Let’s put the events of the last 72 hours into context.
On Monday and Tuesday, Russian oil refineries in NATO countries Hungary and Romania suddenly, and simultaneously, have mysterious explosions and catastrophic fires {citation}}. On Wednesday, NATO head Mark Rutte comes to visit President Trump in the White House, and at the end of the day, the same Russian company, Lukoil, whose refinery exploded in Romania, suddenly becomes sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury {citation}. These events are not disconnected.
President Trump then disputes a Wall Street Journal report {citation}, further saying he did not give approval, nor does he know where NATO long-range missiles are coming from that were launched from Ukraine into Russia {citation}.
Alarmingly, both the Wall Street Journal and President Trump are seemingly correct.
President Trump did not give authorization; however, he did cede authority to NATO to make independent decisions about long-range missiles. The U.K. provided the British storm shadow missiles, and Ukraine launched them with NATO support for targeting deep into Russia.
President Trump saying, “wherever they may come from,” is alarming in itself. We all know that British PM Starmer, French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz and NATO Secretary Mark Rutte are all in alignment to push NATO into a direct conflict with Russia using the non-NATO state of Ukraine to do it.
The frustrating part is not the obtuse deflection by President Trump – perhaps he really doesn’t know – but rather the alarming issue of questioning whether President Trump is getting accurate information from the U.S. intelligence apparatus to make sound decisions. President Trump has abdicated the conflict decision-making to the NATO “coalition of the willing”, while the USA remains in NATO as a sideline observer.
The European members of NATO want war with Russia. President Trump does not want war with Russia, yet remains tied to NATO as they push toward war with Russia. This is not going to end well.
The U.S. Treasury sanctions against Russian energy companies is not going to cause Russian President Vladimir Putin to change his mind on his strategic objective of taking the Donbas region in Ukraine as a buffer zone against NATO encroachment.
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is imposing further sanctions as a result of Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine. Today’s actions increase pressure on Russia’s energy sector and degrade the Kremlin’s ability to raise revenue for its war machine and support its weakened economy. The United States will continue to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the war, and a permanent peace depends entirely on Russia’s willingness to negotiate in good faith. Treasury will continue to use its authorities in support of a peace process.
“Now is the time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine. Treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump’s effort to end yet another war. We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions.”
Today’s action targets Russia’s two largest oil companies, Open Joint Stock Company Rosneft Oil Company (Rosneft) and Lukoil OAO (Lukoil), which are now designated. Rosneft is a vertically integrated energy company specializing in the exploration, extraction, production, refining, transport, and sale of petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products. Lukoil engages in the exploration, production, refining, marketing, and distribution of oil and gas in Russia and internationally.
Rosneft and Lukoil are being designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the energy sector of the Russian Federation economy.
Additionally, OFAC is designating a number of Russia-based Rosneft and Lukoil subsidiaries, a list of which is available in Annex 1 below. All entities owned 50 percent or more, directly or indirectly, by Rosneft and Lukoil are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024, even if not designated by OFAC. (read more)
It was Lukoil’s operation in Romania that exploded on Monday, and it was Rosneft oil that was being processed at the refinery in Hungary where the explosion took place on Monday night into Tuesday. Then, suddenly on Wednesday, President Trump, NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent trigger sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil.
President Vladimir Putin is not a pretending man.
The Russian Federation President can clearly see what NATO (sans Trump) is trying to do, even if the advisors around President Trump are not being fulsome with their information about what NATO is trying to do.
Fubar. All of it.
[…] – The unannounced U.S. move to enable Kyiv to use the missile in Russia comes after authority for supporting such attacks was recently transferred from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon to the top U.S. general in Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who also serves as NATO commander. (more)
The only observation I have is that Pres. Trump’s stance toward Ukraine and Russia and NATO seemed to change after he met with King Charles. Was Pres. Trump given orders or were threats made or was an offer made, or none of the above/ I do not know but something changed.
Oh, who takes King Charles seriously? That is, other than King Charles of course.
My British husband and I look at Charles and cannot call him King.
Given the cowardly way European leaders have acted regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including horribly slow decisions to spend more on their militaries, it is laughable to accuse European leaders of wanting a war with Russia.
Such suggestions align perfectly with Putin’s propaganda, which has bedazzled too many conservative.
Nonsense. Of course the EU wants a war with Russia. They just expect the USA to do the fighting and dying while they take two month vacations and sip cocktails. The fact that the EU does not want to spend money on military assets has nothing to do with their desire for more carnage in eastern Europe.
“They just expect the USA to do the fighting and dying while they take two month vacations and sip cocktails. ”
In a nutshell.
“Putin’s propaganda” – you sound like MSNBC. You must be living in the same fantasy world occupied by the leftists, where the European leaders are the do-gooders and Putin is the evil demon. Your comment demonstrates zero knowledge of the history of this conflict.
The reason this conflict was started and is still ongoing is largely because European leaders and their WEF puppet masters are on a quest to rid the world of any leader who is not onboard with their one-world government project, and as a bonus to steal the resources of both Ukraine and Russia. If you can’t see that after all this time, you’re living in a dream land. You should change your moniker to “Oldfantasist.”
Well said.
The US Deep State and NATO with the full connivance of European leaders fomented a coup in Ukraine that toppled the pro-Russian president and replaced him with a pro-EU, pro-NATO president. That sparked a civil war in Eastern Ukraine which was part of Russia until Lenin passed control of it to Ukraine. The civil war was brutally put down by Azov brigades, lineal and ideological descendants of the Banderite brigades that fought with the Nazis in WW2. They mostly massacred Jews and Poles. Between 2014 and 2021, the Ukrainian military grew to be the largest in Europe , with 1.7 million troops and reservists. They stepped up their attacks on the Donbass and provoked Russia to launch its SMO. This was planned. The deep state thought the disorganized Russian army with its Soviet era weapons would be defeated by the Ukrainian army, resulting in Putin being deposed, and the breakup of the Russian Federation. Then, Russia’s natural resources would be there for the plundering by Western corporations. That was the plan. Some of the people involved included Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Victoria Nuland. Obviously, the Russians had other plans.
The war is now a war of attrition with static lines and strong defensive positions. It is more like WW1, except that artillery has been expanded to include tens of thousands drones, missiles, and glide bombs . Tanks are almost obsolete. In such a war, the side that runs out of men, munitions, money and morale loses, even though little territory has changed hands. That is what happened to Germany in WW1. We can infer that the end is near because the Russians are intransigent and NATO is panicking.
With “friends” like NATO, who needs enemies? With the exception of a small few, they have become socialist authoritarian hellscapes bending the knee to the WEF and their Muslim invaders. They can only exist because their defense is financed to a large degree by the US. Best case scenario: Their pompous, self-righteous woke leaders huff & they puff & throw their bloated weight around, so the usual Profiteers will be primed to make even more billions off another forever war while they depopulate “the peasants” from the planet. Worst case scenario: They are being ruled by Satanists who intend to destroy mankind in a nuclear holocaust.
It’s time to toss NATO “partners” off the teat and let them fend for themselves. They are mostly just a liability IMO. If we were ever attacked odds are these cowards wouldn’t/couldn’t lift a finger to help us. Serious question: What’s in it for US citizens for the US to remain in NATO?
We need out of NATO now. Listening to Rutte is ridiculous. A complete idiot.
We only had one real ally in Europe and that was Britain. But they have gone around the bend. It’s time to cast off NATO to stand on their own two feet the same way the tariffs are forcing that economically.
The EU is financially and morally bankrupt. If they don’t get the war with Russia and all of the lending and arms sales they are all screwed. The British western banking cartel needs a solid diet of new wars to keep above water.
Which is why this all has to be broken up now. And if it breaks up the EU, all the better.
Oops…
German Economy Ministry: We assume that measures taken by the US, EU, and the UK are not intended to target Rosneft’s subsidiaries in Germany.
What a joke. And we call these buffoons “allies.”
IMO, Trump knows exactly what NATO, the EU, the City of London and the U.S. deep state (“Davos” for short) are up to. They are having to spend real capital. Don’t listen to what Trump says, watch what he does.
Bessent and Powell are ready for another attack on the U.S. Treasury and stock markets from our enemies abroad and within. The Davos attack on the US capital markets in April during the Tariff Tantrum failed miserably. It was staged from Canada and led by Mark Carney.
Pray for the administration and all of the patriots who are waging this multi-front war to finally free America from 270 years of Davos duplicity led by the City of London.
IMHO This is an agenda moving towards the outcome “Globalists” have desired for along time, the New World Order spoken of by Bush 1 and WEF/DAVOS. This includes Neocons, Deepstate, Zionists, Satanists, Communists, Democrats, Republicans, etc.
“while the USA remains in NATO as a sideline observer”…. Doesn’t seem to be a smart move to me…
47 NEVER lays all his cards on the table.
Gracias Dios!!