General Russian foreign entanglements thread

[BugI02]

Nailed it!

 

[T.Lex]

Nailed it!

 

[BugI02]

Next prediction. The guys they caught know almost nothing and the trail beyond them leads nowhere. Still thinking about what odds to give that they wind up dead

 

[SheepDog4Life]

Putin "asking" for talks...

AFP | Putin says ready to meet Trump 'as soon as' Washington is ready
https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/putin-says-ready-meet-trump-soon-washington-ready-doc-15s0au4

 

[Kutnupe14]

Putin "asking" for talks...

AFP | Putin says ready to meet Trump 'as soon as' Washington is ready
https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/putin-says-ready-meet-trump-soon-washington-ready-doc-15s0au4

Now is the perfect time. The president just pissed off our allies by suggesting Russia be added back to the G7/8, and showed his obvious disdain for the meeting, by arriving late to the event, then arriving late again for the morning sessions, insulting member states, and then leaving even earlier than the his original early departure. ALL of the preceding is true. That's not spin. Putin, is smart, he'd be a fool not to try and exploit the cracks in our relationships with traditional allies. If Putin is as smart as I think he is, he's certainly going to suggest (if Trump is dumb and accepts a meeting right on the heels of the G7) a better trade relationship with the US that will allow the US to weaken Trump's stated positions on NAFTA, and other trade agreements with traditional allies.

 

[BugI02]

What! I thought he showed his disdain by saying the EU considers America its personal piggy bank and condemning Trudeau as dishonest and weak and a bit of a snake

I'm told even the Davos class finds the unvarnished truth to be painful

 

[BugI02]

I approved of T. Lex's use of the descriptive 'dumpster fire'. It means anything that got burned was trash anyway

 

[SheepDog4Life]

Now is the perfect time. The president just pissed off our allies by suggesting Russia be added back to the G7/8, and showed his obvious disdain for the meeting, by arriving late to the event, then arriving late again for the morning sessions, insulting member states, and then leaving even earlier than the his original early departure. ALL of the preceding is true. That's not spin. Putin, is smart, he'd be a fool not to try and exploit the cracks in our relationships with traditional allies. If Putin is as smart as I think he is, he's certainly going to suggest (if Trump is dumb and accepts a meeting right on the heels of the G7) a better trade relationship with the US that will allow the US to weaken Trump's stated positions on NAFTA, and other trade agreements with traditional allies.

Or, could be that the US/Trump led sanctions after the UK poisonings are taking a bite out of the Russian oligarchs whom Putin needs to remain in power?

And, yes, Putin is smart... too shrewd to to allow his neck to be on the putsch chopping block waiting for the axe to fall. Russia is still Russia after all.

ETA: Forgot the link:

WSJ | Trump Takes the Lead Against Russia | America’s sanctions are now stronger than the European Union’s.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-takes-the-lead-against-russia-1524696481

 

[T.Lex]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44760875

New couple afflicted with novichok. Woman died.

News reports say they came into contact with an "item" that contained the material. Russia continues to play coy. Which, if they really didn't have anything to do with it, seems too-cute-by-half.

 

[Kutnupe14]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44760875

New couple afflicted with novichok. Woman died.

News reports say they came into contact with an "item" that contained the material. Russia continues to play coy. Which, if they really didn't have anything to do with it, seems too-cute-by-half.

They say that the chemical weapon used, was intended to be used as a sort of chemical minefield, which denied access to a area after it's been deployed. So they're think that the original assassins discarded the weapon improperly, that this stuff has just been sitting around waiting to injure someone else. The scary thing, is that is its still out there.

 

[T.Lex]

Yeah, that makes sense.

But, in my mind, this also breaks toward the theory that it is homegrown. That is, a psycho with an expensive hobby (or funding/supporting infrastructure) is trying to spread the hate.

Of course, that doesn't really eliminate Russia as a suspect.

 

[T.Lex]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44883803

Reports that police have identified suspects in the Skripal poisoning. I wonder if we'll get a big reveal like with the Mossad assassination in Dubai.

 

[1DOWN4UP]

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/20...e-says-obama-behind-entire-russia-witch-hunt/. Looks as if Clapper is starting to spill the beans.

 

[BugI02]

First rat over the side, but he's still gaming the system. He knows Obama is never going to be prosecuted so he's deflecting the blame onto him (while also throwing shade on Brennan and Comey)

 

[rob63]

Roughly 14 years ago my wife and I adopted a little boy (3.5 years old at the time) from an orphanage in Russia. We have always planned to travel back to Russia once he was old enough to appreciate it. We just now discovered that he is still technically a Russian citizen because the Russian government has the attitude that once a Russian always a Russian! The only way for him to travel there is to have a valid Russian passport, they won't issue him a visa for his US passport because they still consider him a citizen. Once he turns 18, just a few more months, then he can formally renounce his Russian citizenship and travel as an American. However, to do that he still has to obtain a valid Russian passport to prove that he is a Russian citizen before he can submit the paperwork to renounce it. The US government discourages all of this, but there is no other way for him to travel there. Also, if he were to get a Russian passport and not renounce the citizenship, then he could be subject to Russian military conscription laws while there although there is no known case of it actually happening. What a freaking headache!

 

[T.Lex]

Roughly 14 years ago my wife and I adopted a little boy (3.5 years old at the time) from an orphanage in Russia. We have always planned to travel back to Russia once he was old enough to appreciate it. We just now discovered that he is still technically a Russian citizen because the Russian government has the attitude that once a Russian always a Russian! The only way for him to travel there is to have a valid Russian passport, they won't issue him a visa for his US passport because they still consider him a citizen. Once he turns 18, just a few more months, then he can formally renounce his Russian citizenship and travel as an American. However, to do that he still has to obtain a valid Russian passport to prove that he is a Russian citizen before he can submit the paperwork to renounce it. The US government discourages all of this, but there is no other way for him to travel there. Also, if he were to get a Russian passport and not renounce the citizenship, then he could be subject to Russian military conscription laws while there although there is no known case of it actually happening. What a freaking headache!

Isn't he a US citizen because you adopted him? I mean, if he has a US passport, how would Russia even know?

 

[rob63]

Isn't he a US citizen because you adopted him? I mean, if he has a US passport, how would Russia even know?

Yes, he is a US citizen and has a US passport. You have to have a visa to enter Russia, they check their records when you apply for the visa. If you attempt to enter Russia on a US passport while holding Russian citizenship you run the risk that they will find out and detain you. In his case, he will turn 18 in a few months and could even be subject to their military conscription laws. We have been there, it isn't anything remotely like the US, everywhere you go you have to register with the local police station and they check up on you. If you stop at a hotel for the night, they take your passport and run it to the police station for the check as a convenience to you. If you are driving down the road, the police can stop you and check up on you. If you are walking down the street, the police can stop you and check up on you. You don't take chances with violating Russian law, particularly if they can claim you as a citizen. It's strange, the one place on the planet he may never be able to visit is the country he was born in.

 

[T.Lex]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45019133

The Slovak foreign ministry says it is "disturbing" that the Night Wolves - a Russian nationalist biker gang close to President Vladimir Putin - now have a base in Slovakia.
The base has old military vehicles and lies in Dolna Krupa, a village 70km (44 miles) from the capital Bratislava.

Geographically, you've got to cross a whole bunch of non-Russian territory to get to that base. But, if the right equipment is there....

 

[BugI02]

Wait, was the plot of XXX actually some sort of prophecy? Get me Vin Diesel

 

[Trigger Time]

We should have crushed Russia at the end of WWII. The biggest threat to Russia has always been Russia.
Russia is a threat only because of their nuclear capabilities and their total disregard for any international laws or treaties. But China is what we really need to be focusing on but we would still crush both of them if we had to