Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
On March 12, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov adressed a recent budget request by US President Donald Trump for $500 million in funds to counter “Russian influence” in other countries.
“I don’t know how much the countries targeted by this initiative would like to be ‘bought’ [by the US]. Considering the manners that now prevail in Washington, I do not exclude that if they [EU states] refuse to accept the aid, they will be sanctioned. So now they have to make a choice”, Lavrov stressed following a meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl.
The Russina foreign minister also described this move as an attempt to “buy allies”. Regarding the US sanctions threats against the Nord Stream 2 project, Lavrov said that such restrictions would contradict international law.
In own turn, the Ausrian foreign minsiter said that her country believes “in other forms of interaction”:
“I can only say as the Austrian foreign minister that we believe in other forms of interaction — diplomatic visits, negotiations like the one we had today, and exchanges. Such a format [US actions] only contributes to contradictions. I understand diplomacy as communication on par, when you can discuss various issues without fearing to ‘take out hot coal with bare hands’. I think that we should continue diplomacy in its original meaning — [as] constructive and polite dialogue, like the one we had today.”
It should be noted that in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal, President Trump asked for $500 million to counter Russia’s “malign influence” around the world. According to the document, the budget should provide “assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia” in order to “advance shared security” and “safeguard the territorial integrity”.
In other words, the Trump adminsitration is going to exploit the ‘Russian threat’ narrative in an attempt to solve the recently grown tensions with its allies in Europe and other regions. An interesting fact is that most of these tensions appeared as a result of own actions of the Trump administration.
10-1 that money goes towards the wall.
https://imgflip.com/i/2vujup
USA Logic: We can’t spend 5-8 Billion on a border wall! Too much money! Where will we get that $ from? *meanwhile US sends billions to Israel every year, and spends 800 BILLION dollars on its military and 900 bases all across the world* yet no one questions that otherwise they’re either antisemitic or anti-american. LOGIC people!
I dont mean to add insult, but from the outside (Europe),it is both ludicrous and amusing to watch and hear. I do not understand what the hell your government is doing – which must mean it is bad, as I am from the UK governed by a bunch of traitors.
In today’s world dominated by the American Empire, decisions and judgments based on simplistic good-versus-evil become normal. Behind the claim of “exceptionalism” a grim and fanatical unilateralism works ceaselessly to increase the Empire’s absolute global dominance. The “Rules based Order” get rewritten without consultation to produce the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act” (almost comic in its verbosity). As with former Empires, the Act works to destroy economies outside its absolute control. It reveals that American Democracy is now a Corporate and Plutocratic Oligarchy, American Aid is an invitation to debt and sanctions, American colleague-ship demands squalid vassal-state obedience.
american empire…………. you have a lot to learn about empires to be able recognize one. By the way a colony can never become an empire just a tool for the ones who created the colony and US not america, it is a colony. Or if you prefer north america is a colony.
Could you kindly clarify your enigmatic assertions? Who is master of today’s North America?
r u not aware of who created the colonies? Nothing enigmatic in what i said if you know historical fact and have not been sold on the american dream that turn out to be a nightmare of the worst kind.
I wonder which countries Trump can buy with 500 mullions lol May be Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania , Romania, Bulgaria or Greece. Sorry Greece is sold for nothing.
Instead of Greece, Bulgaria, and Serbia forming a Balkans alliance alongside Russia to counter NATO, Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, and any other threat, they all sold themselves out to Zionists and the West. Complete dumbasses. Bulgaria even gave millions in military aid to FSA and jihadist rebels in Syria.
Serbia remains faithful and loyal to their relationship with Russia however, unlike Greece and Bulgaria.
Time for Russia to seriously consider an extremely effective countermeasure against these illegal US sanctions. USA has no authority, ability or right to impose any restrictions against another sovereign nuclear power. Russia has the full right to respond with military against these illegal sanctions, except they wont do that because Russia is very smart and is the adult in the room, unlike the childish USA whose eager to go to war with everyone everyday.
Silly Austrian, to think diplomacy still matters to the US. They’re slashing their own State Department by 23%. Who needs soft speaking diplomats when you can cajole and coerce vassals and enemies alike with sanctions?
Usa tries theae days to place their weapons and logistic in Slovak mil airports, offering 105M for refurbishment. Slovak nation is vigorously against, but the corrupt politicians will confess to it. Dirty game. People have no say.