25 May 2023

Trump Issues Statement Reacting to DeSantis Entering 2024 Race

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Trump Team
President Donald Trump issued several statements on his closest rival for the GOP nomination, mocking the launch of the Florida governor’s campaign Twitter as a “disaster” due to numerous technical difficulties. 

PALM BEACH, FL – Reacting to the news of Ron DeSantis officially announcing his entry into the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump issued several statements on his closest rival for the GOP nomination, mocking the launch of the Florida governor’s campaign Twitter as a “disaster” due to numerous technical difficulties. 

On Wednesday, DeSantis officially became a candidate for the Oval Office after filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), later appearing alongside South African tech tycoon Elon Musk during a Twitter livestream where he formally announced his candidacy. 

However, the event was marred by a plethora of glitches that prevented many from being able to hear or see the event, something that Trump was quick to jump upon. 

“Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster. WATCH!” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, using a truncated version of his infamous “DeSanctimonious” nickname. 

“Rob, My Red Button is bigger, better, stronger, and is working (TRUTH!), yours does not! (per my conversation with Kim Jung Un, of North Korea, soon to become my friend!),” the former President added in a follow-up post. 

Trump later issued a lengthier post, disingenuously “congratulating” DeSantis on entering the race. 

“I’d like to personally congratulate ‘Rob’ DeSanctimonious on finally announcing that he will be entering the race for President of the United States,” Trump posted. “Hopefully he will get the full experience of being attacked by the Marxists, Communists, and Radical Left Lunatics of our Country, without which he will never know the kind of job he is doing. These Lowlifes & Misfits are far worse than the leaders of hostile foreign countries. They must be soundly defeated in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” 

Currently, Trump and DeSantis lead the pack – with Trump currently out in front – in terms of the race for the GOP nomination to run for president; several other candidates who have thrown their hat in the ring – such as Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) – are currently trailing far behind in polling.  

24 Apr 2023

Indian dependence on Russian oil soaring – Nikkei

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New Delhi is snapping up shipments banned in the EU

Russian oil supplies now account for 30% of total imports for India, the world’s third-biggest crude consumer, Nikkei reported on Sunday citing analysis of shipping data for March.

New Delhi previously relied on Middle Eastern oil but purchased over 6 million tons of crude from Russia in March, according to data tracked by UK-based researcher Refinitiv and shared by Nikkei. 

The number reflects the tracked amount of crude oil, fuel oil and refined petroleum products transported by tankers from Russian ports to India by the end of last month.

The reported 30% dependence on Russian oil, which is expected to increase to up to 50% this month, marked a new high in trade relations between New Delhi and Moscow. In January 2022, Russia accounted for just 2% of Indian oil imports.

Meanwhile, China purchased over 4.7 million tons of oil from Russia in March, second only to India. Dependence on Russia by the world’s second biggest oil consumer reached 10%, Nikkei reported.

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China’s big refiners snapping up Russian oil – Reuters

According to the media agency, Russia’s flagship Urals blend is currently hovering in the $62 range, which is up to 30% lower compared to the price of the North Sea Brent international benchmark. Prior to sanctions, Russian crude was sold at a slight discount to Brent.

India and China have dramatically increased imports of Russian crude offered at a discount since Western states shunned direct supplies in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.

In December, the EU, G7, and their allies introduced a collective ban on Russian seaborne oil exports, along with a price cap of $60 per barrel. Another embargo banning almost all imports of Russian oil products, as well as introducing price caps on diesel and other petroleum products, kicked in on February 5.

Russia has opposed any attempts to cap the price of its energy exports and has banned any oil deals under the scheme. In February, Russia announced plans to voluntarily reduce oil production in March by 500,000 barrels per day as it halts sales to buyers that comply with Western-imposed restrictions.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

24 Apr 2023

EU not ready to finalize new Russia sanctions – Borrell

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The bloc is working on an 11th round of punitive measures against Moscow

EU foreign ministers are not ready to agree a new package of anti-Russian sanctions, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, told reporters on Monday as he arrived for a meeting in Luxembourg.

Asked whether the EU would impose sanctions on Russian nuclear energy, the diplomat replied that the bloc is not in a position to complete a new package of measures. “We will continue discussions,” Borrell added.

The statement comes as the 27-nation bloc compiles its latest round of sanctions against Moscow, having already imposed ten packages since 2014 in response to the crisis in Ukraine.

According to Bloomberg, the EU is planning to prohibit the transit of certain goods through Russia in its new round of measures, including technological goods and certain types of vehicles. It is also aiming to close any loopholes being used to evade existing sanctions.

In addition to a transit ban, the EU could target ships that do not turn on their navigation systems as a potential way to dodge sanctions.

The next package is also expected to feature around 30 new listings and further restrictions on Russian firms and entities, including state-run nuclear power corporation Rosatom, Bloomberg wrote.

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EU ‘done’ with Russia sanctions – official

However, there have been reports that the EU has exhausted its options for further economic restrictions against Russia, and that new measures are likely to be limited to expanding the list of individuals subject to asset freezes and travel bans.

Last week, an unnamed EU official told the Financial Times: “We are done. If we do more sanctions, there will be more exemptions than measures.” 

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov claimed on Monday that the EU had run out of measures to target Moscow and “no longer knows what to do to hurt Russia.” 

“They say that they’ll ban exports to our country – okay. It isn’t as if apart from those countries that impose restrictions, there are no others. We will buy the same goods, and perhaps better quality, from friendly states, if necessary,” Siluanov said. He insisted that Russia is fully committed to producing its own versions of vital products.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

24 Apr 2023

Dollar has five years left as dominant currency – Russian tycoon

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Sanctioned businessman Oleg Deripaska says the greenback has been used as weapon of retribution for way too long

The US dollar has only five years left as the principal currency for the global economy, according to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. He claims the greenback’s superiority has for way too long been used as a weapon of vengeance against all dissenters, and often without prior legal evaluation.

Seven years ago, the absolute dominance of the greenback in global settlements and financial transactions seemed unshakable, the founder of aluminum giant Rusal wrote in a Telegram post on Saturday.

Deripaska expects global settlements to become more diversified and for digital currencies to become more “compatible.”

“That will be hard at the beginning, but then the world will discover a new reality without a [need for] a hegemon,” he said.

Last week, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted that Washington’s unilateral sanctions on countries around the world “could undermine the hegemony of the dollar.” However, a year ago she claimed the opposite, saying that the greenback didn’t have any serious competition, and was not likely to for a long time.

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Global adventures cost US economy $33 trillion – Russian tycoon

Earlier this month, Ivan Chebeskov, who heads the Financial Policy Department at Russia’s Finance Ministry, said that interruptions and difficulties with international settlements became the most painful consequences of Western sanctions for the Russian financial system. He also highlighted that, at the same time, the problem had inevitably triggered an increase in settlements in alternative currencies.

In February, the Central Bank of Russia created a special department for handling issues arising in international settlements. The new body deals with the challenges “that have become particularly relevant in the context of sanctions,” such as the transition to settlements in national currencies.

Deripaska is among many Russian businessmen sanctioned in the past year by the US in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. He was forced out as CEO of Rusal after Washington targeted the company’s aluminum exports. He is worth $2.6 billion according to Forbes.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section