The Russians, overcome with awe of the West and doubtful of their own validity, must have been absent when Hugo Chavez gave the most famous speech ever given at the United Nations on September 20, 2006. Paraphrasing his words, this is what Chavez said referring to US President George W. Bush:
“Yesterday, at this very podium, stood Satan himself, speaking as if he owned the world. You can still smell the sulphur.”
If the Russians had spoken similarly years ago, they would not be experiencing the present tensions and difficulties. But the Russians had foolish hopes of acceptance by the West. And, despite all evidence to the contrary, some still do. Russians are clearly very slow learners.
On March 18, 2022, approaching 16 years after Chavez spoke, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said: “Never again will we rely on the West.”
But he (and Putin) still virtue signal: “We have never used oil and gas as a weapon.” Why not? Why does Russia contribute to her own distress? Why does Russia refuse to use a non-military but devastating weapon against her enemies? The West seizes Russia’s foreign exchange reserves, which the incompetent or traitor who heads the Russian central bank made easy by offshoring Russia’s reserves and placing them in the hands of Russia’s enemies! And Putin nominates this de facto agent of the West for reappointment!
Little wonder the Western world does not take Russia seriously. The Kremlin lets its Western enemies run Russia’s central bank. It might as well turn the Russian military over to to US General Mark A. Milley. Indeed, considering the length of time passed and Russia still has not subdued the extremely weak Ukrainian forces, it seems that the operation is indeed in US hands. Will it go on 20 years like Washington’s war in Afghanistan?
The Russian government, in the midst of what President Putin has acknowledged as a “Western war of annihilation against Russia,” continues to keep Western industry alive by selling the West energy and strategic minerals. The traitor or incompetent at the central bank has told him Russia needs the foreign exchange.
Someone should tell Putin that this is no way to fight a war. Actually, the Chechnya leader did tell him that, to no effect.
Putin has acknowledged that the Western world is conducting a “war of annihilation” against Russia, but apparently decided not to fight back. Instead Putin is preparing Russia to endure the attack, not to defeat it. It is off limits for Russia to use its strategic resources as a weapon.
And it is off limits for the Russian military to defeat Ukraine if it means killing civilians. No shock and awe from Russia.
And Lavrov, who will never again trust the West, is nevertheless negotiating an agreement with Zelensky that Washington will not permit Ukraine to keep.
Where all this is leading is Russia’s back to the wall and nuclear Armageddon.
