– EU Announces New Washington-Pleasing, Russia-Wristslap Sanctions (ZeroHedge, July 29, 2014):
After unleashing a 10-page report of the death and destructive economic impact they could have on Russia via sanctions, the European leaders have agreed to issue travel bans, some asset-freezes, and trade curbs on various new individuals and business entities. The Goldilocks sanctions… just enough to please Washington, not enough to infuriate Putin into ‘boomerangs’.
- *EU AMBASSADORS’ MEETING ON RUSSIA SANCTIONS REACHES DEAL: FT
Via DPA,
EU ambassadors have reached agreement on a new round of travel bans and asset freezes in response to the crisis in Ukraine, diplomats say.
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The sanctions…
- *EU AGREES CURBS ON RUSSIAN BANKS, EXPORT OF SOME TECHNOLOGY
- *EU TO RESTRICT EXPORT OF EQUIPMENT FOR RUSSIAN OIL PRODUCTION
- *EU TO CURB STATE-OWNED RUSSIAN BANKS’ ACCESS TO CAPITAL MARKETS
- *EU TO IMPOSE EMBARGO ON FUTURE ARMS SALES TO RUSSIA
- *EU TO CURB SALE OF ‘DUAL-USE’ MACHINERY, ELECTRONICS TO RUSSIA
- *SANCTIONS WILL BE REVIEWED AFTER 3 MONTHS: EU DIPLOMAT
But…
- *AIDE SAYS U.S. HAS APPROVED EXPORTS OF DUAL-USE GOODS TO RUSSIA
- *COMMERCE AIDE SAYS U.S. HASN’T REVOKED RUSSIA EXPORT LICENSES
- *U.S. GOODS APPROVED FOR EXPORT HAVE MILITARY APPLICATIONS
I.e. the rockets for US military satellites
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Is it any wonder European leaders are all talk since the potential for blow back is so much larger compared to Washington…
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Meanwhile, Russia is ‘trying’
- *LAVROV URGED KERRY TO PUSH UKRAINE GOVT FOR CEASE-FIRE
- *LAVROV, KERRY DISCUSSED ARMS CONTROL, UKRAINE, MIDDLE EAST
- *LAVROV, KERRY AGREE ON NEED FOR CEASE-FIRE NEAR MH17 CRASH SITE
And Kerry’s response:
- *KERRY: RUSSIA SHOWS `NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE’ OF BACKING CEASEFIRE
- *KERRY: U.S. WILL IMPOSE WIDER SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA IF NO CHANGE
Russia is responsible for E120 billion that moves into the EU every year……they will do nothing. Remember their leading country, Germany? They asked the US to return half their gold over two years ago. The US hemmed and hawed……..and returned nothing. That has to be one of the world’s biggest blunders, it proved what the EU, and others feared………the US is broke.
This proved to the world the US has been kiting on world reserve currency status for years and is bankrupt…..a sorry shell of it’s once strong economy. The US has shifted from being the world’s largest and most credible lending nation, to the biggest debtor without a clue how to pay anything back. Money is very finite, you can play all the accounting games you want, but once it is spent, it is gone.
Doing this to Germany of all places was suicidal.
Look at how people treat the rich vs. the poor. Nations are no different.