Putin takes control of Venezuela oil as Trump plan to crush Maduro’s communist state fails

VLADIMIR PUTIN is set to take control of the biggest oil reserve in the world as Venezuela hands over control of its state owned company to Moscow after Trump’s anti-government sanctions fall flat.

The deal has been welcomed in Russia, and Rosneft is said to have sent technical teams to Venezuela to prepare to step-up its involvement with national oil giant PDVSA.

Rosneft said the proposals were “rumours” and refused to comment further.

The deal has provoked confusion from some experts, as Russia and Venezuela’s motive appears unclear.

Alexander Korolkov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) told The Moscow Times: “Frankly speaking, it seems strange.

“For me, there are more questions than answers around these rumours. Why do they want to give control to Rosneft? They owe much more to China than to Russia.

“And I’m not sure that Rosneft really needs this kind of a ‘gift’. ‘Control’ here may mean not direct control over the business but a new level of coordination on the oil market.

“I suppose there might be an advisory team from Rosneft giving support to the locals in terms of reforms.”

A change of ownership over PDVSA would need to be approved by the National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition.

Most of the US sanctions on Venezuela have targeted precisely PDVSA because of its vital role as the country’s, and the Nicolas Maduro government’s, cash cow.

Rosneft is also the subject of US sanctions.

The US sanctions against Venezuela were enforced by President Donald Trump as Washington looked to oust Maduro from office and replace him with the leader of the National Assembly Juan Guaido.

Maduro’s regime has overseen an economic crisis which has plunged millions into poverty and seeking refuge in neighbouring Colombia.

Despite sanctions and vocal opposition from the US and many other countries, Maduro remains President largely thanks to loans from China and Russia who have proved important backers to the dictatorial regime in Caracas.

As things stand, Putin’s Venezuela oil deal seems to signify yet more Russian control in Latin America, while Trump is in peril of his own over Turkey’s Syria strikes and a pending impeachment probe.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/119...world-war-3-spt


Putin wins again... anybody else tired of all this winning?

How good is Russia's economy vs The United States economy? I think Trump is winning.

What does that have to do with the subject? And no, you must have forgotten about Syria as well.

Haters going to hate. That is what they do best.

And sometimes a president breaks the constitution and those who wish to ignore it blame it on the people who point it out. Sometimes a president is an awful human being who is nasty, rude and says stupid things. And those who wish to ignore it blame it on the people who point it out. Sometime a party supports a candidate that represents very few of their supposed core values. And when people point that out, people try to make it about the people who point it out.

For future reference, that's called deflection.

Those on the right might believe that the most important goal that Russia is concerned with in Venezuela is their oil and the Russian economy...and you would be dead wrong.

Do folks have any idea how long Russia has been trying to get a foothold in the Americas?

Many were not even born the last time Russia attempted to establish a foothold close to the USA. Back in 1962 Russia wanted to establish a base of operation in Cuba to threaten the USA with their nukes.

Thank God Russia failed and were forced to remove their weapons from Cuba.

Now, Putin and Russia will once again try to establish a base of operations for their nukes to threaten the USA as they take advantage of an American President who believes Putin and Russia are allies of the USA.

Again, "all roads with Trump lead to Russia".

What Putin wants in Venezuela has nothing to do with the Russian economy.

In 1962 we had a real president that would stand up to Russia.

in 2019, we have a president who bends over backwards for Russia.

I'm not sure if it's backwards, but he does bend over for Putin.

They can already nuke us without needing a foot hold in the Americas.

You misspelled Socialist in your title.

squi...In 1962, the threat of Russia putting nukes in Cuba was so important to this nation it pushed the USA and Russia to the brink of WWIII.

We can try to downplay the importance of having Russia at our doorstep, with an established foothold in Venezuela, by claiming Russia already has the capability to strike the US...but we would be ignoring one of the key details at stake.

The United States would be handing Russia a greatly improved "first strike capability", against strategic locations in the United States.

With a foothold in Venezuela, Russia could build nuclear missile silos, airbases to launch their nuclear bombers, establish nuclear submarine bases and build a Russian nuclear command and control facility in the Americas.

Allowing Putin/Russia a foothold in Venezuela is the biggest threat to the United States since the Cuban missile crisis.

Russias economy is in bad shape generally, but you think we're in good shape? have you seen the serious drop in Manufacturing jobs? Have you seen the number of farms that going under? Thanks totally to TRUMP!

If all you want to do is look at the stock market, any president could have done that, all he/she would have to do is lower corporate tax rates.

What's he done for me?

There is a big difference in logistics to consider there. A long range nuclear missile gives you much more time to react and respond. Missile defense systems have much more time to react and intercept a missile launched from long range.

Not so much so with much shorter ranged missiles. It's why keeping Russia at a distance has always been so imperative.

jc...


Interesting article.

https://nypost.com/2018/06/15/it-would-only-take-100-nuclear-weapons-to-destroy-society/
New research argues that 100 nuclear weapons is the “pragmatic limit” for any country to have in its arsenal. Any aggressor nation unleashing more than 100 nuclear weapons could ultimately devastate its own society, scientists warn.

The study was published in the journal Safety on Thursday; it was co-authored by Michigan Technological University professor Joshua Pearce and David Denkenberger, assistant professor at Tennessee State University and director of Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters.

“The results found that 100 nuclear warheads is adequate for nuclear deterrence in the worst case scenario, while using more than 100 nuclear weapons by any aggressor nation (including the best positioned strategically to handle the unintended consequences) even with optimistic assumptions (including no retaliation) would cause unacceptable damage to their own society,” the scientists wrote.

There are approximately 15,000 nuclear weapons globally, according to the research, with the US and Russia accounting for nearly 90 percent of that total. With nine nuclear weaponized countries, the paper argues for a disarmament proposal that would reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world to 900 or less.

“100 nuclear warheads is the pragmatic limit and use of government funds to maintain more than 100 nuclear weapons does not appear to be rational,” the paper argues.

The scientists discuss the devastating global environmental impact that would occur when a country deploys more than 100 nuclear weapons.


This “environmental blowback” would involve a significant drop in global temperatures as soot from nuclear blasts prevents sunlight from reaching Earth’s surface. This, combined with reduced precipitation, could severely impact food production, experts warn, potentially resulting in mass starvation.

“If the agricultural productivity reverts to preindustrial yields because of a nuclear strike, most countries would not be able to feed themselves,” the study says.

Researchers also cite conservative estimates that 34 million people would die if 100 nuclear bombs were unleashed on China, the world’s most populous nation.