Putin Deplores U.S. Sanctions, But Lauds Trump Meeting

[rainman + 263]

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday condemned U.S. sanctions against Russia as counter-productive, but said a summit he had held last month with U.S. President Donald Trump had still been useful. Speaking at a news conference after holding talks with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto, Putin said he hoped Washington would realize that its policy of imposing sanctions on Moscow for its perceived misbehavior was misguided. “As for sanctions, these actions are counter-productive and pointless, especially towards a country like Russia,” Putin told reporters. Despite the sanctions, Putin said a summit with Trump in Helsinki last month had been useful and praised the benefits of direct dialogue. Putin also said Europe needed the Moscow-backed Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project, an initiative that Trump has harshly criticized, and that Russia was the most suitable supplier of energy for Europe.

[franco + 96]

Probably because Putin's expecting lift of the sanctions

[Pavel + 384]

If Putin wants better relations with the civilized world must be part of them. Now, it's a rigid regime. Russian citizens are deserving to re-join the world community.

[damirUSBiH + 327]

Old spy -. old method. This is an old KGB - USSR tactic. Use an "iron fist in a soft glove" approach. With Vladimir Putin old habits die hard. There isn't any surprise here.

[50 shades of black + 254]

Did we ban Matryoshka dolls? 🤣

 

 

[ThunderBlade + 231]

15 minutes ago, franco said:

Probably because Putin's expecting lift of the sanctions

Russia added more gold reserves in July than any other month this year as it continues to buy up the metal in the face of U.S. sanctions...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-22/russian-central-bank-buys-more-gold-in-face-of-tougher-sanctions

 

[Mike Norman + 2]

Putin could nullify these sanctions with ease, but he is too dumb and has a neoliberal finance minister and central banker in his government who believe they need dollars and foreign capital and investment. He stupidly buys gold, which is a direct subsidy to mining companies and nothing more. He seeks balanced budgets, which removes income and savings from his citizenry and the economy and transfers it to the government, a government that has the monopoly power to issue,  spend and invest in ruble to any degree that it wants. He sells energy to Europe even as Europe goes along with Washington's sanctions. Russia is the largest country in the world with a bounty of nearly limitless natural resources and an educated citizenry. At the same time it is also a nuclear superpower. Yet it allows itself to be limited because of ignorance and false beliefs.