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Indian Prime Minister Visits Moscow for Talks With Vladimir Putin

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow on Monday for a two-day state visit that included a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for Monday night.

Debate over the intended significance of Modi’s visit was rife in foreign policy circles on Monday. Officially, the Indian government said Modi was simply resuming a long-standing tradition of bilateral summits with Russia that was interrupted by first the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. India has maintained cordial relations with Russia since the Cold War, upgrading to an official “strategic partnership” with an agreement signed in 2000.

The New York Times on Monday thought Modi wanted to signal his “determination to stick to his own diplomatic path” by hopping over to Moscow at a moment when the Western world is eager to isolate Putin and pressure him for peace.

For his part, Putin could use Modi’s visit to demonstrate that “the Kremlin continues to have a strong partnership with India, despite India’s deepening relationship with the United States.” India buys massive amounts of Russian oil at discount prices, an arrangement that has benefited both countries tremendously since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

Bloomberg News speculated that Modi and Putin needed to clean up some thorny issues in their bilateral relationship. India is especially worried about Russia getting closer to regional arch-rival China, which has probably done more to help Russia get through sanctions than even India’s gigantic oil purchases. India’s massive trade imbalance with Russia is also causing Modi some political trouble at home. (Read more from “Indian Prime Minister Visits Moscow for Talks With Vladimir Putin” HERE)

‘There’s a Price for Being Russia’s Enemy’: Putin, Kim Aim to Intimidate U.S.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin needs North Korea — not just for its weapons, but also to help deliver a warning to the U.S. and its allies: There will be a significant price to pay for any nation that gets on the Kremlin’s bad side.

That was one of the key points made by former CIA Moscow station chief Daniel Hoffman, who said during an online forum Tuesday that Mr. Putin’s recent meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was an acknowledgment by Moscow that it has become increasingly reliant on pariah states such as North Korea amid diplomatic isolation and heavy economic sanctions from the West.

But Mr. Putin had another motivation, one that seems to have driven the decision to publicly play up the mutual defense pact that the two often wary neighbors signed during their historic summit last month.

“I think that Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang — it’s definitely part of his cold calculus. It’s also a bit of an act of desperation. He needs North Korea, and he also needs the relationship to be very much public,” Mr. Hoffman told the Washington Brief, a monthly forum hosted by the Washington Times Foundation.

The mutual defense agreement, which on its surface seems to indicate Russia and North Korea will come to the other’s aid if attacked, may have also given Mr. Putin a powerful messaging tool against those who seek to isolate the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine. (Read more from “‘There’s a Price for Being Russia’s Enemy’: Putin, Kim Aim to Intimidate U.S.” HERE)

Putin ‘Stashing Years of Food in Secret Nuclear Bunker’

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Food to feed up to 300 people ‘for several years’ has allegedly been sent to the bunker in the remote Altai Mountains.

The chilling claim comes amid deep tension between Russia and the West over Ukraine, as Putin on Friday warned that NATO leaders are pushing him ‘to the point of no return’ over a nuclear Third World War.

A source – who claims to be involved in loading the food – told Pozdnyakov Telegram channel that ‘boxes with dry rations, cereals, and canned food’ are being shifted on a gargantuan scale to the remote Siberian location.

Nearby is a Putin escape named Altai Yard where earlier reports indicate the Kremlin dictator constructed a giant underground nuclear bunker.

Of the food, the source was quoted as saying: ‘I have never seen anything like it – imported, expensive, not ours [Russian]. The products are brought to a warehouse in the mountainous region, and then a presumed Putin security team takes charge. (Read more from “Putin ‘Stashing Years of Food in Secret Nuclear Bunker’” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Zelensky, Western Leaders Reject Putin Ceasefire Proposals at Swiss Summit

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Western leaders rejected Vladimir Putin’s framework for a ceasefire while backing Ukraine’s demands that Russia return all occupied territories as the basis for any potential peace agreement.

The “first annual Global Peace Summit” held in the luxury Swiss resort of Burgenstock, which did not include any representatives from Moscow, concluded with the status quo essentially remaining the same, with Ukraine continuing to demand that Russia cede territory in the East and Crimea as a prerequisite for actual peace talks to begin, a likely non-starter for Vladimir Putin.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, which saw around 100 delegates from 92 countries and eight international organisations attend, President Zelensky claimed that all participants agreed that Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” must be kept intact, Ukrinform reports.

Despite Ukraine failing to recapture the occupied regions in the Donbas during last year’s counteroffensive, Zelenksy’s chief-of-staff Andriy Yermak said that there would be “no compromise on independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” in any peace negotiations with Russia.

Before the summit, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would be willing to agree to a ceasefire and potential peace with Ukraine if Kyiv withdraws its troops from the mostly ethnically Russian territories, which Moscow now claims sovereignty over, citing the internationally contested referenda held in the regions to join Russia. (Read more from “Zelensky, Western Leaders Reject Putin Ceasefire Proposals at Swiss Summit” HERE)

Vladimir Putin Has ‘Army of Sleeper Agents in UK Ready to Strike With Novichok Attacks’

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Vladimir Putin has an army of sleeper agents who have already infiltrated the UK – and they are ready to strike with terrifying nerve toxin chemical weapon attacks.

That’s the view of experts in terrorism and radicalisation who warn that Britain is not ready to deal with this threat.

Professor Anthony Glees from the University of Buckingham says that our country has been penetrated by covert operatives who are now embedding themselves within the nation.

He claims Putin was emboldened by the UK’s weak response to the Sergei Skripal poisoning incident.

Last weekend marked the sixth anniversary of double-agent Skripel being released from hospital after he nearly died having been poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. (Read more from “Vladimir Putin Has ‘Army of Sleeper Agents in UK Ready to Strike With Novichok Attacks’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Putin Likely Didn’t Order Death of Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny, U.S. Intel Agencies Say

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American intelligence agencies have found that the death of Russian opposition leader and dissident Alexei Navalny was likely not ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Navalny’s February death in a prison camp in Russia’s Arctic regions prompted the United States and other countries to levy additional sanctions on the Russian economy, and derailed negotiations on prisoner exchanges. However, multiple American intelligence agencies, including the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency, have assessed that Putin did not directly order the death of Navalny, according to the WSJ.

“The idea of Putin being not informed and not approving killing Navalny is ridiculous,” Navalny ally Leonid Volkov said, according to the WSJ. Navalny survived being poisoned with a Russian nerve agent in August 2020.

“Navalny was a high-value prisoner, politically, and everybody knew that Putin was personally invested in his fate. The chances for this kind of unintended death are low,” Polish Institute of International Affairs director Slawomir Dębski told the WSJ.

However, the American intelligence assessment did not clear Putin of any culpability for the death of the Russian opposition leader who was reportedly to be part of a proposed prisoner swap that could have also included jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan in exchange for a Russian operative accused of assassinating a Georgian dissident. (Read more from “Putin Likely Didn’t Order Death of Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny, U.S. Intel Agencies Say” HERE)

Russia’s Financials Are Far Better Than the Wests’; It Could Pay off All External Debt Tomorrow

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Russia’s external debt has been falling steadily and reached $326.6bn in December 2023, compared with $322.3bn in the previous quarter and $383.6bn at the end of 2022. It could pay the entire amount off tomorrow – in cash.

The Kremlin has been paying off its external debt. Low external debt means Russia doesn’t need to tap international capital markets so is not vulnerable to any sort of sanctions on bond issues, which are easy to apply and enforce.

Coupled with Russia’s strong current account surplus, which was up to $5.2bn in February from $4.5bn in January, thanks to high oil prices, Russia can fund itself easily on this profit.

At the same time gross international reserves have been rising and are now hovering around $600bn at the end of the first quarter. Half of these reserves are frozen. About $150bn are in monetary gold (up from $135bn pre-war) and the rest in yuan.

Even counting out the frozen funds, Russia can cover its external debt dollar for dollar with cash, whereas everyone in the West is massively leveraged, including the Ukraine where the debt-to-GDP ratio is almost at 100%.

It is these rock-solid fundamentals – no one else in world has even remotely similar metrics – which is the essence of Putin’s Fiscal Fortress. It is a ridiculously strong basis, which means even if the West manages to reduce Russia income from oil and gas exports, it will still have a massive amount of wiggle room.

To see the charts and rest of the article, please click HERE.

WWIII WATCH: Putin Warns of Nuclear Consequences if Western Troops Enter Ukraine; Germany Appears to Have Inadvertently Revealed the UK and France have Soldiers in Ukraine

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In a startling escalation of tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning that any deployment of Western troops in Ukraine could lead to global nuclear conflict. The ominous statement comes amidst rising concerns over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the potential for broader international involvement.

Putin declared Russia’s willingness to use its “entire arsenal” if the conflict in Ukraine does not go in its favor. The Russian leader accused Western allies of contemplating the deployment of troops to Ukraine and warned of severe consequences if such a move were to occur.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently stated that sending Western soldiers to Ukraine “could not be ruled out.” He emphasized the need to do everything possible to prevent Russia from prevailing in the conflict.

Putin, during his address, accused Western allies of selecting targets for striking Russian territory and discussed the possibility of sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine. He warned that the consequences for potential invaders would be “far more tragic” than in previous instances when foreign troops were sent to Russian territory.

In a somewhat taunting tone, Putin questioned whether Western leaders truly understood the gravity of the situation, suggesting that they were treating the conflict as a simulation. He asserted that these leaders, who he claimed hadn’t faced tough challenges, seemed to have forgotten the harsh realities of war.

The international community now faces a precarious situation, with diplomatic efforts likely to intensify to prevent further escalation and find a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.

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Germany Appears to Have Inadvertently Revealed the UK and France have Soldiers in Ukraine

By Breitbart. German Chancellor Scholz stands accused of handing Russia a propaganda coup in order to smooth over his own political difficulties as he claims the presence of British and French soldiers aiding Ukrainian forces.

Scholz has been accused of abusing intelligence and being a bad ally by angry NATO politicians after his remarks about the level of involvement he claims there is of the British and French in the deployment of the Storm Shadow / SCALP cruise missiles they have given to Ukraine, and which have been deployed with devastating effect. . .

It is a little-discussed fact that many NATO states have soldiers in Ukraine, but these troops are generally present only to protect the embassies of those nations in Kyiv, and to safeguard diplomatic staff. In some cases they have additional roles: the United States has been open about the fact it has a limited presence of soldiers who track what happens to the enormous amounts of high-tech weapons systems the West gives to Ukraine, for the sake of accountability. Indeed, that presence was re-confirmed only this week by John Kirby.

In the case of the United Kingdom, an apparently off-guard remark by a senior military officer in 2022 revealed there may be more going on behind the scenes, the Lieutenant General saying there had been “discreet operations in a hugely sensitive environment and with a high level of political and military risk”. The British government later strongly denied having any active troops in Ukraine, however, warning against “taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread disinformation”. (Read more from “Germany Appears to Have Inadvertently Revealed the UK and France have Soldiers in Ukraine” HERE)

Trump Says Alexei Navalny’s Death Made Him ‘More Aware of What Is Happening’ in U.S.

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Former President Donald Trump addressed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s sudden death in a Truth Social post on Monday, saying that it has opened his eyes to “what is happening” in the U.S.

Navalny, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in a remote Russian prison on Friday after losing consciousness following a walk, according to Russian authorities. Navalny had been sentenced to prison in January 2021 after returning to Moscow from Germany, where he was undergoing treatment for poisoning from a nerve agent that he blamed on the Kremlin. . .

Trump’s statement — which made no mention of Putin — comes days after U.S. leaders, including President Joe Biden, blamed the Russian leader for Navalny’s death.

“Russian authorities are going to tell their own story. But make no mistake, make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Putin is responsible,” Biden said in a Friday press conference. “What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled — not in Russia, not at home, not anywhere in the world — Putin does not only target citizens of other countries … He also inflicts terrible crimes of his own people.” (Read more from “Trump Says Alexei Navalny’s Death Made Him ‘More Aware of What Is Happening’ in U.S.” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Americans May Not Want to Hear Tucker Carlson’s Honest Realization About Moscow

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Tucker Carlson has not just come under fire for his recent interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin but for his praise of Moscow at the recent World Government Summit.

“What was radicalizing, very shocking, very disturbing for me was the city of Moscow,” Carlson told the audience, adding, “It was so much nicer than any city in my country.”

“It is so much cleaner, and safer, and prettier, aesthetically — it’s architecture, it’s food, it’s service — than any city in the United States,” Carlson continued.

Critics are calling Carlson “anti-American” for his comments, but Dave Rubin believes that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“There are other places on this planet that are not having the problems that we are having,” Dave Rubin says, adding, “and many of our problems seem to be self-inflicted.” (Read more from “Americans May Not Want to Hear Tucker Carlson’s Honest Realization About Moscow” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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