Category Russian Sanctions

Feb 28 2024

Yellen Aims to Send Frozen Russian Assets to Ukraine


Posted Feb 28, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Ukraine Battle

Russian assets frozen by the West have been sitting idle for three years. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is urging the G20 to liquidate nearly $300 billion in stolen assets and send it to Ukraine.

“It is necessary and urgent for our coalition to find a way to unlock the value of these immobilized assets to support Ukraine’s continued resistance and long-term reconstruction,” Yellen claimed. “I believe there is a strong international law, economic, and moral case for moving forward. This would be a decisive response to Russia’s unprecedented threat to global stability.”

This amount is more than Ukraine’s entire GDP. They could never recover on their own, hence JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock stepping in for when it comes crashing down. This, yet again, brings NATO members one step closer to fully entering the war. Two-thirds of the frozen/stolen assets are located in the European Union, which recently enacted legislation that corners windfall profits from the frozen assets, marking one major step toward directly funding Ukraine with these funds.

For all intents and purposes, the people who lost their life savings are mostly private citizens who have been victims of circumstance. They did not fund Russia’s invasion or have a say in their government’s decisions. Russia may view this complete violation of international law as an act of war. Using assets seized by private citizens to fund a war opens the door to a new form of economic warfare that will only cause people to refrain from investing in countries that allow this to go on. Welcome to the total collapse of globalization.

The Kremlin announced in December that it would not hesitate to seize assets from Western nations if they were to use their own central bank’s assets against them in war. China and other countries with large Western holdings could use any new international legislation against their opponents in the future. Despite Yellen’s claims that this move would not hurt the dollar, it would certainly deter foreign investment. Why invest in a nation that could potentially seize everything depending on your government’s policies? China sees the new funding packages the US is sending to Taiwan and will respond accordingly.

Yellen falsely claims that sending off these assets to Ukraine would “incentivize [Russia] to come to the table to negotiate a just peace with Ukraine.” Putin could not be more vocal about wanting to come to an agreement. He has attempted to reach a peace agreement countless times but has been blocked by the neocons at every opportunity. There can be no peace with this amount of money on the line.

Others are so confident that Russia will lose that they believe these assets should remain frozen as a bargaining chip or for future reparation payments. No one knows where the money sent to Ukraine goes or how it is spent. This reeks of a massive international corruption scheme that will propel us one big step closer to World War III.

Dec 18 2023

Putin’s Four-Hour Press Conference


Posted originally on Dec 18, 2023 By Martin Armstrong 

Putin Political Cycle

Russian President Vladimir Putin believes his nation is leading the battle against Ukraine. In a four-hour televised press conference on December 14, the Russian president said he believes that the war will end once Russia achieves its goals. “Either we get an agreement or we solve this by force,” Putin stated.

Russia will spend $11 billion (1 trillion rubles) annually on maintaining reclaimed land. “Ukraine’s whole southeast has always been pro-Russian because these are historically Russian territories,” Putin claimed. “What does Ukraine have to do with this? Neither Crimea nor the Black Sea’s whole northern coast have anything to do (with Ukraine). And Odesa is a Russian city,” Putin said after announcing that Russia would not surrender any annexed land in Crimea, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, or Donetsk.

Putin Economist

The televised event was the president’s first time addressing the public at large since February 2022, and comes days after announcing he will seek a fifth term in March. Putin took questions from the audience and journalists during the event. Some of the questions were pre-screened to allow Putin the opportunity to provide the public with the intended messaging. However, they also televised various text messages from the public that were critical of the government and world. “Why is your ‘reality’ at odds with our lived reality?” one message read.

The Russian people want the war to end as hundreds of thousands have already died. Putin claimed Russia does not plan to send additional troops into battle at this time, as over 600,000 are currently on the ground. He assured the people that better days are ahead, claiming GDP will rise in 3.5% in 2023 and unemployment will reach a historic low of 2.9%. One citizen asked about food inflation and cited eggs in particular as they have spiked over 40%. “I apologize for this, but this is a failure of the government’s work,” he stated. Inflation in Russia is running at around 7.5% despite the central bank targeting 4%.

ECM Ukraine 8.6 R

Now the people of Russia want the war to end and Putin wants to win the favor of the people ahead of the election. “There will be peace when we achieve our goals,” Putin again reassured the public. Yet, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg made a speech around the same time urging nations to continue supporting Ukraine. Stoltenberg said that Russia will not stop at Ukraine if it achieves its objectives. “If Putin wins in Ukraine, there is real risk that his aggression will not end there. Our support is not charity. It is an investment in our security,” he said.

As long as the money continues to flow to Ukraine, the war will continue.

Oct 1 2023

Putin Interview 2020 Prewar


Armstrong Economics Blog/Russia Re-Posted Oct 1, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Zelensky insisted, thanks to Victoria Nulan, that the Minsk Agreement had to be terminated to Justify his conquest of Russia.

This is why I warned Zelensky was the man who history will remember as the next Hitler for World War III

Aug 18 2023

Stunningly Low Prices – A Visit to an Average Russian Supermarket


Posted originally on the CTH on August 17, 2023 | Sundance 

I wouldn’t normally write a post like this, but WE ARE NOT going to find this level of ground reporting anywhere in U.S. media.   As you might be aware, I have been doing extensive research on the Russian economy specifically with the outcome of western sanctions.

In his video a Youtuber I follow visited a local supermarket, similar to a WalMart Super Center to share information for his USA followers.

Dima Dear, a remarkably nice young man, lives in St Petersburg, Russia (formerly Leningrad), and he shares various experiences with his audience at their request.  There is a lot of U.S interest as people following his story are starting to realize life in Russia is not what western media portray.

If you are familiar with USA grocery prices, what Dima shares in this ground report is stunning from a U.S. perspective.  If you watch this livestream, keep in mind that 100 rubles equals $1.00.  350 rubles is $3.50.  Additionally for weighted products 1kg equals 2.2 lbs.   So generally speaking, if something is 100 rubles/kg it is $1 for two pounds.

Example from the video:

•Lean ground beef at 329 rubles/kg is less than $1.65/lb.
•Bacon at 250 rubles/kg is less than $1.25/lb.
•20 eggs are 139 rubles or $1.39.
•Boneless skinless chicken breast $4 for 4lbs.
•Typical Bagged salad mixes .79¢ each. etc.

The wild part is that in Russia they are getting worried these prices are too high.  

The average rent for a nicely furnished 2-bedroom modern apartment in St Pete Russia is around $500/month.  Something akin to downtown Manhattan. Including rent, utilities, food, transportation, personal items and purchases, a Russian citizen can live very comfortably, remarkably comfortably, on an income of around $1,200 to $1,500/month.  In downtown St Pete which is considered a more expensive place to live.

Put that into a USA middle-class perspective and evaluate the impact of western sanctions against the average Russian cost of living.

100 rubles = $1.00

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Aug 2 2023

The Russia-Africa Summit


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Trade Re-Posted Aug 2, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

https://youtube.com/watch?v=67uohQkVZdM%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Putin invited numerous African leaders to St. Petersburg, where they discussed strengthening their alliance. The Russia-Africa summit gave Moscow a platform to show that it has not been isolated by all its allies. The biggest bargaining chip on the table was reimplementing of the grain deal. The UN has all but promised food shortages and famine in Africa caused by the war. Putin has now promised to begin shipping 25,000 to 50,000 tons of grain, free of charge, over the next three or four months.

Only 17 of 54 African leaders attended the conference, compared to the 43 who attended in 2019. The West is touting this as a win, but Moscow said many are afraid to enter the conflict. African nations simply want their people to prosper. Despite having valuable national resources, the continent is deeply indebted to the world. Russia agreed to cancel $23 billion in debt to African nations and hinted that their allies (i.e., India and China) may also offer aid.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “We are not here to plead for donations for the African continent.” Instead, they are looking to become a respected trading partner. President of Chad Mahamat called out Russia for failing to improve trade. “Putin vowed to double Russia’s trade with the continent within five years. Instead, it has stalled at around $18 billion a year,” he stated. African nations want a seat at the table, shedding its colonist past that still indebts their people.

Putin has promised that the grain harvest will exceed expectations this year. African countries have a large bargaining chip here. The West provides Africa with more aid than Russia, but at what cost? Africa receives the vast majority of its grain directly from Russia and would certainly face food shortages without their help. Putin will need to offer African nations an opportunity to become a valued trading partner and get his other main global allies on board with the idea too.

Jul 13 2023

UN Proposes Easing SWIFT Sanctions in Exchange for Russian Black Sea Grain Export


Posted originally on the CTH on July 12, 2023 | Sundance 

The sanctions levied against Russia by the collective West have essentially failed.  There is inconvenience within Russia amid ordinary citizens for global and economic transactions, but most of the govt transactions have continued.

On the opposite side of the consequence coin, absent the ability to purchase consumer goods on the global market, Russian domestic consumer independence has grown dramatically.  There is more stuff being made and created inside Russia, for Russians to purchase, than ever before.

I cannot see how the Russian GDP doesn’t benefit from this in the long-term.

Then again, I don’t buy the official Western narrative about the “horrible” life inside Russia, because I talk to ordinary middle class Russians who seem to have found a way to organize life without too much disturbance.

Russia is actually a case study in the elimination of imports and the economic outcomes therein.

It doesn’t suck to be a consumer; average Russians are doing fine, and it seems to get better over time.  Ironically, give them a few more years of Western sanctions, and Russia could be a manufacturing powerhouse.  Russia is a big country with a lot of raw material resources.

UNITED NATIONS, July 12 (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he extend a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine in return for connecting a subsidiary of Russia’s agricultural bank to the SWIFT international payment system, sources told Reuters.

Russia has threatened to ditch the grain deal, which expires on Monday, because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertilizer abroad have not been met. The last two ships traveling under the Black Sea agreement are currently loading cargoes at the Ukrainian port of Odesa ahead of the deadline.

A key demand by Moscow is the reconnection of the Russian agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT international payment network. It was cut off by the European Union in June 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. An EU spokesperson said in May the EU was not considering reinstating Russian banks.

However, the EU is considering connecting to SWIFT a subsidiary of Rosselkhozbank to allow specifically for grain and fertilizer transactions, three sources familiar with discussions told Reuters on Wednesday. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (read more)

Zelenskyy is the Bud Light of the NATO summit. 😂

Jun 14 2023

Putin Pleas for Peace


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Jun 14, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The vilification of Putin has been extremely successful, so much so that no one is listening to his words. The Russian leader recently spoke of conflict resolution. That is not something a warmonger hellbent on conquering nations would discuss. And yet, Putin seems to be the only world leader discussing the potential of resolving the conflict in Ukraine without escalation.

“We sincerely tried to reach an agreement [with Ukraine]. It was difficult to negotiate some kind of patchwork of southeastern Ukraine with the rest of the country, but we tried in good faith,” Putin told military correspondents according to Sputnik news. He also reiterated that their intent regarding Ukraine has not changed. He is not attempting to resurrect the USSR or threaten other nations. Putin only wants the historically Russian territories in Ukraine. Why are we starting a world war over this wish that does not involve other nations?

“What is happening there [in Ukraine] now will certainly never suit us, historically speaking. When the negotiations were held, including in Istanbul, we constantly raised this issue, and they in turn told us: ‘But there is nothing neo-Nazi about us, what do you want from us?’ [Russia wants] at least some relative legislative restrictions. In general, we also agreed on this during the round of negotiations before our troops were withdrawn from Kiev and after they threw all our agreements out of the window,” Putin said. Every attempt at conflict resolution was denied by the neocons. The very agreement that could have prevented Russia from entering Ukraine in the first place was based on a lie.

“We wanted and we still want to have the best relations with all our neighbors after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And we do so, we have come to terms with… Well, that’s what’s happened. We have to live with it,” Putin plainly stated.

It is amazing how the media portrays him as a crazed man intent on destroying the world. I discuss the propaganda techniques used at length in my new book, “The Plot to Seize Russia.” Listen to his words because is intentions are clear. He has no desire to feud with the West. ” If they really want today’s conflict to end through negotiations, they only need to make one decision – to stop the supply of weapons and equipment. That’s it,” Putin declared. The problem is that they do not want to resolve the conflict by any means other than war. Russia clearly does not want war and has been asking the world to listen to their pleas for peace.

May 30 2023

Russia Issued an Arrest Warrant for Lindsey Graham


Armstrong Economics Blog/Russia Re-Posted May 29, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Russia has issued an arrest warrant for Lindsey Graham and quite honestly, it is not a surprise. Graham has NEVER seen a Russian he did not want dead. He has been one of the hardline Neocons who always is willing to throw American lives away for his constant agenda of conquering the world to promote the fake US version of democracy where we NEVER have a right to vote on anything important from debt ceilings to war.

Zelensky’s office edited the videotape and put two separate comments that Graham made together that “the Russians are dying” and U.S. military assistance to Ukraine is “the best money we’ve ever spent.” That’s what he gets for backing the most vile and corrupt government in Europe hellbent on creating World War III.

Communism fell in 1989. Neither the people of Russia nor China are interested in ever returning. Instead of promoting peace as the Roman Empire showed us how to do when everyone is interconnected economically, that is how peace is created. It is to everyone’s benefit to work together. Graham and McCain never paused even once. They continued the cold war. Graham has no problem sending American boys and girls to die in Europe for his dream of destroying Russia and razing it to the ground. NEVER have Graham or McCain EVER sought peace – just endless wars.

May 4 2023

As Ukraine Sends U.S. Supported Drones to Target Moscow, A Reminder of President Trump’s Warning About Biden Creating World War III


Posted originally on the CTH on May 3, 2023 | Sundance 

By now most Americans realize the United States government is conducting a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.  The foundation for the U.S. effort started in 2014 with the buildup of weapons provided by the Obama-Biden administration, and the Russian response to the NATO encroachment in February 2022 was quickly framed as the Russian war against Ukraine.

As part of this effort, and after threatening to destroy Russian natural gas pipelines, the United States then followed through and destroyed a main artery in the Nordstream pipeline system.  The Biden administration then denied involvement and tried to blame Russia; as if Vladimir Putin would destroy his own infrastructure.  Keeping with this continuum of escalating conflict, NATO has sent depleted uranium weapons into Ukraine.  Then, last night, a drone attack on the Kremlin was carried out.

Ukraine is denying any involvement in the drone strike against Moscow, which would imply the United States -likely the CIA- carried out a direct attack against Russia without informing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.   Regardless of which partner is lying, Ukraine or the U.S, one of them carried out the attack.

This is a good time to remind everyone of President Trump’s words and policy toward this escalating conflict:

“Every day this proxy battle in Ukraine continues, we risk global war,” President Trump said. “We must be absolutely clear that our objective is to IMMEDIATELY have a total cessation of hostilities. All shooting has to stop. This is the central issue. We need PEACE without delay.”

We need peace without delay

[Transcript] – We have never been closer to World War III than we are today under Joe Biden. A global conflict between nuclear-armed powers would mean death and destruction on a scale unmatched in human history. It would be nuclear Armageddon. NOTHING is more important than avoiding that nightmare. We will avoid it. But we need new leadership.

Every day this proxy battle in Ukraine continues, we risk global war. We must be absolutely clear that our objective is to IMMEDIATELY have a total cessation of hostilities. All shooting has to stop. This is the central issue. We need PEACE without delay.

In addition, there must also be a complete commitment to dismantling the entire globalist neo-con establishment that is perpetually dragging us into endless wars, pretending to fight for freedom and democracy abroad, while they turn us into a third-world country and a third-world dictatorship right here at home.

The State Department, the defense bureaucracy, the intelligence services, and all the rest need to be completely overhauled and reconstituted to fire the Deep Staters and put America First. We have to put America First.

Finally, we have to finish the process we began under my Administration of fundamentally reevaluating NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission. Our foreign policy establishment keeps trying to pull the world into conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia based on the lie that Russia represents our greatest threat. But the greatest threat to Western Civilization today is not Russia. It’s probably, more than anything else, ourselves and some of the horrible, U.S.A. hating people that represent us.

It’s the abolition of our national borders. It’s the failure to police our own cities. It’s the destruction of the rule of law from within. It’s the collapse of the nuclear family and fertility rates, like nobody can believe is happening. It’s the Marxists who would have us become a Godless nation worshipping at the altar of race, and gender, and environment. And it’s the globalist class that has made us totally dependent on China and other foreign countries that basically hate us.

These globalists want to squander all of America’s strength, blood and treasure, chasing monsters and phantoms overseas—while keeping us distracted from the havoc they’re creating right here at home. These forces are doing more damage to America than Russia and China could ever have dreamed. Evicting the sick and corrupt establishment is the monumental task for the next president. And I’m the only one who can do it.

I’m the only one that can get the job done. I know exactly what has to be done. (read more)

Apr 24 2023

Former CIA Director Admits Biden Created the Russian Disinformation Hoax


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Apr 24, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Biden’s camp completely interfered in the 2020 US Presidential Election by hiding Hunter’s illegal business dealing through bribes and coercion. The House Judiciary Committee released a letter addressed to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that revealed Biden and Blinken deliberately created the story that Hunter’s “laptop from hell” was “Russian disinformation” in order to help him steal the election.

When will the people say that they have had enough? How could they arrest a former president for an affair when the current president and his crime family have actively engaged in countless international criminal activities. CIA director Mike Morell ADMITTED that 51 members of the intelligence community signed a letter declaring the laptop was “Russian disinformation” act the request of the Biden Administration. This propaganda spread to reporters of prominent newspapers, social media platforms, and government officials across the US. The FBI completely dropped their investigation after the laptop was handed over to them and wiped clean from the internet.

The Biden Administration reached out to The Post after they received information that Hunter introduced his dad to his Ukrainian business partners. Morrell said he did it to “help Vice President Biden … because I wanted him to win the election.”

Joe Biden referenced this signed letter during a debate against Trump on October 22, lying to the American public weeks before the election. Joe insisted he never spoke to Hunter about his business dealings when he was in on it the whole time.

Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence sent a letter to Blinken letting him know that the investigation is back on.

“We are examining the origins of the infamous public statement signed by 51 former intelligence officials that falsely discredited a New York Post story regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop as supposed Russian disinformation.

Subsequent reporting revealed that the New York Post story was not, as the public statement claimed and then-Vice President Biden parroted, part of a ‘Russian information operation.’

This revelation nearly two years after the fact, however, was little consolation.

The concerted efforts to dismiss the serious allegations in the Post’s reporting and to suppress any discussion of the story played a substantial role in the 2020 election.”

Joe Biden is a liar who will go down in history as the worst president in American history. He deceived the American people countless times and has done everything in his power to ruin our economy, values, and way of life. Arrest all 51 people who signed that letter and throw everyone related to the Biden crime family in jail – let us see how far the corruption goes.