Bharat Rakshak

QUESTION: Mr President, did you discuss the Mistral deal?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: No, we didn’t discuss it. Didn’t even mention it.

There is a contract, a legal document. We proceed from the fact that it will be fulfilled. I didn’t ask questions, and President Hollande said nothing about it.

But if it is not fulfilled, we will have no special claims. Of course, we expect to get back the money we paid under that contract. Otherwise, however the situation on this issue may develop, we will treat it with understanding.

Russia has recently invested $32.5-$33.5 billion into Ukraine’s economy, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. “Our banks have invested about $25 billion,” he said, delivering an annual state of the nation address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow. The Finance Ministry issued a loan for more $3 billion last year, Putin said, adding that Gazprom has also invested in the Ukrainian economy. Putin said that there was a need to provide aid to Ukraine’s economy, but “Western colleagues are not hurrying to do this,” TASS reported.

After India hosted Crimea’s Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov who signed a trade cooperation pact with an Indian business association during President Vladimir Putin’s India visit, Ukraine has hit out at the Indian government.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko suggested on Friday that India seems to be placing more importance on “money” over “values” by harbouring trade ties with the Crimean leader. Poroshenko was speaking at Lowy Institute in Australia on Friday.

“It is not an easy job to keep the world together. This is the difference between money and values. The closer you are to civilization nations, values is much more important to you than money. You can be bought by money, contracts…,” the Ukrainian President said in a dig at the pact signed between an Indian business association and the Crimean government.

“The Indian position doesn’t help, it doesn’t save Mr Aksyanov. He is a criminal, it’s very simple. He has a criminal background and no doubt he has a criminal future,” said Poroshenko.

The head of the Crimean government Aksyonov signed a memorandum of understanding between Crimea and the Indian-Crimean Partnership, an association of Indian business circles on the sidelines of his trip on Thursday.

A group of Indian businessmen and Indian journalists will visit Crimea under the agreement, said a Russian news agency Tass report.

India earlier broke with the international community in acknowledging that Russia has legitimate interests in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday in the Indian capital where the two sides inked crucial energy deals, including Rosneft’s 10-year oil delivery contract of 10 million tons per year with India.

“We have a strategic partnership that is incomparable. Russia our foremost defence partner since decades,” said Modi at a joint press conference following talks with Putin.

The vast array of deals signed between Russia and India, including an economic partnership with Crimea comes weeks ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit to India. Obama has insisted on US attempts to “isolate” Putin internationally and expose Russia to a spiralling trade war with the west.

New Delhi has supported Moscow over the Ukraine crisis, with Modi saying that dialogue has to replace the current blame-game.

“There is a saying in India that the person who should throw a stone first is the person who has not committed any sins. In the world right now, a lot of people want to give advice. But look within them, and they too have sinned in some way. Ultimately, India’s view point is that efforts need to be made to sit together and talk, and to resolve problems in an ongoing process,” Modi told a US broadcaster in September.

The biggest increase of activity is reported over the airfields in Kramatorsk and Chuhuiv where military equipment is shipped from Dnepropetrovsk. In addition, the militia reports that four NATO transport planes landed in Zaporizhia airport last night, carrying cargo containers and some unspecified equipment.

Meanwhile, Novorossia news agency reports that US C-130 Hercules transport planes are being unloaded in Zaporizhia airport. The unidentified cargo they delivered is being stored in shipping crates. The airport perimeter was recently reinforced by hastily erected guard towers.

Austin wrote:Ukraine President criticises Modi’s diplomacy

After India hosted Crimea’s Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov who signed a trade cooperation pact with an Indian business association during President Vladimir Putin’s India visit, Ukraine has hit out at the Indian government.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko suggested on Friday that India seems to be placing more importance on “money” over “values” by harbouring trade ties with the Crimean leader. Poroshenko was speaking at Lowy Institute in Australia on Friday.

“It is not an easy job to keep the world together. This is the difference between money and values. The closer you are to civilization nations, values is much more important to you than money. You can be bought by money, contracts…,” the Ukrainian President said in a dig at the pact signed between an Indian business association and the Crimean government.
...

The IMF estimates that Ukraine needs $15bn in the short term to tide it over and avoid a full financial crisis and default, but the fund, the US and Europe are bickering over who pays what - and want Kiev to prove its reformist credentials

S&P noted that a default "could become inevitable in the next few months" if more international aid does not arrive swiftly.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets ... allery.jpg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in November that alliance fighters had intercepted Russian warplanes as they flew close to NATO countries more than 400 times in 2014, the kind of Russian air activity not seen since the Cold War. And the pace doesn't have seem to have slowed. Click through to see Russian warplanes recently intercepted by the Norwegian and Finnish air forces

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/19/europe/ga ... ?hpt=hp_c3

Philip wrote:Finding new friends and clients...

Putin blames EU as Russia abandons plans for South Stream gas pipeline
Putin says EU’s opposition scuppered project but Russian leader outlines plan to pump more gas to Turkey on visit to Ankara
http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... s-pipeline

Russia has dropped plans for a pipeline to send gas to Europe, President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday, blaming the European Union for stalling the project.

SOFIA, December 19. /TASS/. Bulgaria will issue all the required permissions required for starting the construction of the South Stream pipeline and keep working on the project, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said after talks with the leaders of European countries on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels on Friday.

Earlier this evening China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange's (SAFE) Wang Yungui noted "the impact of the Russian Ruble depreciation was unclear yet, and, as Bloomberg reported, "SAFE is closely watching Ruble's depreciation and encouraging companies to hedge Ruble risks." His comments also echoed the ongoing FX reform agenda aimed at increasing Yuan flexibility which The South China Morning Post then hinted in a story entitled "Russia may seek China help to deal with crisis," which which noted that Russia could fall back on its 150 billion yuan ($24 billion) currency swap agreement with China if the ruble continues to plunge, that was signed in October. Furthermore, two bankers close to the PBOC reportedly said the swap-line was meant to reduce the role of the US dollar if China and Russia need to help each other overcome a liquidity squeeze.

RSoami wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/d ... -democracy
Ukraine forms 'ministry of truth' to regulate the media

Ukraine is gradually beginning to meet Western expectations and standars.

...
EXPANDED BROADCASTING IN COUNTRIES OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.

Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall submit to Congress a plan, including a cost estimate, for immediately and substantially increasing, and maintaining through fiscal year 2017, the quantity of Russian-language broadcasting into the countries of the former Soviet Union funded by the United States in order to counter Russian Federation propaganda.

PRIORITIZATION OF BROADCASTING INTO UKRAINE, GEORGIA, AND MOLDOVA.—The plan required by subsection (a) shall prioritize broadcasting into Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova by the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (c) ADDITIONAL PRIORITIES.—In developing the plan required by subsection (a), the Chairman shall consider (1) near-term increases in Russian-language broadcasting for countries of the former Soviet Union (other than the countries specified in subsection (b)), including Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia; and (2) increases in broadcasting in other critical languages, including Ukrainian and Romanian languages. (d) BROADCASTING DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘broadcasting’’ means the distribution of media content via radio broadcasting, television broadcasting, and Internet-based platforms, among other platforms.
....

BBC Breaking News ‏@BBCBreaking 25m25 minutes ago

Ukraine MPs vote to drop country's non-aligned status and work towards joining Nato in move certain to anger Russia http://bbc.in/1vjevMD

By Tom Parfitt, Moscow

5:36PM GMT 23 Dec 2014
Ukraine's parliament took a historic step towards Nato on Tuesday, drawing swift condemnation from Russia.

MPs in the government-controlled chamber overwhelmingly adopted a bill dropping Ukraine's non-aligned status – a classification given to states such as Switzerland that refuse to join military alliances and thus play no part in wars.

Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said the decision was "counterproductive" and "only heats up the confrontation, creating the illusion that accepting such laws is the road to regulating the deep internal crisis in Ukraine".

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's prime minister, said that Mr Poroshenko's request to the Verkhovna Rada to jettison non-aligned status was "effectively an application to join Nato, turning Ukraine into a potential military opponent of Russia".
The decision would have "extremely negative consequences" and Russia "will have to react", said Mr Medvedev, without saying how.

Related Articles
Bomb posters for decorations: the bleak Christmas facing eastern Ukraine
23 Dec 2014
Ukraine takes historic step toward Nato membership
23 Dec 2014
Ukraine football stadium acts as aid centre
23 Dec 2014
Russia blocks Facebook site urging rally for anti-Kremlin activist Alexei Navalny
21 Dec 2014
US slaps sanctions on Putin's biker gang over Ukraine
21 Dec 2014
It was the EU that provoked the Ukrainian shambles, not Vladimir Putin
20 Dec 2014

Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine's president, was unapologetic about the move, saying that Ukraine had "no alternative to Euro-Atlantic integration".

Nato is unlikely to entertain making Ukraine a member any time soon, but the lifting of Kiev's restriction on joining security blocs clears the way for an accession at a later date.

MPs made clear the law was adopted in response to the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea and its intervention in the conflict in the east of the country.

Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine's foreign minister, told the parliament that "in the conditions of the current aggression against Ukraine, this law opens for us new mechanisms".

Ukraine's government veered towards a pro-western course after Mr Poroshenko was elected in May, following the ouster of Viktor Yanukovych, the Moscow-leaning former president who fled to Russia after a popular uprising against his rule.

Government forces have been fighting pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine since April. A shaky ceasefire has largely held in recent weeks and peace talks are expected to tale place in Minsk, Belarus, on Wednesday and Friday.

The Kremlin has long seen Nato expansion in eastern Europe as a deliberate attempt to encircle Russia. Four countries bordering it have joined the bloc since the Soviet collapse – Poland in 1999 and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2004.

Speaking at his annual press conference in Moscow last week, Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, said that enlargement of the alliance had built a new, "virtual" Berlin Wall around his country.

Arseny Yatsenuk, Ukraine's prime minister, visited Nato headquarters in Brussels earlier this month. Jens Stoltenberg, the bloc's secretary general, told him that Ukraine and Nato were "able to develop our partnership".

A spokesman for the alliance said on Tuesday: "Our door is open and Ukraine will become a member of Nato if it so requests and fulfils the standards and adheres to the necessary principles."

Mr Poroshenko's proposal was backed by 303 of 357 MPs in parliament.

Ukraine started down a path towards Nato in the past, joining its "membership action plan" in 2008, but that policy was abandoned after Mr Yanukovich was elected two years later and the country opted for non-aligned status.

Mr Lavrov said on Tuesday that instead of abandoning the status, "a much more productive and intelligent path" for Ukraine "would be to begin, at long last, a dialogue with that part of its own society that was completely ignored when the state coup took place".

Those comments referred to Mr Yanukovych's ouster and the Russophone east of the country, where rebels have set up the Donetsk and Luhansk "People's Republics" with the help of combatants and weapons flowing across the border from Russia.

Mr Putin claimed last week that all fighters from Russia in eastern Ukraine were unpaid volunteers but there have been numerous reports of serving Russian soldiers being killed or captured there.

Gerard wrote:Russian warning: No gas for Ukraine if it fails to pay $1.65bn debt by next week

Philip wrote:The UKR can celebrate the festive season for some time until the next bill is sent!