RT News - December 15th 2022 Late

President Putin said "The Europeans should have seen it coming" As EU officials wake up to the fact that the US is the one capitalizing on the backlash of sanctions against Russia, Vladimir Putin says the Europeans should have seen it coming.

The city of Donetsk has been subjected to the largest-scale Ukrainian artillery attack since the region rebelled against Kiev in the wake of the 2014 armed coup in Kiev. A cathedral was among the buildings hit by Kiev’s artillery. Ukrainian troops fired 40 rockets from Grad multiple rocket launchers at several neighbourhoods of central Donetsk at around 7 a.m. local time (4 a.m. GMT) Several conventional shells also hit the city both before and after the barrage, he added. On Wednesday, a watchdog recording attacks by Ukrainian troops on targets in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics estimated that over 4,500 civilians had been killed in the two regions since mid-February, when Kiev intensified its strikes, before the Russian military intervention later that month.

Two US politicians have put forward a proposal to remove the rights of Russia in the UN Security council. Can't be done so why try ?

Sky News confirmed the many reports made by RT about the treatment of those seen by Kiev as "collaborators". (QS so far reports have said 139 civilians were killed, another 200 are "missing"; many have been tied to trees and lamp-posts with their underwear pulled down and left to the mercy of the troops and pro-Ukraine public. It's very frightening to see with many beaten and some sexual assaults)

Meanwhile UK is training "judges" for Ukraine war-crime tribunals (see yesterday's post). The BBC also prejudices people's minds as they post fake news for days without taking it down "pre-bunking minds". Can a court that isn't internationally recognised pass judgement on war crimes?

Insensitive: US decides to name a warship after an Iraq battle. (QS comment they should just have called it "depleted uranium" and be done with it)

US has sanctioned Zimbabwe with what Zimbabwe sees as political and phoney. (par for the course with sanctions... US trying for another coup)

Instagram restores a video of an Indian woman being sexually assaulted, saying although it violates rules, it raises awareness.
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Below 1) UK doctors warn of ‘biggest cancer crisis’
2) --- Denmark drops holiday to beef up military spending
3) --- Pres. Putin accuses EU of being a doormat for US
4) ---- EU fails to agree new anti-Russia sanctions – Reuters
5) ---- Erdogan slams ‘repulsive’ comment from EU's Borrell
6) --- Pres. Putin says Russia will reroute more gas to Asia

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via RT website 15 Dec, 2022 15:30

1) --- UK doctors warn of ‘biggest cancer crisis’

The NHS has put treatment delays down to staffing shortages and insufficient diagnostic capacity

Britain is in the midst of a major healthcare crisis as months-long delays in cancer treatment have become increasingly commonplace, leading to higher mortality, the National Health Service (NHS) has warned.

On Wednesday, several British media outlets cited recent NHS figures, which showed that nearly 40% of all cancer patients urgently referred by their GP in October had to wait two months before receiving treatment. This is said to be the second-worst performance on record and well short of the 15% target.

The Guardian quoted doctors as saying that a mere four-week delay in cancer treatment “increases mortality by between 6% and 13% for solid cancers, with further increases if the delay is longer.”

Meanwhile, according to an article published in the Lancet Oncology journal, there has been a 17% rise in UK cancer deaths caused by delays in diagnosis and treatment since the Covid-19 pandemic. This is believed to have contributed considerably to the breakdown of cancer treatment practices in the country.

Clinicians from Imperial College London, the Institute of Cancer Policy at King’s College, Radiotherapy UK, and Check4Cancer have called for immediate action to tackle the crisis.

Oncologist and founder of the CatchUpWithCancer campaign, Professor Pat Price, characterized the current situation as a “watershed moment for UK cancer services – the biggest cancer crisis ever.” He also warned that Britain “can’t accept the normalization of record-breaking cancer treatment waiting times.”

Other healthcare professionals noted that the “NHS and frontline staff need the same urgency and leadership, combined with the authority to work through obstructive bureaucracy, that was given to the Covid-19 vaccine taskforce.”

A 2021 report cited staff shortages and a lack of diagnostic tools, especially in the areas of radiology and pathology, among the main reasons for the current state of affairs.

In order to turn the tide, doctors called on the NHS to find ways to retain staff and “give them the tools and support they need to do their jobs.”

Special emphasis should be placed on investment in radiotherapy, which is said to be in danger of collapse in Britain.

Meanwhile, an NHS spokesperson told the media that the authorities are already “investing billions to expand diagnostic and treatment services to meet increased demand.”
https://www.rt.com/news/568313-uk-nhs-warns-cancer-crisis/
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via RT website 15 Dec, 2022 15:49

2) --- Denmark drops holiday to beef up military spending

Center-right and center-left parties have agreed to scrap a religious holiday in order to “strengthen our defenses”

Denmark’s newly-formed coalition government has opted to do away with one of the country’s 11 public holidays to help reach NATO’s annual defense spend target of 2% of GDP, despite criticism from religious Danes.

“There is war in Europe, and we need to strengthen our defenses,” Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen explained on Thursday when asked why she was scrapping the holiday on the new government’s first day in power. “That will require everyone to contribute a little more.” She said she hoped the measure would boost productivity and economic activity.

Meeting NATO’s spending target three years ahead of schedule is one of the top priorities of the coalition government, which took power on Thursday. Comprised of the center-right Liberal Party and the centrist Moderates in addition to Fredriksen’s center-left Social Democrats, the coalition is Denmark's first in nearly half a century to include parties from both sides of the political spectrum.

While the new government has explained the decision, some Christians have taken issue with the actual holiday that is being excised from the calendar. Store Bededag (“Great Prayer Day”), observed on the Friday before the fourth Sunday after Easter, has been celebrated by Danes since 1686 and is traditionally a big day for confirmation ceremonies.

Roskilde Cathedral's Dean Sophie Olander condemned the government's move, telling local outlet TV2 “We need holidays, as gathering times to get down to speed and have time for prayer and reflection. It is a shame to have a society where you think it is not important.”

Fredriksen called a snap election in October after a report describing her government’s November 2020 decision to slaughter millions of minks on fur farms due to fear of Covid-19 triggered popular outrage. While her party won the most votes last month, she initially tendered her resignation to Queen Magrethe, claiming to want a broader governing coalition. Instead, her party’s coalition partners opted to retain her as PM and dropped their calls for an independent legal inquiry into the cull.

Copenhagen admitted a week after ordering the destruction of the country’s entire mink population that there had been no legal basis for the directive and that improper disposal of the bodies had likely contaminated groundwater.
https://www.rt.com/news/568318-denmark-dumps-holiday-nato-minks/
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15 Dec, 2022 12:49

4) ---- EU fails to agree new anti-Russia sanctions – Reuters

Poland and the Baltic states reportedly objected to a proposed relaxation of restrictions affecting fertilizer exports

EU member states have failed to agree a ninth package of economic sanctions targeting Russia over its military campaign against Ukraine, according to Reuters. The news agency, citing an anonymous diplomat, said several countries objected to a proposed change to the existing measures.

According to the report, discussions were held late on Wednesday in Brussels, ahead of the EU leaders’ summit on Thursday.

The main bone of contention, Reuters claims, were plans to allow the passage of Russian fertilizers through EU ports, including those produced by sanctioned Russian firms. Some countries reportedly argued that this would help ensure food security in developing nations.

Opponents, however, who according to Reuters included Poland and the three Baltic states, argued that such a relaxation would likely be abused by Russian oligarchs on the EU sanction list.

Other member states reportedly suggested giving the World Food Programme the right to authorise such exports.

Reuters' source told the agency that a new draft of the sanctions package was expected to be circulated on Thursday evening.

Last week, the Financial Times reported that Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands had drafted a proposal calling for exemptions on Russian grain and fertilizers and that the current sanctions regime was delaying vital shipments to poorer regions.

The document reportedly states that the “current legal situation contributes to criticism that sanctions actually hinder trade in food and fertilizers.”

Back in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the UN to pressure the EU to lift the restrictions. He said at the time that the sanctions first and foremost harmed developing countries.

The Russian head of state also pledged to provide 300,000 tons of fertilizers that had been held in EU ports to developing nations free of charge.

The EU imposed sanctions on Russian fertilizer exports back in April, banning the purchase, import or transfer of those products to the EU. In August, the European Commission issued a clarification, under which the regulations also applied to the transit of Russian fertilizers to third countries via the EU.
https://www.rt.com/news/568289-eu-fails-agree-russia-sanctions/
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via RT website 15 Dec, 2022 15:33

3) --- Pres. Putin accuses EU of being a doormat for US

Western Europe's economic crisis is a result of Brussels continuously kowtowing to its “American overlord,” the Russian president says

The current economic troubles in the EU, and the unfriendly attitude displayed by the US towards Europe, are a direct consequence of the weakness shown by the union's leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. He made the remarks during a meeting of Russia’s council for strategic development and national projects.

“Today, the EU’s main partner, the US, is pursuing policies leading directly to the de-industrialization of Europe. They even try to complain about that to their American overlord. Sometimes even with resentment they ask ‘Why are you doing this to us?’ I want to ask: ‘What did you expect?’ What else happens to those who allow feet to be wiped on them?” Putin said.

Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sounded the alarm over US economic policies, urging the EU to “take action” if it wanted to be able to compete with the US government-subsidized green industry.

Von der Leyen blasted the tax breaks for consumers who buy American products, introduced under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed by President Joe Biden in August. She warned that such initiatives could “lead to unfair competition, could close markets, and thus fragment critical supply chains.”

Other top EU officials have repeatedly voiced concern about an impending recession and potential decades-long deindustrialization. Early in October, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that unless Brussels were to somehow fix the situation with soaring energy prices, it was “risking massive deindustrialization of the European continent and the long-term consequences that might actually be very deep.”

The economic crisis in the EU largely stems from the bloc’s own actions, targeting Russia with a multitude of sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, Putin noted.

“What exactly has Europe itself achieved by imposing the restrictions? First of all, there has been an unprecedented, as economists say, jump in inflation in their own home, the eurozone. In November, it amounted to 10% in the eurozone as a whole, with some countries showing extreme figures of more than 20%, even 25%,” Putin noted.

At the same time, the collective West, unlike Russia, continues its efforts to grab any resources for itself, the Russian president stated. “Unlike Western countries, which shamelessly pull all of the blankets for themselves, Russia helps the poorest states in Africa, Asia and other regions, delivering food and other goods,” he said.
https://www.rt.com/russia/568303-eu-us-wipe-feet/
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15 Dec, 2022 13:41

5) ---- Erdogan slams ‘repulsive’ comment from EU's Borrell

The Turkish president has dismissed criticism by the EU's top diplomat about Ankara’s ties with Moscow

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is in no position to comment on Türkiye’s relations with other nations, after the president rejected remarks the EU official reportedly made about Russian-Turkish ties.

“...Borrell cannot appoint or regulate our relations with Russia. He has neither the quality nor the capacity to make such a decision on these matters,” Erdogan told news agency Anadolu.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday on his way back from Turkmenistan, the Turkish president said Borrell’s position is on a par with Ankara's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, which made him unfit to pass judgment.

Erdogan was commenting on a letter that Borrell reportedly sent to the European Parliament to express the European Commission’s concerns about continued Turkish-Russian cooperation. The document was covered by the German media group Funke on Sunday.

Borrell lamented the fact that Türkiye was “not joining the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia,” according to the reports. He noted that Ankara could help Moscow dodge sanctions imposed by Brussels by allowing Türkiye to serve as an intermediary for trade in banned goods, adding that the EU should not allow that to happen. Erdogan called the purported remarks “repulsive.”

The Turkish government refused to join the US and its allies in their campaign to punish Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, serving instead as a key mediator between Moscow and Kiev, including in the UN-backed scheme that allows Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea.

Moscow has also backed a gas hub in Türkiye that serves southern Europe after EU nations cut trade, including natural gas supplied via pipelines, as part of anti-Russian sanctions.

Borrell and other top EU officials claimed that member states had a moral obligation to implement Brussel’s policies regardless of economic hardships they may suffer in the process.

During the same press conference, Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s wish to work together with Russia and Syria to mitigate threats of terrorism, which Ankara sees as emanating from northwestern parts of its neighbor.

“Our intelligence organizations should come together, then our defense ministers, and then our foreign ministers should meet,” the Turkish leader said, outlining future contact between the three nations.
https://www.rt.com/news/568302-erdogan-borrell-russia-sanctions/
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15 Dec, 2022 16:28

6) --- Pres. Putin says Russia will reroute more gas to Asia

Export volumes may reach nearly 90 billion cubic meters by 2030

Eastbound supplies of Russian natural gas will continue to grow and could hit almost 90 billion cubic meters by the end of this decade, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a meeting of the Strategic Development and National Projects Council.

He said the development of port and pipeline infrastructure to the south and east would be an important step to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions and other “hostile actions” against Russia.

“Implementation of such projects as the Kovyktinskoe Field, the Power of Siberia 2 and the Far Eastern route will make it possible to increase gas supplies to the east to 48 billion cubic meters by as early as 2025 and to 88 billion by 2030,” Putin said.

This would actually amount to more than 60% of gas supplies to the West in 2021, he noted.

According to the president, new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Russia’s Yamal Region will make it possible to increase LNG production by 70 billion cubic meters, which will also allow for the diversification of export destinations.
https://www.rt.com/business/568317-putin-russia-gas-asia/
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via RT website 15 Dec, 2022 12:11

Vatican apologizes to Russia – Moscow

The Pope claimed last month that two ethnic groups living in Russia were particularly disposed to battlefield cruelty

The Vatican has issued a formal apology to Russia for derogatory remarks made by Pope Francis last month about some ethnic groups in the country, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The ministry received the message on Thursday from Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. It expressed the Holy See’s respect for “all peoples of Russia, their dignity, faith and culture, just like all other nations and peoples of the world,” Zakharova told a press briefing.

“The capacity to recognize one’s mistakes is becoming more rare in international relations today. This situation shows that, behind the Vatican’s calls for dialogue, there is a knack for having such a dialogue and hearing the other side,” the Russian diplomat noted. She added that Moscow considered the incident to be over.

Pope Francis made a negative generalized assessment of the character of Buryats and Chechens, two of the many ethnic groups living in Russia, in an interview published in late November. He described them as “of Russia but… not of the Russian tradition” and claimed that such people were “the cruelest” of the Russian troops in Ukraine.

Moscow responded by issuing a formal note of protest to the Vatican, while many Russian officials, including Zakharova, expressed outrage about the remarks.

“This is no longer Russophobia, it’s a perversion on a level I can’t even name,” the spokeswoman said at the time.

The Vatican and Pope Francis personally offered mediation in the conflict in Ukraine. The pontiff previously angered Kiev by publicly recognizing that NATO’s expansion in Europe was a contributing factor in the conflict, which is part of Moscow’s position on the origin of the violent standoff with Kiev and its foreign backers.
https://www.rt.com/russia/568293-vatican-apology-buryats-chechens/
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