Financial Times ...

 ... is a human sewer, because normal people do not work there. They do not work in media in general--human waste does. 

President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump during their high-level summit last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin may ultimately end up regretting his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The revelation, first reported by the Financial Times citing officials familiar with the US assessment of the Beijing summit, comes at a delicate diplomatic moment. The information surfaced just as Putin is about to arrive in China for a critical bilateral summit with Xi.

But then ...

Well, from the boss' mouth, verbatim. Real boss meanwhile ...

For simpletons who believe that Putin's visit is somehow related to Trump's--I have a bridge to sell. This visit has been in preparation for a long time and 40+ contracts are to be signed and communique to be issued including declaration of the fait accompli of multipolar world. In related news, Boeing confirmed contract for 200 aircraft, primarily B-737 with the option of additional 750. It will be interesting to see what will be agreed upon between China and Russia in this sector. 

And This Is News ...

 ... exactly how?

Kiev refuses to discuss recognizing Crimea as a Russian territory, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky told journalists on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian outlet  Suspilne. “[Crimea] is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine. We have nothing to talk about on this topic – it is outside our Constitution,” Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader claimed that discussing the issue of Crimean ownership will only lead to prolonging the war. “As soon as we start talking about Crimea, about our sovereign territories, we enter the format of prolonging the war,” he said, adding that this is “what Russia wants.”

At this stage Ze's BS is needed (if, mind you, IF) only to Trump, Russians don't give a flying fuck about what he and his curators from London think, because Russia can continue with SMO as long as it takes, maintaining operational tempo which is most efficient for killing the remnants of VSU while maintaining own losses low. 

Meanwhile, Financial Times--this London's collection of BSers and creeps--floats yet another British BS. 

Vladimir Putin has offered to halt his invasion of Ukraine across the current front line as part of efforts to reach a peace deal with US President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. The Russian president told Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, during a meeting in St Petersburg earlier this month that Moscow could relinquish its claims to areas of four partly occupied Ukrainian regions that remain under Kyiv’s control, three of the people said. 

Keep in mind, this is from the rag filled with inbred losers who invent all kinds of shit trying to keep this pathetic Island relevant and not taking its proper place as an economic and military backwater. So, they lie. Don't try to figure out who those "three people" are because they don't exist, other than in imagination of these war criminals from London and Europe. 

Peskov went on record on Monday:

Russia does not believe that a peace deal with Ukraine can be concluded in an expedited manner, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. On Monday, US President Donald Trump suggested that Moscow and Kiev could sign an agreement by the end of this week, while urging both sides to stop fighting and focus their attention on trade with the US. Commenting on Trump’s proposed timeline, Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin that while contacts with the US are ongoing through “various channels,” it would be ill-advised to expect an agreement to be reached quickly. “This topic is so complex that it probably shouldn’t be constrained by strict timeframes,” Peskov said, adding that attempting to agree on a viable settlement in a rushed manner would be a “thankless task.”

So, make your own decision who BSes here and who is not. Meanwhile, my sources (three of the people) tell me that UK will cease to exist as a nation by 2050, together with its modern degenerate "culture" and "elites". 

The Royal Ballet School’s new artistic director has declared that plus-sized dancers are the future after a former student alleged that teachers had “body-shamed” pupils. Iain Mackay, who was installed in his post at the school last year, also said that same-sex dance partnerships should be normalised.

Yes, that will be totally correspondent to London's "cultural", economic, military and intellectual level. I am all for it. 

They Begin To Suspect Something.

In no less than Financial Times which specialized for the least 5-6 years in burying Russia on a monthly bases and in anticipation of Putler Regime's (low on wokeness, LGBTQINSBD rights, and high on anthropogenic climate change denial) collapse due to its undemocratic practices which insult modern West's sensibilities--you know, like identifying only two genders. Yet, even Financial Times begins to suspect something in its latest about Russia. Remember, for years I, among very many people of different walks of life, stated that Western sanctions are very good for Russia and Russians are terrified by possible lifting of those. Well, what do you know: 

Russia: adapting to sanctions leaves economy in robust health. Analysts say Moscow now has more to fear from a removal of restrictions than additional ones

Now Russia's main strategic secret is out and some more-or-less competent observations are being made. About time. Of course people in Financial Times do not understand the real size and scale of Russian economy and repeat same ol' monetarist BS (accidentally, responsible for driving US and UK's economies into the ground) that Russian economy's size is $1.7 trillion, but let's forgive victims of Wall Street make believe world of virtual, zero value added, FIRE economics, and concentrate on what this establishment rag got right about Russia. Here is what they got right:

Russia’s response to the sanctions focused on three key areas. First, it tightened its belt, cutting public spending and forcing its banks and major corporates to clean up their balance sheets. That was partly due to the slump in foreign credit caused by sanctions and investor sentiment, and partly due to a sense that the economy needed a safety net. Second, it spent trillions of Rubles on programmes to create domestic substitutes for imported goods, while food imports from the EU were banned in order to stimulate local production....  And third, it overhauled how Russia spends the vast proceeds from selling oil and gas. Income from energy exports above a certain level was diverted into a national wealth fund, which ended a pattern of boom-and-bust caused by government spending linked to the oil price. It also, almost overnight, severed the bond that had seen the Ruble move in tandem with energy markets. The results have been impressive. All three levels of Russia’s government ran a budget surplus in 2018 and 2019, and its total public debt is about 15 per cent of GDP. The EU average is 80 per cent.

The main thing, of course, are not just financial indicators, however important, the main one is what author numbers as a second one, because the real value and national security is in the field of real industries. While doing so, Russia very fast re-oriented herself to Asia and decreased dramatically reliance on Europe (US is not even a factor here, with Russian-American trade being minuscule). As our perceptive,  and wonderfully prescient and consistently, over the years, spot on, friends from Awara Group state: 

Due to Russia’s globally by far lowest debt levels across the economy and strong government finances, the ruble should remain stable. Indeed, the ruble seems to have successfully decoupled from the dollar domination as it has shown remarkable strength through the financial upheavals and global tensions of the past few years. This in turn, in addition to the weakening global economy, should keep inflation pressure in check, notwithstanding all the growth-boosting stuff on the domestic front. It is possible that emerging market currencies, and the ruble with them, would come under attack in connection with a potential global financial market hysteria (including a drop in oil price) connected with the coronavirus outbreak. Even so, the fundamentals for the ruble are so strong, that it should recover soon again.

Russia’s expected to grow faster than the West

Potentially, this all could translate into 2-2.5% GDP growth or even 3% at best. But with all the global uncertainties there is no firm basis for making those forecasts. The IMF’s forecasts for 2020 GDP growth are for the global economy 3.3%, the US 2.3%,  and the Euro Area 1.3%, among which Germany 1.1%. The forecast for Russia is 1.9%. Considering that Russia will reach 1.4% growth in 2019 against IMF forecast of 1.1%, they are probably underestimating 2020, too.

Of course, we should keep global economic risks in mind, but here is this funny little fact: as Patrick Armstrong likes to characterize Russian economy--it is a "full service economy". It is also inward oriented. There are 146 million Russians (plus around 60+ more from former Soviet republics) and this market is far from having its full potential realized. The synergy is obvious: even Maternal Capital alone creates circumstances which will see construction industry grow, which, in itself, creates momentum for a variety of industries, such as building of the Crimean Bridge spurred the growth of metal structures production, together with a lot of other adjacent industries. The rate of "domesticating" industrial production in Russia is impressive. Consider this seemingly "insignificant" news which, naturally, were drowned in the information noise the global chaos produces: Russia now produces satellites completely on Russian-made electronic components (in Russian). For those in the know, that speaks volumes. Big-big volumes.

This piece in FT came out within a month of this piece by Center for Naval Analysis. Same as very fresh CFR's "22 prescriptions". What is going on? That is a higher density of more-or-less common sense than usual? Especially considering a prominence of institutions which demonstrated this rudimentary common sense. Do they begin to suspect something? Maybe, that the real world is a bit different from fantasies and operates on a different premises, than was assumed before? Could this be first signs of at least some sobering among the "elites"? Difficult to say, but the geopolitical shift is so massive that it can neither be described nor judged by means of beaten to death and false, always stillborn, models. Maybe Financial Times' analysts would not mind taking some lessons from Awara Group or Michael Hudson? I know they need them.     

So, Was Financial Times Right?

It is sometimes difficult to convey to many people who reside in Manichean world that the world is not Manichean and has a huge variety of shades and colors, this world also doesn't move linearly. The rumor has it now that Mr. Kudrin was offered and accepted a job of the head of the Russia's Accounting Chamber—a close relative of the US Government Accountability Office. So, was the Financial Times then right about Kudrin being offered some important government post or, as NYT (known for its "competence" in Russian affairs, wink, wink) elaborated:

Whether Mr. Putin shifts gears on economic policy hinges on the possible appointment of a liberal economist, Aleksei L. Kudrin, a former finance minister, to a new post as economic adviser, analysts said. Kremlin hard-liners oppose Mr. Kudrin for advocating an easing of tensions with the West, as well as efforts to revive trade. Mr. Kudrin has also argued for raising taxes and the retirement age to shore up the budget.

Pay attention to what all this cabal of Western media wants—they want Kudrin as an "adviser" and as someone who, in effect, guides economic policies in Russia. This is not to speak of West's wet dream of having Russia "easing" (which is tantamount to surrender) so called "tensions" with, primarily, Washington. I have some bad news then for NYT and US rabidly Russophobic policy-makers—Kudrin is not Russian government per se. Why? Very simple:

1. Position of what amounts to American analog of the Comptroller General is not related to any policy-making or "advising" Russia's government, let alone President, for a simple reason—Russia's Accounting Chamber is NOT part of the government and is, as it is in the US, a part of legislative power, that is an organ of the Federal Assembly of Russia. If I wanted to remove Kudrin away from Kremlin and Russian White House (the seat of government) I would have found no better place than put him into this position. After all, this post was offered to him by…State Duma's United Russia party. 

2. Russia's Accounting Chamber has no real power except for making Predstavlenie (literally—Presentation) to Federal Assembly (State Duma + Federation Council) plus it has power to force some specific firms and organizations to properly use funds in accordance to adopted State Budget to formation of which it has virtually no relation. It exists merely to oversee Budget's implementation for Legislative Branch of Russia.

And here comes the main issue of Russia—Russia is NOT the United States where US Congress holds a real power of purse and all US internal politics revolves around the White House and Congress fighting each-other for every penny. This is absolutely NOT the case in Russia because:

a) Putin

b) Putin

c) Putin and Medvedev who threw Kudrin out of government in 2011

d) It is Russia

It is Kremlin which holds an overwhelming power over Duma and long ago turned the process of budget's approval into formality, especially now when Duma will rubber stump anything Kremlin, or Russia's government, under Kremlin's supervision, will present. Why so? Because United Russia party exists as "party of power" in Duma only while it stresses its close association to Vladimir Putin. Once this stops being the case (theoretically), this will be the end of this "party", so they know the hand that feeds them. After all, Putin has his nation behind him, United Russia, well, not so much. 

So, here it is—looks like Kudrin will get this post and will do what he always was good at, when during his tenure as Russia's Finance Minister was called an "accountant". He will count budget money at the places where they are being spent—a perfect job for Kudrin. But here is another question—who "oversees" Accounting Chamber in Russia? Well, do you remember what organization Vladimir Putin is from? Do on-going processes of purging Russia's political top from corrupt people tell us anything? Absolutely. Just last week yet another batch of high level bureaucracy was sent packing. 

So, no, there will be no "negotiations" with the West, there will be no "surrender", nor will there be any Kudrin's "advice" on how to formulate economic strategy. By far more important news are of Dmitry Kozak becoming Vice-Premier responsible for industrial development and energy sector. That, considering the fact of this very competent man being very close to Putin, is one of the indication of proper people getting into the fields which are crucial for Russia's development. 

I can repeat myself: 

Now, this rumor about Kudrin—he is not going to be, if he appears at all, in any position of power to formulate any policy in government, not to mention nationally. Certainly not as a liaison for negotiation of "surrender" to the West as some suggested. People sometimes simply forget that in modern day Russia it is Putin and his immediate team who formulate policies. I see no signs of him "surrendering". Quite opposite, actually.

Yet, as a reminder—still nothing firm was announced yet anyway. Give it a time and carry on with your lives. Will know everything in a due time.  

Steve Sailer's Hilarious Meme. National Security Archives Reveal The Truth.

I. As I stated before, we all have to face the reality of living in a meme-driven world.  Today, Steve Sailer nailed it with a nuclear power hilarity and precision. Here is his brilliant post at UNZ.  

So, Russia influenced Brexit by financing it by a massive amount of 97 cents. This is now the operational "level" of the famed MI-6 (and CIA)--dealing with about one dollar of Russian interference. James Bond (I mean Ian Flemming) would be proud, LOL.  I never knew that Dr. Evil, I mean Vladimir Putin, was such a cheapskate... But then again, can you imagine what Russia can do with....

The scale of this farce is such and it unfolds with such speed that one really begins to worry about very real mental health of a whole strata of the society both in UK and in the US. 

II. On a more serious note: Gorbachev was not lying when stated that he was given a truck load of assurances in late 1980s-early 1990s that NATO will not expand. As declassified documents from National Security Archive testify:

Declassified documents show security assurances against NATO expansion to Soviet leaders from Baker, Bush, Genscher, Kohl, Gates, Mitterrand, Thatcher, Hurd, Major, and Woerner

People in Caucasus have a wonderful saying about BSers, it goes like this: He is a master of his word--he can give it, he can take it back. Here is a case in point. But we knew that all along, didn't we. How much is Western "word" worth? About the same as of a crack whore telling a client that she loves him.  

 

Financial Times: "Europe's Problem Is With Russia, Not Vladimir Putin"

Another salvo in anti-Russian rhetoric, this time from Financial Times. Anyone who wants to get acquainted with this russophobic drivel by Thomas Graham can do it here:

Russia is bad, like really really bad.... 

Mind you, you will have to register to read this rag's set of loony anti-Russian cliches and perversion of both Europe's and Russia's histories. Or you may go to another site, this time Bloomberg (not much of improvement here over FT), and try to see the summary there:

Russia is incredibly bad for Europe. 

 As I wrote not for once--the nominal West has committed a cultural suicide in Russia and it can not be helped. Indeed, the gap between Russia and West is that of the values and at this stage it cannot be bridged. It is also clear today for the majority of Russians, that West's hatred towards Russia is not just ideological and cultural--it is racial. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's get back some decades, namely to October of 1957 and Hans Morgenthau's Naval War College Spruance Lecture titled "Realism In International Politics". Here is what he says:

"I would say, and I have said many times before, that if the czars still reigned in Russia, that if Lenin had died of the measles at an early age, that if Stalin had never been heard of, but the power of the Soviet Union were exactly what it is today, the problem of Russia would be for us by and large what it is today. If the Russian armies stood exactly where they stand today, and if Russian technological development were what it is today, we would be by and large confronted with the same problems which confront us today." 

Naval War College Review, Winter 1998, Vol. LI, Sequence 361. 

Hey, at least this father (one of) of Realism tries to state it in not-racial terms, but, as I already said, Russians today overwhelmingly do understand that behind pompous western rhetoric about values lies deeper meaning. So much so, that people like Graham, as well as the large portion of Anglo-Saxon elites are ready to forgive Nazism and what it brought to the world, they also will and do support the most odious regimes. That is why Graham thinks that Nazi Germany was merely "defending" itself from those nasty untermensch Asiatic russkies. 

Looking at what, once called, "Western Civilization" represents today one cannot miss the intellectual, moral, social and economic decay. Western main stream media long ago turned into the sewer promoting the ideological agenda of sodomy, the political class stays firmly, together with its servile meek "academe", behind what Robert Reilly defined as de-Hellenization of the culture; open lies, obscenity, promotion of the deviancy of all kinds, breakdown in law and education, unrestricted illegal immigration, suffocating political correctness, reign of incompetence--these are today's defining features of what once was called Western Civilization. 

The West, which today resembles less and less a civilization, has some reasons for worry. Today, Russia, with all her problems (and those are big problems) and shortcomings, including those of the national character (I should know--I am Russian myself), represents what West lost and can not regain. In fact, today Russia represents what's left of once Western Civilization. The nominal West never wanted and would never accept Russia as part of what they perceived as Western Civilization, which was defined in 20th and 21st century in strictly Anglo-Saxon terms of political system (you know--"the democracy"), free trade orthodoxy, moral relativism and globalization, with eventual dissolution of the nation-states. But the truth is, that is not what Western Civilization is. As Roger Scraton brilliantly observed:

"The roots of Western Civilization lie in the religion of Israel, the culture of Greece, and the law of Rome, and the resulting synthesis has flourished and decayed in a thousand ways during two millennia that followed the death of Christ."       

Looking with sadness (I love Western culture, the real one, I am a part of it myself) at modern Western cloaca of multiculturalism and moral decadence one cannot fail to notice that values, which, once great, civilization represented, remained intact in Russia and those values are the ones which made the West and great culture it produced. It is also clear that those values are what today will be defined as truly conservative values--not to mistake for American faux-conservatism of neocon and evangelicals' variety. The whole idea, that those Russian untermensch "got it right" and ARE the last vestiges of Western Civilization drives western "elites" mad. That is why the stream of lies, omissions, perversions of history, other attacks on Russia and her people will only increase in western so called media. War, including the real one, is always a cultural act and it starts with dehumanization of the enemy. For West, Russia is the enemy, because it increasingly becomes a viable global alternative. The foundation of this alternative is the concept of a  Nation and that is why Europe's, as well as USA's, problem is with Russia, not Vladimir Putin.