Donald Trump's charm offensive Vladimir Putin aims to detach Russia from China, according to experts



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By – The Washington Times – Tuesday, July 17, 2018

For 18 months, the Trump administration has taken many firm steps against the Kremlin, and foreign policy badysts said Monday that the Hundreds Russian companies, influential brokers and influential oligarchs remain under severe economic sanctions, and the administration is considering even tougher sanctions against Russian officials if it goes forward with its controversial gas pipeline. Russian natural gas across the Baltic Sea at.

"did some really challenging things, he fired dozens of diplomats, he is attacked in Syria, he sent anti-tank missiles to the east, very much against [‘s]," said the lieutenant-general. retired army colonel Daniel Davis, a former member of the Defense Priorities, a think tank on foreign policy in Washington

.Lots of time focusing on personality and style on the substance and real policy, "said Davis. "It is right to criticize the president, as many of us have done with [former President Barack] Obama, but you still have to focus on politics."

together with economic sanctions and the expulsion of diplomats, the Trump administration also adopted a direct military badistance to its opponents as the Obama administration did not do it. 19659002] Earlier this year, for example, the United States confirmed that it had completed its first Javelin anti-tank missile delivery, which still lags behind and fears a new Russian aggression after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the Continued support to pro-rebels.

After separately approving the sale of another batch of anti-tank missiles to Georgia, another former Soviet republic confronted with its own military confrontation ten years ago, the Javelin were approved separately

. by taking clear measures to counter, however, some regional experts claim to be simultaneously engaged in a prudent strategic dance to decouple from China, which the White House considers the longest A long-term threat against the United States

A senior Atlantic Council official told the Washington Times Tuesday that he was trying to get closer and detach from China because he considered China as our main strategic and economic competitor. . "

" Italy with Nuclear Weapons "

With the prospect of a broader strategy to counter China as a backdrop, some Analysts argue that it is simply wrong to consider the summit of Helsinki as a capitulation – the president to a great foreign rival – since can hardly be described as an equal enemy to the United States.

"The people are caught up too much and still locked in the cold war thinking, "said Colonel Davis, a specialist in defense priorities." You say, "and it's also in their minds with the Union Soviet Union and the behemoth of the Warsaw Pact. This is no longer what exists. "

" has the same economy as Italy. It's like Italy with nuclear weapons, "he added." We do not pay much attention to Italy … for economic reasons. The same must be true with. "

The White House, meanwhile, moved Tuesday to quell the fury in Helsinki, the President himself returning to the comments that he had made while standing along with 39, a day earlier in the Finnish capital.

He was particularly criticized for openly questioning his interference in the US elections and for appearing to speak on his own intelligence services.

Within 24 hours he had changed course. "Let me be very clear in saying that I accept the conclusion of our intelligence agencies that the interference in the presidential race of 2016 took place, "he told the White House on Tuesday, stressing his tough position against.The documents highlighted efforts to protect the upcoming elections from Russian interference; of information officers ent and Russian diplomats from the United States as a result of an attack on the chemical weapon in Britain; the economic sanctions imposed on hundreds of Russian individuals and businesses; and Washington's support to key NATO allies.

In addition, the US military carried out its annual saber exercise in eastern Poland last month, in collaboration with the British, Croatian and Romanian armed forces. The joint exercises, one of the most important in the region, aim to foster military cooperation among nations and to demonstrate that there is a powerful American deterrent force in northeastern Poland [19659007]. it's explained by the fact that he sometimes lets himself be restrained by his own advisers, and that he often addresses personally the relationship between the United States and fashion, which is radically different from traditional thinking of the Washington Establishment

. there is a policy of the United States, "said." I hate to say that, but they are not necessarily the same. "

" US policy is one that acts illegally and illegally in terms of international law by attacking, annexing the Crimea, hacking the elections, supporting [Syrian dictator Bashar] Assad, "he added." If you go down five layers … you will find roughly a consensus, 90%, of which we have to mistrust. "

The Power or Weakness of Russia

There are well-known signs of consensus on, but also sensitive to the prospect that power on the world stage might be much smaller than it may seem.

During last week's NATO summit in Brussels, the president severely criticized he would increase European dependence on Russian oil, and other countries threatened to be cut off from supplies Russian events, and would strengthen the links between Berlin and the use of energy as a geopolitical weapon is not new, say specialists, and more and more in recent years has tried to sow international discord as a means to make oneself appear more economically powerful and influential on the world stage, and to drive up oil prices.

Oil and gas account for nearly 40% of Russian Government revenues and the maintenance of relatively high and stable oil prices as well as new energy contracts – such as – remain at the heart of the Kremlin's strategy.

The soaring price of oil and the lack of new customers would be disastrous economically. US GDP in 2017 was $ 19.4 trillion, while that of China was $ 12.2 trillion, according to World Bank figures. . reached $ 1.6 trillion – No. 11 in the world rankings behind the United States, China, Japan, Britain, India, France, Brazil, Italy and Canada.

argued on Tuesday that if oil prices were around $ 50 per barrel, GDP could fall to about $ 1.25 trillion. But if the price of oil reached $ 100 a barrel, GDP could be closer to $ 2 trillion.

With this in mind, we are seeing more and more work with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries in an effort to maintain the stability of world oil prices and protect its own GDP, pointing out that oil and gas, one of the few Russian-made products in high demand, remain essential to the ability to remain economically relevant.

"You will not buy a Russian car, a Russian suit, a Russian X-ray machine.They have no source of high-tech growth."

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