Russia - USA Relations

In March the authorities demanded the pipeline to be shut down because of leaks and a history of failures. In May a "hacker attack" happens which "forces" the pipeline to be closed for a while. Maybe some reporter should look into the matter and see if some construction work was done along the pipeline in the meantime.

Hole wrote:In March the authorities demanded the pipeline to be shut down because of leaks and a history of failures. In May a "hacker attack" happens which "forces" the pipeline to be closed for a while. Maybe some reporter should look into the matter and see if some construction work was done along the pipeline in the meantime.

Very good observation. The fake hack allows these clowns to escape any liability from the shut down. Just blame it on Russian hackers.
When an American has constipation, there must be a Russian responsible.

kvs wrote:What a primitive billing system.   And what morons.   The pipeline serves long term and large customers, not some random bum off
the street.   Such corporate customers are not going to stop paying as soon as they hear the billing system is down.   Also, the
contracts are to transfer money to the bank accounts of the pipeline operator and not to the billing system.   So it is not like
the customers cold not physically pay.  

This is still a problem of over-automation.   In the past we had workers that would read a meter as to how much product was piped
and make note of it.   Now we have some computerized meters sending data to the billing system.   So the hackers can shut down
the operations even without physically disrupting them.    As usual, cost cutting means that there is no redundancy in the system.
They could have had the meter readings going to back up systems, something that can be done seamlessly.  

I don't think you understand how modern billing systems work, they are a mess, but there are a myriad of cost centers, tables and accounts. All the billing is done through EDI, we are talking about thousands of transations and the employees and jobs that used to handle this with paper are long gone. The company would have run out of cash by the time they could collect.

kvs wrote:

Hole wrote:In March the authorities demanded the pipeline to be shut down because of leaks and a history of failures. In May a "hacker attack" happens which "forces" the pipeline to be closed for a while. Maybe some reporter should look into the matter and see if some construction work was done along the pipeline in the meantime.

Very good observation.   The fake hack allows these clowns to escape any liability from the shut down.   Just blame it on Russian hackers.
When an American has constipation, there must be a Russian responsible.

Even better they get to claim all losses including the ransom from their insurance company

When they replaced the meter reading people because it was all automated that is where they saved money... they wont keep the meters and keep people employed that could go around and read meters in case of emergency... that would cost too much too.

Really does sound fishy to me...

The automated meter readings would go to their accounting centres because different companies and users depending on which part of the country they are in will be charged at different rates.

If they set it up themselves they could walk away with the ransom money, but they are probably not clever enough to do it... so why not contact someone within the US intel services that does this sort of crap all the time and make them an offer... 50 50 on the ransom money and the opportunity to blame the Russians... the US government would leap at the opportunity...

mnztr wrote:

kvs wrote:

Hole wrote:In March the authorities demanded the pipeline to be shut down because of leaks and a history of failures. In May a "hacker attack" happens which "forces" the pipeline to be closed for a while. Maybe some reporter should look into the matter and see if some construction work was done along the pipeline in the meantime.

Very good observation.   The fake hack allows these clowns to escape any liability from the shut down.   Just blame it on Russian hackers.
When an American has constipation, there must be a Russian responsible.

Even better they get to claim all losses including the ransom from their insurance company

Soon western insurance companies will change the contracts. No payment if russian interference is the cause of the damage. To costly.

GarryB wrote:When they replaced the meter reading people because it was all automated that is where they saved money... they wont keep the meters and keep people employed that could go around and read meters in case of emergency... that would cost too much too.

Really does sound fishy to me...

The automated meter readings would go to their accounting centres because different companies and users depending on which part of the country they are in will be charged at different rates.

If they set it up themselves they could walk away with the ransom money, but they are probably not clever enough to do it... so why not contact someone within the US intel services that does this sort of crap all the time and make them an offer... 50 50 on the ransom money and the opportunity to blame the Russians... the US government would leap at the opportunity...

This one was odd, they say it was a hack that originated from Russia but made pains to make it clear the Russian govt was NOT involved. When have we ever seen that recently. Perhaps the Biden Admin is realizing how essential Russia is to its major foreign policy goals vis a vis Iran, N. Korea, China etc etc. Also kinda interesting during the pandemic when oil prices crash the US was forced to join OPEC with Russia in order to stabilize the oil markets. Chaos only played into Chinas hands.

Both China (explicitly) and US (to the extent deepest Russophobia allows it) are in full blow charm offensives towards Russia. Regardless of whether US wants to attract Russia to avoid it fulling covering China's rear, or rather to avoid Russia becoming completely independent and therefore indifferent to the West's demands, this is something Russia needs to use to extract some benefits after being screwed left and right. Quite interesting developments indeed

LMFS wrote:Both China (explicitly) and US (to the extent deepest Russophobia allows it) are in full blow charm offensives towards Russia. Regardless of whether US wants to attract Russia to avoid it fulling covering China's rear, or rather to avoid Russia becoming completely independent and therefore indifferent to the West's demands, this is something Russia needs to use to extract some benefits after being screwed left and right. Quite interesting developments indeed

Haha a womans dream, to have two partners fighting over her lol

mnztr wrote:Haha a womans dream, to have two partners fighting over her lol

Certainly! Russia has the geographical position and size to arbitrate everything that happens in Eurasia, and that has a big price tag. This triangular courting may be some of the first clear signs of the multipolar world at work... the table with three legs is the most stable one

LMFS wrote:Both China (explicitly) and US (to the extent deepest Russophobia allows it) are in full blow charm offensives towards Russia. Regardless of whether US wants to attract Russia to avoid it fulling covering China's rear, or rather to avoid Russia becoming completely independent and therefore indifferent to the West's demands, this is something Russia needs to use to extract some benefits after being screwed left and right. Quite interesting developments indeed

First make sure that China gets accustomed to buying Russian energy and that they have everything they need to build up their Navy (useless against Russia but perfect to fućk with USA)

Once that is done Russia can cherry pick the sugar-daddies as it suits them

Last week Rosatom started the construction of four nuclear power units in China. With Putin and Xi watching it. Meanwhile Bidens pupeteers invented new reasons for sanctions against Russia. It this is a race between Washington and Bejing then Chinas is Usain Bolt in his best years while the other side... Well, is a typical 500 pound american.

The high style of Lavrov and Blinken

Rostislav Ishchenko

The Russian Foreign Minister met with the US Secretary of State in Reykjavik on the sidelines of the Arctic Council session. Initially, it was clear that this meeting would be used to probe each other's positions on a possible meeting between Putin and Biden.

The main diplomats of Russia and the United States were supposed to play the role of army vanguards, a skirmish between which allows the main forces to turn around and take an advantageous position. However, it also happens that the fate of the future battle is already decided during the clash of advanced detachments.

At first glance, Russia's position in bilateral relations with Washington is now stronger than ever. For the first time in the entire history of his country, the US president is seeking a meeting with a foreign leader, and this meeting is so important for America that it is even ready to reduce the intensity of anti-Russian rhetoric for a while and slow down some anti-Russian political projects. At the same time, Moscow has not yet given its final consent to the meeting and seems to have the opportunity to squeeze additional concessions from Washington.

In fact, everything is not quite as it seems, but rather not at all as it seems. First, the United States is well aware that it is not profitable for Moscow to refuse a meeting without serious reasons. After all, then it will turn out that Moscow refuses to reduce international tensions, and the world is already tired of being afraid of a rapid increase in the confrontation of superpowers and will not accept an unmotivated refusal to negotiate. That is why the United States is trying not to give Russia a reason to cancel the meeting, citing Washington's hostile actions.

Secondly, it is also impossible to delay too long without giving a fundamental answer, for the same reason. Failure to give a clear answer is a negative response to the offer made. The Russian maneuver is limited in time to discussing the subject of negotiations. If the parties are ready to agree on it quickly, then further evasion becomes impossible.

Third, the actual outcome of the meeting (including the winner's name) will be known even before it starts.
No matter what the diplomats say about finding a compromise and striving for a common victory, in this case the game will be played with zero sum. That is, someone's gain will necessarily be someone's loss. This became clear from the very first maneuvers of American diplomacy that followed Biden's proposal.

The fact is that the Americans quickly began to create a legal framework so that they could promise Russia anything, without serious consequences for themselves. In recent weeks, they have made and continue to make dozens of mutually exclusive decisions on most of the problems that exist in Russian-American relations. They can fake recognition of the Russian status of Crimea and immediately refute it as soon as they get what they want.

They formalize sanctions against Nord Stream 2 in such a way that they are introduced, but as if they do not work, despite the fact that they can be renewed at any time. They push Ukraine to attack the Donbass and immediately declare that they will not defend it if it initiates the start of hostilities, after which Russia responds. Thus, they are trying to ignite the Ukrainian-Russian armed conflict even before the meeting. If the conflict drags on, Washington will claim to be a mediator. If Ukraine is instantly crushed, the United States will demand "compensation" from Russia in the form of concessions on controversial issues that are significant to them, and will also try to do everything possible to get Russia stuck in the Ukrainian swamp as deep as possible and for as long as possible. By freeing their hands and tying Russia down, they will try to solve global problems in their favor (Iran, Turkey, China, the entire Greater Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region) before Moscow is able to pursue an active foreign policy again.

Americans do not forget to raise questions about "freedom of speech" and "political prisoners" in Russia. Not that they care that muchIt was too difficult for Navalny or Western propaganda resources to work against Russia from abroad, but these (in principle, they are not interested in) topics) they are also willing to trade for something substantial.

In principle, the complex dance of diplomatic maneuvers resembles the manner in which the armies of the XVIII century conducted combat operations. In that era, troops avoided the dangerous accidents associated with field battles. The latter were given rarely and forcibly. They tried to get the victory by entering the enemy's communications, cutting it off from bases, reserves, and resources. The maneuvering of armies in the theater of operations was like a ballet going on for years.

Now something similar is being performed by the Russian and American diplomatic departments, headed by Lavrov and Blinken.

Already during the first maneuvers, the strategies of Moscow and Washington were determined. Blinken held talks focusing on the Russian-American contradictions and US demands. He is trying to impose elementary trade on Russia on every controversial issue, in order to fully involve Russian diplomacy in the negotiation process (the deeper the talon is bogged down, the more difficult it is to abandon further contacts later — you need an iron reason that the Americans will try not to provide).

In addition, a grueling multi-week trade on minor issues will have to distract attention from the main thing — after a while, the Americans will demonstrate their willingness to make concessions on issues that can be blamed on Russia for resolving complex problems. Even if it is not possible to demand substantial concessions in exchange for a bad product, Washington's gain will consist in the very fact of throwing off and shifting to Russia the burden of resolving the numerous crises that the United States has ignited, which cannot be quickly extinguished.

Lavrov responded with a beautiful counter-maneuver. He proposed to conduct a kind of inventory of the entire complex of Russian-American relations, in order to eventually reach a comprehensive and lasting settlement.
First, such an inventory can take six months or a year. The United States does not have this time. They need a meeting in the summer, preferably no later than July. Secondly, the Americans do not need a full-fledged settlement. They want to start the process, but be able to stop it at any time. To do this, they need to keep a certain number of zones of acute confrontation. Third, a comprehensive solution does not allow the Americans to isolate the problems they are interested in from the general array, leaving the rest out of the negotiations. If the settlement is full-scale, it is impossible to make any more claims to Russia — all issues have been resolved.

After completing the first steps of the diplomatic dance, the parties parted, satisfied with themselves. The microscopic advantage of Russia lies in the very fact of the Americans ' desire to organize a meeting. At the talks in Reykjavik, Lavrov did not allow Blinken to achieve at least some certainty on the issue of the meeting of the heads of state. He noted that there are serious discrepancies in the assessment of the international situation and tasks that need to be solved.

This is a request that either the meeting will be held on the Russian agenda, or it will not be held at all. But it's just getting started. The move is up to the State Department. Let's see what maneuver the Americans will try to surprise us with. In the coming weeks, interesting events will take place on the diplomatic front, which the general public is unlikely to pay serious attention to, but which will decide the fate of the next round of the Russian-American confrontation.

https://ukraina.ru/opinion/20210523/1031445569.html

Perhaps the Biden Admin is realizing how essential Russia is to its major foreign policy goals vis a vis Iran, N. Korea, China etc etc.

Too little too late.

Russia should do what the US does and only cooperate when it suits them and not for any other reason.

Regardless of whether US wants to attract Russia to avoid it fulling covering China's rear, or rather to avoid Russia becoming completely independent and therefore indifferent to the West's demands, this is something Russia needs to use to extract some benefits after being screwed left and right. Quite interesting developments indeed

Russia is independent, that ship has sailed.

Russia needs to keep clear in its head... it should not make any concessions to get the US to back off the aggressive unfounded stuff that shouldn't have been done in the first place.

Concessions only where there is a real benefit to Russia... and those concessions are set in stone... unlike say promises not to expand HATO...

I do not think it is a coincidence that Washington started to play a more accommodating tune when the tone in Russia changed over
the last year. Of course, the success of Russia in the last few months to sink the combo attack in Belorus and Ukraine by the
self-anointed masters of the universe is very important.

The only language that NATzO understands is force.

kvs wrote:I do not think it is a coincidence that Washington started to play a more accommodating tune when the tone in Russia changed over
the last year.    Of course, the success of Russia in the last few months to sink the combo attack in Belorus and Ukraine by the
self-anointed masters of the universe is very important.  

The only language that NATzO understands is force.

All nations are like that, they relate to each other like street gangs pretty much.

Kiko wrote:Putin/Biden summit to be held days June 15 and 16 in Geneva, CNN anounces.

https://fr.sputniknews.com/international/202105251045647970-poutine-et-biden-tiendront-un-sommet-les-15-et-16-juin-a-geneve-assure-cnn/

I expect this to be a trap. The yanquis failed miserably in Banderastan (Operations Flash and Storm redux) and Belorus (colour revolution) so they
need a win. They will try to pull the same BS they did not the Chinese in Alaska.

Biden is not mentally capable of holding any summits. Putin should not help America stage whatever theater it plans to make this dementia patient
look like a statesman.

this is an interesting article about the challenging relationship between Russia and the US: https://www.brookings.edu/policy2020/votervital/why-are-us-russia-relations-so-challenging/

Why not.

The more he hears from the west the easier it is to work out what they are planning and how they think.

He is one of the few politicians on the planet who is happy to say no to the rich and powerful west when he sees it does not benefit Russia.

If anything I would think it would be the Americans that should be scared having Biden alone with 6D Chess master Putin.... a man who can influence 20 western elections at once without leaving any evidence at all...

so guys news of today is that journalists vaccinated with Sputnik won't be allowed to enter Switzerland to follow the summit.

mavaff wrote:so guys news of today is that journalists vaccinated with Sputnik won't be allowed to enter Switzerland to follow the summit.

This is another Brazen Slap in the Face for Russia. Putin will have to cancel his trip unless any person with Sputnik vaccine is allowed entry

PhSt wrote:

mavaff wrote:so guys news of today is that journalists vaccinated with Sputnik won't be allowed to enter Switzerland to follow the summit.

This is another Brazen Slap in the Face for Russia. Putin will have to cancel his trip unless any person with Sputnik vaccine is allowed entry

I agree Putin should cancel the summit venue. The Swiss are full of anti-Russian shit like the rest of U-rope.