera, Ruslan Alekhno, illusionist Sergei Safronov, ballerina Anastasia Volochkova, criticized the authorities. “There is not enough evil! They want to stage a coup with such actions! ” – said Kucera.
A member of the LDPR Supreme Council, State Duma deputy Anton Morozov denied a report by RBC, citing sources that deputy Igor Lebedev, whom the media call the son of the head of the LDPR Vladimir Zhirinovsky, decided to leave politics and refused to be elected because of a quarrel with his father about appointments in the party and its development.
Morozov confirmed that Lebedev had previously spoken about his desire to leave politics.
“I don’t think that this is caused by some mythical conflict that journalists and our political opponents are trying to invent,” Morozov said.
He added that Lebedev is a creative, independent person and probably made this decision to continue his activities in another field.
“Bases will be built there even without the country joining the Alliance”
The representative of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group on the Settlement of the Conflict in the Donbas, Alexey Arestovich, said that the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, is extremely annoyed by the position of the West on the issue of the republic’s inclusion in NATO. In this regard, Kiev is ready to develop a new strategy of behavior in relations with the European Union and the United States. The experts interviewed by MK believe that Turkey and the United Kingdom can offer an alternative.
Photo: facebook.com/alexey.arestovich.
According to Arestovich, it took Zelensky two years to become disillusioned with relations with the West. Now he understands that the United States and the EU countries do not want to see Ukraine in NATO. At the same time, initially he trusted the leaders of these states, considered them his partners. But when the realization of the deception came, Zelensky went berserk, Arestovich claims.
The President of Ukraine reacts especially hard to the conflict in the Donbas and the completion of the construction of the Nord Stream-2 . Zelensky would like the West to protect the interests of Ukraine, and instead he is playing his own game, Arestovich believes.
If Ukraine is not allowed to join NATO, then the policy towards the West should be radically revised, Arestovich believes. In particular, you need to give up client relationships. According to the politician, Kiev should stop going to the West with an outstretched hand, instead it is necessary to build pragmatic partnerships.
Ukrainian political scientist Alexey Yakubin he explained to MK that Arestovich cannot be considered a person who is authorized to represent Kiev’s position in relations with NATO or the European Union. Until now, the Office of the President of Ukraine has used it exclusively in the context of negotiations on the Donbass, however, this does not mean that it could not be switched to a new direction for the sake of probing public opinion.
“It is obvious that NATO does not want to accept Ukraine into its membership, because Western countries do not want an escalation of the conflict with Russia. Zelensky’s team tried to carry out a” blitzkrieg ” on its integration into the Alliance, but the offensive failed. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that the NATO summit cannot take place without our participation, but it still happened. Zelensky himself is partly to blame for this, who for two years of rule, could notappoint a representative of Ukraine to NATO. Now we need to somehow level this defeat and switch the topic – ” Yakubin noted. – Perhaps, after Arrestovich, other politicians and officials will start saying: “What is NATO doing for us? Let them give a loan, provide technical assistance…”. If the West refuses to do this, Ukraine’s foreign policy course will come to an impasse. The reality is that Kiev has no alternative to the current relations with the West.”
The opposite opinion is held by the head of the foundation “Ukrainian Politics” Konstantin Bondarenko. “In general, I share the position of Arestovich and have been insisting on it for at least the last 20 years. But from his mouth, it sounds like Krylov’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes” has come to life: it is impossible to get grapes, so they are green, and I will not eat them. At the same time, there is a very real alternative to joining NATO. It is possible to develop relations with countries that are already in the Alliance: Great Britain, Turkey, Poland, the Baltic republics… But Kiev has set a too high bar for itself, either in NATO or nowhere-and as a result, it cannot achieve anything.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine is already increasing cooperation with the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance. In particular, on June 21, Kiev and London signed a memorandum on the construction of eight missile boats, two minesweepers and two naval bases for the Ukrainian Navy, most likely one each on the Black and Azov Seas. Turkey regularly declares that Crimea is Ukraine, is going to create a free trade zone with this country and supplies its Bayraktar attack drones there, which have already proved themselves perfectly in Karabakh.
“From the point of view of Ukraine’s long-term interests, it needs to get rid of Western dependence. But the current authorities are unable to do this. As for the republic’s membership in NATO, this is not a matter of principle for Russia. In fact, the Americans can build their base in Ukraine even without its membership in the Alliance, it will be even more convenient, because such a partnership excludes a number of responsibilities that are present in NATO.following the talks between Russian and US President Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, the Russian leader said that they discussed Ukraine only in general strokes. Apparently, Putin asked Biden a simple question, will the Americans come to Ukraine or not. Judging by the way events are developing, there will be: bases are being built, strategic aviation is flying, training centers exist, “Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy head of the Institute of CIS Countries, told MK .
At the same time, he stressed that the West will gradually shift the war, which has been going on in the Donbas for 7 years, towards the Crimea. Zharikhin considers the behavior of the British destroyer Defender to be one of the manifestations of this strategy. Recall that on June 23, a warship sailed 3 kilometers into the waters of the Crimea and left it only after warning shots from the patrol ship and Su-24M.
The United States sent the Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) to the Black Sea. He will take part in the annual Sea Breeze exercises. The exercises will be held from June 28 to July 10. At the same time, earlier in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea, an incident occurred with the British destroyer Defender, which found the Russian border. The Russian military had to open a warning fire.
Recall that last year the destroyer USS Ross was in the Barents Sea.
The Russian military department is strengthening ties with strategic partners
God forbid you to live in an era of change, one of the wise men noted. We all seem to be out of luck. We were at a turning point in time, and it is not known how all this will end. And all because the sole power of the United States in the world has cracked at the seams, everything is moving towards multipolarity. How can we ensure the peaceful coexistence of numerous centers of power? The participants of the IX Moscow Conference on International Security were puzzling over this, which even covid did not prevent from holding in 2021.
Photo: Press Service of the Ministry of Defense
Even then, when the NATO countries once again unanimously ignored the Moscow Security Forum and refused to participate in it, it was clear that there would be no heated discussions and disputes on the Moscow platform. Because there was no one to argue with. Those high-ranking military representatives of foreign countries who came to Moscow, as well as those who took part in the discussion of security and strategic stability issues online, were unanimous in their assessments of threats and who they come from.
Of course, it would be very interesting to see the reaction of representatives of the Pentagon or the NATO command, if they were among the participants of the conference, in the hall at the speech of, for example, the Minister of Defense of the People’s Republic of China, Wei Fenghe. Although he spoke about the United States in the third person, without naming it directly, he was very disrespectful and threatening. Including about Taiwan, which the People’s Liberation Army of China “will never allow to tear off”.
And there were many more similar denunciations of the United States and NATO. For example, from a high-ranking Iranian military officer who spoke online, or from the Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, who accused Washington of state terrorism.
According to tradition, the conference was opened by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. He set the tone for the problems discussed. As a priority, he called a new trend-the formation of global coalitions, the division of the world into “friends” and “strangers”. Another recent trend, Shoigu noted — is aggressive economic pressure as a means of forcing changes in the policies of sovereign states.
Taking into account the composition of the conference participants, Shoigu paid special attention to the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. “As in Europe, advanced high-readiness groups are being created here, carrier strike groups are being deployed. In addition to the states of the region, ships of the Alliance countries are increasingly involved in naval exercises, which increases the risk of incidents during military activities,” the minister said.
At the same time, according to him, the situation in the Asia-Pacific region is aggravated by the presence of territorial disputes, as well as US plans to deploy missile defense systems in this region, coupled with strike means, as well as medium-and shorter-range missiles.
Among Russia’s strategic partners, Shoigu named China, India, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Mongolia. According to him, the dialogue with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Brunei has expanded. A solid company, given the huge potential of these rapidly developing countries, where more than half of the world’s population lives.
Shoigu also assessed the situation in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of most of the American troops from there. He did not rule out the resumption of civil war in this country and noted that the solution of the regional problem is impossible without the participation of neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Iran.
Among the key problems of international security, Shoigu called the strengthening of the terrorist threat in Africa, including in Mali, the Central African Republic, and Mozambique. According to him, Russia is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of the Black continent, as well as with most countries of Latin America.
As for the situation in Europe, according to Shoigu, ” the trend towards strengthening military confrontation has been steadily consolidated on the continent.” NATO is increasing the number of high-readiness groups, working out routes for the rapid transfer of troops to the borders of Russia and Belarus.
The alliance is turning from a regional into a global military-political alliance, the main task of which is to contain Russia and China, Shoigu concluded. The military confrontation in Europe over NATO policies is “fixed for a year,” he said.
Shoigu criticized the military activity of NATO near the Russian borders, which, among other things, provokes the Kiev authorities to solve the problem of Donbass by force.
Having clearly identified the problems, Shoigu did not stop there and again demonstrated his readiness to discuss these problems openly and with mutual respect. And he even named possible steps for de-escalation. For example, the withdrawal of exercise areas from the contact line or a moratorium on the deployment of medium-and shorter-range missiles in Europe.
Shoigu also outlined new topics for discussion that have emerged as a result of military-technical progress: hypersound, digitalization and robotization. “As part of the armed forces of a number of countries, space and cyber commands are being created, the main task of which is not defense, but planning and conducting offensive operations in the relevant areas,” Shoigu drew attention.
He finished his speech quite kindly, recalling the outstanding musician and humanist Mstislav Rostropovich, who once told Shoigu that he knew how to stop the war.
“I will put an orchestra on the front line, stand up and play something that will make them stop, lay down their weapons,” he said. At that time, I had questions about this proposal. However, today I understand that he was right. After all, an orchestra is not only a group of musicians. First of all, it is a team of experts in their field, unitedsolving a common problem. The Moscow Conference is attended by real security professionals — a kind of orchestra designed to find ways to de — escalate, and ultimately prevent armed conflicts in any region of the world,” Sergei Shoigu addressed the participants of the Moscow Forum.
There is no doubt that the orchestra of experts gathered in Moscow at the invitation of the Russian Ministry of Defense will play properly. It remains to be hoped that his harmonious notes will be heard and appreciated by Western listeners.
The Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, named several key problems of strategic stability. The General Staff is called the brain of the army. Not so long ago, General Gerasimov participated in the Russian-American summit in Geneva as part of the Russian delegation.
Gerasimov explained why it became possible to extend the START-3 Treaty. “The Russian Federation and the United States have shown an equal desire to prolong it. Both states are interested in predictability regarding the development of the other side’s nuclear forces,” the general said.
But we need to think about future agreements, the Chief of the General Staff believes. Gerasimov explained why a dialogue on the future mechanism of nuclear arms control is needed: new factors have emerged that determine strategic stability. This is the creation of high-precision, hypersonic and kinetic weapons, attack drones. All these weapons, according to the head of the General Staff, “blurs the lines between the potentials of nuclear and non-nuclear weapons.”
The military commander emphasized: the nuclear policy of our country is purely defensive in nature. The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, as well as in the case of aggression against Russia with the use of conventional weapons, when the very existence of the state is threatened, the head of the General Staff confirmed.
What worries the Russian General Staff? First of all, the promotion of the NATO infrastructure to the borders of Russia, the deployment of advanced formations on the territory of the new members of the alliance. In Eastern Europe, there are units of NATO countries that have come from far away on a permanent basis. And there are up to 10 thousand such people. And the number of troops on the territory of the same Poland will grow.
Another threat to us comes from the US missile defense facilities in Europe. For the use of the Tomahawk sea-based cruise missile with a launch range of up to 2,400 km, the Mk-41 universal launchers of the Aegis Eshor anti-missile systems located in Romania and, in the future, on the territory of Poland can be used.
The General Staff records the increased activity of the NATO Navy near the borders of Russia, including in the Black and Baltic Seas. Moreover, the NATO members are going to direct provocations, which it is not known how they can end. So, on October 13, 2020, the destroyer URO “Dragon” of the British Navy, making the transition with the weapons control radar stations turned on for radiation anddetection of air targets, violated the right of peaceful passage through the territorial sea of the Russian Federation 22 km west of Sevastopol. A month later, the destroyer URO of the US Navy “John McCain” distinguished himself. He violated the state border of the Russian Federation in the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan on the approaches to Peter the Great Bay 93 km south of Vladivostok, going deeper into the Russian territorial sea by more than 2 km.
“Thus, the prerequisites for the occurrence of incidents are created, which do not contribute to reducing tension in the military field,” Gerasimov warned.
Another region where, according to him, Western countries are looking at is the Russian Arctic. “In the Russian Arctic, there is the shortest sea communication between Europe and Asia — the Northern Sea Route. The Russian Federation has everything necessary to ensure the safety of navigation in difficult ice conditions, as well as the protection of the Arctic ecosystem,” Gerasimov made a clear hint to lovers of foreign things.
As for the formation of a multipolar world, the head of the General Staff was not diplomatic and put everything on the shelves: “The situation in the world clearly demonstrates that the time of sole domination of individual states has passed. The number of states with significant military and economic potential is increasing, without which it is impossible to solve regional and world problems today. Among them are Brazil, India, China, Russia, the United States, the countries of the European Union and other states that are centers of power on a global and regional scale. Their number will only increase.”
Washington’s egocentrism was “pressed on the corn”, putting the “hegemon” on a par with the BRIC countries.
But Gerasimov also did not slam the door on his Western partners. According to him, “it is in our common interests to continue working on the peaceful political and diplomatic settlement of regional conflicts and crises , ensuring strategic stability.”
The head of the General Staff advised the contenders for world domination to “show political will, wisdom and foresight.”
For seven years now, NATO has been avoiding military contacts with Russia. But a holy place is never empty. As the Moscow Security Conference once again showed, Russia has someone to be friends with and discuss strategic stability.
By the way, the Russian military department actively used the time of the conference for negotiations with the military leaders of a number of countries. For example, with Ajir, Myanmar, Venezuela, Mexico, Serbia, and other countries.
A characteristic touch to the atmosphere at these negotiations: during a meeting with the Supreme Commander of Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu addressed the vis-a-vis with a greeting in Burmese, which is considered one of the most difficult in the world.
When there is mutual respect, there are no barriers, especially the language barrier. Perhaps this simple truth will soon reach our Western partners.
Readers of the Daily Mail tabloid continue to discuss the incident in the Black Sea, where the Russian military opened warning fire when the British destroyer Defender violated the borders of Russia off the coast of Crimea. Some people recall the times when the West helped Russia with humanitarian aid and recommend sending Russians back to the food queue. off the coast of Crimea, the newspaper reports.
One of the readers writes that these are not Russian waters, but Ukrainian ones, because the West did not recognize the annexation of Crimea to Russia.
Another notes that the British should not allow the Americans to drag themselves into the conflict and emphasizes that the “senile man in the White House” should provoke Russia alone.
“The problem with the destroyer is solved easily. It is necessary to impose on Russia is embargoed. Let them stand in line for bread. This is the only way to stop this stench, ” another participant suggests
It is curious that some Russians from Magadan joined the discussion. He wrote in English that Russians are now living better than ever in history, and in Britain about 30 thousand people die every winter, who do not have enough money for expensive heating.
“Russia has illegally invaded Crimea, so the Russians have no right to complain about the presence of foreign ships in the Crimean waters,” another user believes.
“Our real enemy is China, and it is moving forward. So we need to unite with the Russians, and not push them into the arms of China, ” another reader answers him.
“Russia is killing people on the British streets. This alone makes them our enemies, ” someone who joined the conversation disagreed.
“So far, there are no real shootings, it’s just bravado for Putin to show off in front of his own,” one of the critics is sure. Another added that half of the weapons on Russian parades are allegedly fake, and half of the army are “half-dead drunks”.
White House press Secretary Jen Psaki during a briefing on June 25 barely uttered the name of Senator from Arizona Democrat Kirsten Sinema.
At the same time, Psaki was not at a loss, judging by the video, she quickly found an excuse for her annoying reservation. The spokeswoman noted that the error occurred due to fatigue at work, as well as difficulties in pronouncing the surname.
However, this did not prevent netizens from being ironic about Psaki’s diction, as well as making fun of her embarrassments.
Earlier, Jen Psaki confused Space Force-the US Space Force with the presidential plane. After that, Senator Mike Rogers at a briefing called on her to “immediately apologize” for her answer about Space Force, as she “devalued a number of troops for the sake of a caustic phrase.” The spokeswoman replied on Twitter that she supports the space forces, and the White House is always happy to hear from their employees.
Germany should beware of a new arms race with Russia. This was stated by the deputy of the Bundestag Tino Krupalla. The leader of the Alternative for Germany party believes that the country does not need to increase spending on weapons.
The politician stressed that he knows the military expenditures of Germany and is aware that they are 10 billion less than Russian ones. However, this is not a reason to increase the cost of weapons. Krupalla suggested that it is better to think about how to disarm than arm yourself.
Earlier, his colleague, a deputy from the Left party Sevim Dagdelen said that if Germany starts arming itself, it means that it will start preparing for war with Russia.
It is worth noting that there is no urgent service in Germany. They serve there under a contract. In total, according to the latest data, there are a little more than two hundred people in the German army.
The co-chairman of the Alternative for Germany party, Tino Krupalla, appreciated the idea of paying compensation to Ukraine after the launch of the Nord Stream – 2 gas pipeline.
“If Russia uses other transit routes, then, of course, it should no longer pay any transit fees,” the politician stressed.
At the same time, Krupalla added, even the idea that “a country that no longer provides transit” should be compensated is “real madness”. This is unacceptable, in his opinion, “from a purely economic point of view.”
The leader of the German party said that he could not imagine that Russia “could or should have paid them.”
Earlier, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Kuleba said that Kiev is ready to consider the possibility of negotiations on “compensation” in the event of the launch of the Russian gas pipeline.
