RT News - June 18 2024 Late - Pres. Putin's visit to North Korea and Vietnam

President Putin will sign a strategic partnership treaty with North Korea during his historic visit to the country which commences on Wednesday. Already there are many flags and banners and plenty of flowers lining the streets in NK. There are also pictures ! and some sites of the historic friendship between NK and Russia. Maxim Al-Toury reports on the visit and what to expect, he says the city is beautiful, modern and very clean.

Back in Moscow Steve Sweeney gives more details about the visit and discusses the "strangeness" of the western press about it all. John Kirby made comments about the trip during his press conference. Angelo Giuliano also discusses the trip with Nikki.
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NATO has "scalded" China for their growing relationship with Russia. This (understandably) has ticked China off and they have said that NATO should self-reflect rather than arbitrarily smearing and attacking China. Footage of remarks by Jens Stoltenberg (me - talk about double standards - it's like ten-tuple standards!!) he said "Beijing cannot have it both ways" and speaks veiled threats, it would seem. Carl Zha talks about the situation. The G7 have also criticised the China/Russia relationship (what a cheek with so much debt!) BRICS is the new way forward.

In India there's a high level visit going on (but without the ceremony of NK) - Nancy Pelosi plus a group of delegates who is scheduled to meet with the Dalai Lama this week. Runjhun Sharma reports. Apparently the US have made a "Bill" to urge China and the Dalai Lama to get along better (well I think that's what the US are doing but I'm not sure how that will work out....) Runjhun recalls how Ms. Pelosi's visit went, flying in the face of China when she went to Taiwan last year.
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The collective west are losing their influence in west and Central Africa - please see today's earlier post for details; they are very worried about losing access to Africa's natural resources and the military seem to be getting involved. Noluvuyo Kunge reports.
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Israel/Gaza : 17 Palestinians have been killed overnight as IDF continues relentless strikes on Nuseirat camp & Rafah continue. More people are trapped under rubble; families are being evacuated (again). This however hasn't stopped the USA supplying weapons to Israel with another "sale" agreed (I don't think Israel pays exactly or that it can afford to repay the money if it is by way of loans as they are financially dependent on the west?) Congressman Gregory Meeks (Democrat) bemoans the "sale" but hasn't stopped the transactions. The US sec. of State (Anthony Blinken) is to lift all restrictions on arms "sales" to Israel. Nikki talks with Dmitri Diliani in Jerusalem, about the weird cycle/process. (there's a great show about this from Direct Impact https://rumble.com/v52310z-direct-impact-nato-ukraine-and-aipacs-influence-on-us-politics.html and if you haven't seen it - Tucker Carlson and Thomas Massie go way in depth about the lobbies and much more here https://rumble.com/v507gyk-rep.-thomas-massie-israel-lobbyists-the-cowards-in-congress-and-living-off-.html - both on Rumble, both excellent)
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Fast Take: Banners, flags and flowers - North Korea prepares to welcome Russian president Vladimir Putin for his first visit to the country in 24 years. We're bringing you all the latest on the trip. China lashes out at US for sending officials to engage with Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama who Beijing considers a separatist. Losing it's grip - a top EU military official warns that Western countries' are losing their sway across Central and West Africa. But frustration, it seems, goes deeper than just security issues.

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Russia and North Korea to sign strategic partnership treaty 18 Jun, 2024 09:08

The Kremlin has said the agreement seeks to boost regional stability and is not directed against third countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the draft of a strategic partnership treaty with North Korea, which is expected to be signed during his upcoming visit to Pyongyang.

The Russian leader will begin a two-day state visit to North Korea on Tuesday, which will include a face-to-face meeting with the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, as well as talks on a wide range of issues, including security, the economy, and the international agenda.

Hours before Putin’s scheduled arrival in Pyongyang, Moscow released a presidential decree stating that it accepts “the proposal of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the signing of… Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.”

The signing of the deal will take place “at the highest level.” The decree also allows the Russian Foreign Ministry to “introduce changes to the draft agreement that are not of a fundamental nature.”

Ushakov noted that the treaty “will outline the prospects for further cooperation” and will take into account recent developments in relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

The agreement, he added, “will not be confrontational and directed against any countries, but will be aimed at ensuring greater stability in the North-East Asia region.”

The announcement came after Putin said earlier this month that Russia intends to develop relations with North Korea “whether anyone likes it or not.” In an article for the North Korean daily Rodong Sinmun published on Monday, he also said that Moscow and Pyongyang “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.”

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Crossing Moscow’s red line ‘permissible’ – Austria 18 Jun, 2024 09:41

Chancellor Karl Nehammer has dismissed a warning from his own defense minister on striking Russia.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer does not perceive the decision by NATO nations to allow Kiev to use their weapons against Russia outside of what they consider Ukrainian territory as a cause for concern.

Speaking with the NZZ media group, Neuhammer said he disagreed with Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, who said earlier this month that the US and its allies had crossed a “red line” by granting Ukraine such permission.

The interview with Nehammer was published on Monday, after his liberal-conservative Austrian People’s Party (OVP) lost convincingly to the nationalist Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) in this month’s European Parliament election.

The chancellor said the debate on use of Western arms had gone “in the wrong political direction” in a shameful way. His stance is that “under international law, such attacks on Russia are permissible.” Moscow could withdraw troops and see Western military aid to Kiev “automatically reduced,” he said.

The previous restriction on Ukraine’s use of US weapons was imposed by President Joe Biden to “prevent World War III.” According to the media, Washington relaxed it and allowed limited strikes on Russia’s Belgorod Region due to Russian advances in neighboring Kharkov Region. Multiple NATO nations have made similar policy changes regarding arms that they donate to Ukraine.

The Austrian foreign minister said that while she perceived that as escalatory, “as a militarily neutral state, it is not our place to judge.” Tanner added that she was happy to hear assurances by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that members of the US-led bloc will not be required to send troops to Ukraine.

Moscow has described the Ukraine conflict as part of a proxy war on Russia, in which Ukrainians serve as “cannon fodder.” Western nations are de facto participating parties due to the level of their involvement and the influence they have on Ukrainian actions, according to Russian officials.

President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia could send weapon systems similar to those provided to Ukraine to enemies of the US and its allies to be used against Western military assets. This path of escalation leads to an outcome that neither side will like, he warned.

He accused his opponents of spreading “Russian narratives” about Ukraine and declared that unlike centrists, “radicals have no answers and are offering pseudo-solutions,” referring to populist forces surging across the EU.
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related, From June 10th 2024

Russia ready to strike NATO airfields hosting Ukrainian jets – MP

The head of Kiev’s air force, Sergey Golubtsov, previously stated that some F-16s donated to his country will be based abroad.

Any airfields hosting Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets, whether they are in or outside the country, will be legitimate targets for the Russian military if they participate in combat missions against Moscow’s forces, the chairman of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, Andrey Kartapolov, has warned.

The comments come as Kiev prepares to receive the first delivery of US-made fighter jets from its Western backers, after Ukrainian pilots were trained to fly them.

In a statement to RIA Novosti published on Monday, Kartapolov clarified that if the F-16s “are not used for their intended purpose” or are simply held in storage at foreign airbases with the intent to transfer them to Ukraine, where they will be equipped, maintained, and flown from Ukrainian airfields, then Russia would have no claims against its “former partners” and would not target them.

However, if the jets take off from foreign bases and carry out sorties and strikes against Russian forces, both the fighter planes and the airfields they are stationed at will be “legitimate targets,” according to Kartapolov.

“As for [our ability] to shoot [them] down, we can shoot down anyone, anywhere,” the MP insisted.

Kartapolov’s statement comes after the chief of aviation of Ukraine’s Air Force Command, Sergey Golubtsov, stated in an interview with Radio Liberty on Sunday that some of the F-16 fighter jets donated to Kiev by the West would be stationed at foreign airbases.

He explained that only a portion of the jets would be stationed directly on Ukrainian territory, corresponding to the number of pilots trained to operate the aircraft. The other jets would be kept in reserve at “safe airbases” abroad so that they are not targeted by the Russian military.

Golubtsov stated that so far four countries have agreed to transfer F-16s to Ukraine, namely Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands. While he did not specify exactly how many aircraft would be donated, he claimed it was between 30 and 40 planes, with potentially more to come in the future.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also warned that Moscow would perceive the deliveries of F-16 fighters to Ukraine as a nuclear threat, given that the jets have long been used as part of the US-led bloc’s joint nuclear missions.

At the same time, the minister stressed that the US-designed jets would not change the situation on the battlefield, and would be shot down and destroyed like any other foreign weapons supplied to Ukraine.

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Brussels ignoring will of voters – Orban 18 Jun, 2024 06:32

The EU will “continue to support migration” and fund the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Hungarian prime minister has warned.

The hopes of EU citizens have been flouted by moves to form a coalition in the EU parliament between the center-right majority party and the socialists and liberals, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday.

Voters across the bloc shifted significantly to the right in parliamentary elections earlier this month, with ruling coalitions in Germany and France being comprehensively trounced by right-wing parties.

Centrist parties retained a majority however, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP) winning 190 seats. A former German defense minister, she has vowed to keep Brussels on a “pro-Ukraine” path.

The center-right EPP has approached the left-wing Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) with an offer to divide up four major roles, Politico wrote on Monday, citing sources close to the matter. The EPP reportedly wants to secure second terms respectively for von der Leyen as European Commission President, and Roberta Metsola as European Parliament president, and has offered to share the European Council presidency with S&D.

The move prompted a reaction from Orban. “The will of the European people was ignored today in Brussels. The result of the European election is clear: right-wing parties got stronger, the Left and the liberals lost ground. The EPP, on the other hand, instead of listening to the voters, finally teamed up with the socialists and the liberals: today they made a deal and divided the top jobs of the EU among themselves,” the Hungarian PM wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.

They don’t care about the will of the European people. We shouldn’t be naive: they will continue to support migration and send even more money and weapons to the Russia-Ukraine war,” the Hungarian leader wrote, calling on people to resist “pro-migration and pro-war bureaucrats.”

European Council President Charles Michel told journalists there had been no agreement reached on the proposed deal, after an informal meeting of European leaders on Monday. However, one diplomat told Politico that the negotiators agreed on three names, and will continue discussions at a later date.

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US state sues Pfizer over ‘misleading’ Covid-19 vaccine claims 18 Jun, 2024 12:39

The company hid evidence linking its shots to heart inflammation conditions, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has claimed.

The US state of Kansas has initiated legal action against Pfizer over “misleading claims” that the pharmaceutical giant allegedly made regarding its Covid-19 vaccine’s effectiveness and the risks associated with it.

Several manufacturers began developing Covid-19 vaccines in the months after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared a pandemic in March 2020. Governments across the world subsequently began mandating inoculation. According to federal data, more than 366 million doses of Pfizer’s original coronavirus vaccine were administered in the US alone.

On Monday, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit claiming that Pfizer had deliberately hidden evidence linking the vaccine to myocarditis and pregnancy complications.

“Pfizer made multiple misleading statements to deceive the public about its vaccine at a time when Americans needed the truth,” Kobach said in a statement.

In June 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning with respect to Pfizer and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines about the elevated risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, both rare heart inflammation conditions.

According to the attorney general’s complaint, the US pharmaceutical company had also mendaciously claimed that its shots were effective while being aware that the protection the vaccine provided against the virus grew weaker over time and was not enough to fend off certain Covid-19 strains.

Kobach also argued that Pfizer misleadingly asserted that its vaccine prevented coronavirus transmission, even though the company later acknowledged that it had never actually studied this aspect.

Moreover, Kobach accused the pharmaceutical company of cooperating with social media to “censor speech critical” of Covid-19 vaccines. The lawsuit charged that Pfizer’s alleged misleading statements constituted a violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. The state is now seeking unspecified monetary damages.

The Hill quoted a company representative as saying that the lawsuit has “no merit” and insisting that the “representations made by Pfizer about its COVID-19 vaccine have been accurate and science-based.”

Last November, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a similar lawsuit against the pharmaceutical giant, accusing it of “unlawfully misrepresenting the effectiveness of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine and attempting to censor public discussion of the product.”

Earlier this month, Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit released a study indicating that medical professionals and drug recipients reported “serious injuries and deaths following vaccination” according to “various official databases.” According to researchers, “suspected” adverse events associated with inoculation may have contributed to excess mortality in 47 countries between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022.

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