RT News - June 18 2024 (early) Pres. Putin visit to N. Korea and Vietnam

President Putin trip to North Korea and Vietnam is in the headlines. It's heralding the establishment of a true, multi-polar world which the collective west and in particular the US seeks to undermine. Steve Sweeney discusses and outlines the itinerary/agenda, also see articles below. (the western press are going nuts about this trip, in particular regarding "sanction breaking" which seems to be leaving them all a-gog. This is just one example via the BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv22l88pr4po there are hundreds of others)

Alarm bells are sounding over US and European countries being pushed out of west and central Africa and losing their influence. This seems to be directing them to seek a military option for the continent with Michiel Van Der Laan, the DG of the European Union military staff suggesting stepping up "their efforts". Noluvuyo Kunge deep dive reports - all the weapons and troops supplied to Africa have done is increase their problems, increased the terrorism, coups and violence.
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In Israel, protests continue and there have been clashes with the police. Yesterday, Pres. Netanyahu dissolved the war cabinet following the resignation of Benny Gantz. (It's worth noting that protests have been ongoing for years demanding the resignation of the president who is accused of corruption of the courts and other corruption) Maria Finoshina reports from outside the Knesset in Jerusalem.
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Ukraine - Russia conflict. 1,775 Ukrainian soldiers were lost by Kiev in just one day as Moscow troops press forward in Donbass (Donetsk). Ukrainians are being pressed into service (conscripted) by force. Igor Zhdanov reports from Belgorod, includes a report courtesy of BBC.
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The USA has issued Kiev an ultimatum to defeat Russia on the battlefield before they can join NATO (see below, last article). Rick Sanchez and Peter Kuznik discuss the bleak prospects in "Direct Impact" (it isn't on Rumble yet but will be later, here is the link - keep checking in https://rumble.com/search/video?q=direct%20impact%20rick%20sanchez&sort=date )
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Short take: Russia and North Korea are teaming up to push back against Western sanctions, while shaping a new security framework in Eurasia. That's the message from the Russian President ahead of his visit to the Peninsula, his first since 2000. The EU's Military Staff Director General warns about Western countries' waning influence in Central and West Africa but frustration goes way deeper than just security issues. Israelis clash with police in anti-government rallies amid the dissolution of the war cabinet after a key opposition leader withdraws from it, citing Benjamin Netanyahu's mishandling of the conflict in Gaza.

*** stop press The Swiss organizers of the Ukraine ‘peace conference’ have taken Rwanda’s signature off the event’s final communique, a day after Jordan and Iraq asked for their names to be removed, according to the document published on the Swiss Foreign Affairs Department website ***

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Russia supports North Korea against ‘treacherous’ West – Putin
17 Jun, 2024 21:06

Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit Pyongyang for the first time since 2000

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for its friendship and support and pledged to assist Pyongyang in its own struggle for independence and identity.

Putin is scheduled to visit North Korea on Tuesday, for the first time since 2000. Ahead of his trip, the Russian president has written an article published by the leading DPRK daily, Rodong Sinmun.

“Russia has continuously supported and will support the DPRK and the heroic Korean people in their struggle against the treacherous, dangerous and aggressive enemy, in their fight for independence, identity and the right to freely choose their development path,” Putin wrote.

“Russia has continuously supported and will support the DPRK and the heroic Korean people in their struggle against the treacherous, dangerous and aggressive enemy, in their fight for independence, identity and the right to freely choose their development path,” Putin wrote.

The Russian leader thanked North Korea for its “unwavering support” of the military operation in Ukraine, international solidarity, and “willingness to defend our common priorities and views” at the UN.

Putin also described Pyongyang as “our committed and like-minded supporter, ready to confront the ambition of the collective West to prevent the emergence of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect for sovereignty and consideration of each other’s interests.”

The “rules-based order” the US has been trying to impose on the world is “nothing more than a global neo-colonial dictatorship that relies on double standards,” Putin noted.

While Kim Jong-un and the DPRK leadership have repeatedly offered to resolve differences by peaceful means, the US has refused to implement previous agreements and “keeps setting new, increasingly harsh and obviously unacceptable requirements,” Putin wrote.

The Russian president complimented North Koreans for “effectively defending their interests” even after years of “economic pressure, provocations, blackmailing and military threats” by the US.

According to the Kremlin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov, and Russian Railway head Oleg Belozyorov are scheduled to accompany Putin on his trip to North Korea on Tuesday.

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Putin reveals goals of North Korea trip 17 Jun, 2024 22:45

The Russian leader wants better relations free of pressure from the West

Moscow and Pyongyang will develop trade and security arrangements, immune from pressure from the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, ahead of his visit to North Korea on Tuesday. The Russian president outlined his goals in an article published by the leading DPRK daily, Rodong Sinmun.

To bring “more democracy and stability to international relations,” Russia and North Korea “will develop alternative trade and mutual settlements mechanisms not controlled by the West, jointly oppose illegitimate unilateral restrictions, and shape the architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia,” Putin wrote.

He also pledged to increase “people-to-people interaction” between the two countries, including “academic mobility” between higher education institutions, tourism, “as well as cultural, educational, youth and sports exchanges” to promote confidence, mutual understanding and well-being.

Putin reminded Koreans that the Soviet army helped liberate them from Japanese occupation in 1945 and that Moscow was the first to recognize the DPRK and establish diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. The USSR also helped rebuild the country after the devastation of the Korean War (1950-1953) with the US-backed South.

“Russia has incessantly supported and will support the DPRK and the heroic Korean people in their struggle against the treacherous, dangerous and aggressive enemy, in their fight for independence, identity and the right to freely choose their development path,” the Russian president wrote.

Tuesday’s visit will be Putin’s first trip to North Korea since 2000, when he met with Kim Jong-Il. Last September, he hosted the current DPRK leader Kim Jong-un at the Vostochny spaceport in eastern Russia.

According to the Kremlin, the Russian delegation will also include Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt, space agency Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov, and Russian Railway head Oleg Belozyorov.

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Le Pen comments on ousting Macron 17 Jun, 2024 15:22

The French president called a snap general election after the National Rally trounced his party in the EU parliamentary vote.

Marine Le Pen has said she will not seek the immediate removal of President Emmanuel Macron from office should her National Rally (NR) party come out on top in France's upcoming general election.

The former long-time NR leader currently heads the party’s faction in parliament. Macron called a snap election after his party lost spectacularly to the NR in the EU parliamentary elections earlier this month.

Le Pen, who has run for president three times in the past, has been a vocal critic of Macron’s immigration and social policies, as well as his support for arming Ukraine.

In an interview with Le Figaro published on Sunday, Le Pen was asked whether her party would call for the resignation of the president if the National Rally emerges victorious in the upcoming election. The veteran politician said she would not.

“I am respectful of institutions, I am not calling for institutional chaos. There will simply be cohabitation,” she said.

Despite this, Le Pen insisted that Macron has left France “in ruins,” with public services destroyed and immigration out of control. She went on to claim that while the political system established in France by General Charles de Gaulle is still intact, Macron has “put in place the conditions for a total blockage of the democratic functioning of our country.”

The National Rally, on the other hand, embodies “order and tranquility,” Le Pen insisted, adding that she sees her role as “president of the majority group of a cohabitation government.”

Le Pen stressed that “competent people of good will, whatever their political color” would be welcome to join in. She claimed that a number of “senior officials and diplomats” have signaled their willingness to work with the right-wing party.

Addressing supporters earlier this month, Le Pen said the party is ready to “exercise power if the French people place their trust in us in these future legislative elections.” Current National Rally leader Jordan Bardella echoed the statement, arguing that the people have expressed a “desire for change.”

The comments came shortly after Macron announced his decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call a snap general election. He cited “the historic score of the far-right” and current “parliamentarian disorder” as the reason for his decision.

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Kremlin dismisses Kiev’s ‘peace summit’ expectations 17 Jun, 2024 13:42

Ukraine is well aware of Russia’s position and what needs to be done before talks can begin, Dmitry Peskov has said.

Russia’s conditions for peace with Ukraine remain unchanged from those outlined by President Vladimir Putin last week, regardless of Kiev’s expectations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Last weekend, Switzerland hosted the Ukraine ‘peace summit’, to which Russia was not invited at Kiev’s request. Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said he wants the next event to include a delegation from Moscow ready to sign a truce.

”The approach of the Russian side is transparent, consistent and well-known, including to Mr. Kuleba,” Peskov said. Putin detailed this last Friday, he added.

In a keynote foreign policy speech last week, Putin said he would order a ceasefire as soon as Kiev announces the withdrawal of troops from all territory claimed by Moscow and vows not to seek NATO membership. The Ukrainian government has rejected the proposal, calling it an ultimatum.

The gathering in Switzerland, as envisioned by Ukrainian officials, was meant to formulate a “just” resolution of the Ukraine conflict, which Kiev and its supporters would then present to Russia to accept under pressure.

The final joint statement was signed by less than 80 nations, plus three separate bodies of the EU, the human rights organization Council of Europe, and the breakaway Serbian region of Kosovo. Most of the signatories were already following the US’ lead in supporting Kiev. Major players of the Global South, including China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Indonesia, and others, either boycotted the conference or did not sign the communique.

The document did not include many of the points in the ‘peace formula’ advocated by Kiev, such as the demand for Russia to pay war reparations and the creation of a tribunal for alleged war crimes. The three key articles approved in Switzerland urge nuclear safety, food security, and an exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine. The statement also calls for “dialogue between all parties” to achieve peace.

Moscow dismissed the conference as irrelevant before it was held, as no serious results could be achieved without Russia’s participation, according to senior Russian officials. Given the situation on the front line, Ukraine will receive progressively worse terms with time and could end up losing its statehood, they have warned.

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Biden may tap US strategic oil reserves – FT 17 Jun, 2024 15:03

The move is being touted as a way of reducing prices at the pump ahead of the presidential election, according to a report

US President Joe Biden may order the release of more crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an effort to tame rising gasoline prices and inflation ahead of the election in November, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

The SPR is an emergency stockpile of petroleum maintained by the US Department of Energy, which was established after an OPEC oil embargo in 1973 and 1974. It serves as a buffer against spikes in oil prices in times of supply disruptions.

In an interview with the FT, Biden’s closest adviser on energy, Amos Hochstein, pointed out that prices at the pump were “still too high for many Americans,” and said he would like to see them “cut down a little bit further.”

Biden has tapped the SPR more than any of his predecessors, announcing releases from the reserve in late 2021 and again in 2022, following Russia’s oil production cut due to Western sanctions.

Any decision in the coming months to release more barrels from the SPR would anger Republicans, who have accused Biden of “political abuse and misuse” of the stockpile, the FT wrote.

In a letter sent last month to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, senior Republicans reportedly called on the administration to “ensure that the SPR is not abused for political purposes in this election year.” It described Biden’s decision to tap the reserves in 2022 as “a transparent attempt to influence the midterm elections.”

The Biden administration has promised measures including curbs on healthcare costs and banking fees in a bid to control inflation, which has fallen by about 60% since hitting multi-decade highs in 2022.

“Any president facing a tough re-election, especially in a fragile economy, is going to be anxious about the risk of a gasoline price spike,” said Bob McNally, a former energy adviser to George W. Bush and head of consultancy with Rapidan Energy.

According to the AAA motoring group, cited by FT, petrol prices in the US averaged $3.45 a gallon on Sunday, down slightly from a year ago but still more than 50% higher than when Trump left the White House in 2021.

Trump has used petrol prices as an attack line against Biden in the current presidential campaign, telling supporters at a rally in Las Vegas last weekend: “We’re going to drill, baby, drill. We’re going to bring down your energy costs.”

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US warns Ukraine it must defeat Russia to join NATO 18 Jun, 2024 01:26

Washington is doing everything it can to help Kiev, the national security spokesman has said.

In order to become a NATO member, Ukraine has to “win the war” with Russia first, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists at a press briefing on Monday.

US President Joe Biden believes NATO is in Ukraine’s future, but there are “a lot of things that have to be done” before it can join, Kirby said. When a journalist asked him to elaborate on the “vague conditions” and “unclear pathway” Kiev has been given, he claimed that Washington’s position is “absolutely clear.”

“First, they’ve got to win this war,” Kirby said.

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure they can do that. Then when the war’s over, no matter what it looks like, they’re still going to have a long border with Russia and a legitimate security threat,” he said. Washington will assist in building up Ukraine’s military industrial base, although “corruption is still a major concern,” Kirby added.

Moscow has warned that it sees the expansion of NATO towards Russia’s borders as an existential threat. President Vladimir Putin said Kiev’s stated intention to join the US-led military bloc was one of the key causes of the ongoing conflict.

Last Friday, the Russian leader named Moscow’s conditions for a ceasefire and the beginning of peace negotiations. The talks can start as soon as Kiev withdraws its troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, and cedes its claims to all five former Ukrainian territories that voted to join Russia, including Crimea, he said.

Moscow will not accept a frozen conflict, which would allow the US and its allies to rearm and rebuild the Ukrainian military, Putin stated, adding that Kiev must formally abandon any plans to join NATO.

The supplies of Western weapons to aid Kiev’s war efforts makes the countries providing them a party to the conflict, Moscow has insisted. Further NATO involvement in the conflict risks a direct clash between Moscow and the US-led military bloc, and threatens to expand into a nuclear conflict, the Kremlin has stressed.

-- see also https://en.topwar.ru/244479-kirbi-glavnym-usloviem-dlja-vstuplenija-ukrainy-v-nato-javljaetsja-pobeda-nad-rossiej.html

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These articles can be found on RT.com if you are lucky enough to live in a country which doesn't have the Russian press banned.