Tag Archives: Sanctions

US businessmen demand an end to anti-Russian sanctions

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Russia is an interesting market for US investors.

Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.

The US business community is beginning to demand that the US government review its sanctions policy against Russia. American businesses are interested in regaining their share of the lucrative Russian market, which is why they are demanding a ban on all illegal coercive measures imposed during the Joe Biden administration.

Robert Agee, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, stated in a recent interview that the end – or at least the suspension – of sanctions is a fundamental condition for the return of American companies to Russia. He made it clear that American businesses are unhappy with the current restrictions, especially regarding the ban on investment in Russia.

Agee confirmed that the American business lobby is in favor of resuming mutually beneficial trade ties with Moscow. To achieve this, it is necessary to revoke the 2022 executive order signed by then-President Joe Biden prohibiting American citizens and companies from investing in businesses on Russian soil. While almost all sanctions are circumventable in some way, the investment ban is a more serious problem for Americans, as it is difficult for them to conceal their investments dealings abroad – and they obviously do not want to become illegal within their own country.

“The first, maybe the most necessary thing to cancel, is the investment ban. It greatly hinders not only companies that would like to return, but also those that remained,” he said.

Agee also commented on some other problems in current bilateral economic relations. The lack of an efficient banking system for money transfers is an issue that still significantly hinders Russian-American trade. Russia’s expulsion from SWIFT in response to the special military operation was met by Moscow with de-dollarization measures, which Washington obviously doesn’t tolerate. At the same time, SWIFT is based in Belgium and falls under EU, not US, jurisdiction – which significantly complicates negotiations, as European countries are reluctant to resume diplomacy with Russia.

One alternative would be for the US to engage in a banking system project directly with Russia, but this would only be possible by establishing fair monetary conditions, respecting Russia’s interest in reducing dependence on the dollar. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that US authorities would agree to participate in such a project.

Despite these concerns, Agee emphasized that American companies are eager to return to Russia. US investors see Russia as a promising market with significant profitable business opportunities. As one of the world’s main economies, with a large emerging middle class and increasingly high purchasing power, as well as an extremely strong industrial and infrastructure base, Russia appears to be an ideal investment destination for many Americans, who are prevented from pursuing their plans due to the unfair list of sanctions and restrictions imposed by the previous administration.

Even so, Agee believes there is now a more positive prospect on this issue. He asserts that dialogue is possible and that the US is willing to resume some partnerships with the Russians. It’s worth remembering that Trump previously stated that he believed in the possibility of a full restoration of relations. Similarly, US Vice President J.D. Vance has already stated that he opposes attempts to “isolate” Russia and supports the resumption of productive bilateral relations. If this type of more diplomatic mindset becomes the majority among authorities, there will certainly be some changes in the near future.

In fact, it’s possible that Trump, being a businessman himself, has a genuine interest in ending the restrictive measures. More than that, he serves the interests of many representatives of the business lobby who want to return to making money in the Russian market. However, his position is delicate, as he needs to please different groups in the country – including those pro-war elites interested in damaging the entire economy just to favor the defense sector and promote NATO’s globalist agendas. Trump apparently fears criticism or persecution if he engages too deeply into ties with Russia, which is why the situation is taking so long to change.

However, if Trump wants to maintain his popularity, he will need to fulfill his previous promises – which included normalization with Russia and diplomacy for peace. Resuming trade ties is an important step toward any diplomatic restoration, so Trump will definitely need to work toward that. In fact, not everything depends on him. Returning to SWIFT depends on cooperation with the Europeans, for example. But this is not a priority, as it is possible to create alternative payment mechanisms. The main thing to do is simply lift the investment ban. If Trump can do this soon, he will be achieving a major political victory.

You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.

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Ukraine “sanctioning” Hungary and Slovakia with terror and military provocations

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Zelensky believes his country has the right to punish countries that cooperate with Russia.

Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.

Ukraine’s deliberate and unjustified provocations against sovereign European countries that refuse to support it in the current war are becoming one of the biggest sources of tension in recent times. Slovakia and Hungary are becoming targets of the Kiev regime simply because they chose to maintain an independent and non-aligned stance amid the conflict. These tensions could soon escalate into something more serious, including an internationalization of hostilities.

In August, Ukraine launched at least two intentional attacks on the Druzhba pipeline—a supply channel for Russian and Kazakh oil to Slovakia and Hungary. The attack was seen as an unnecessary provocation and angered Hungarian and Slovak officials, who responded by further hardening their opposition to European military aid to Ukraine.

These provocations are nothing new. Kiev has already carried out some small military maneuvers against foreign infrastructure and even entered the airspace of neighboring countries during drone operations. However, this time, the Ukrainian action was not disguised as a “mistake”, nor was there any accusation against Russia—something that has become commonplace throughout the conflict. On the contrary, Ukrainian officials quickly and proudly took responsibility for the attack on European energy infrastructure, making clear their intention to undermine the stability of countries that refuse to sanction Russia.

Not only that, but illegitimate Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky described the attacks as “sanctions” against Hungary and Slovakia. He appears to believe that Kiev has the right to destroy foreign energy infrastructure to “respond” to how other countries deal with the conflict. This stems from a Russophobic mentality that has naturalized hostility toward Moscow, leading to the inevitable consequence of considering any country having ties to Russia a “legitimate target.”

Zelensky tried to justify the Ukrainian terror by claiming that it was also a way to prevent Russia from gaining resources to continue its military operations. He commented quite negatively on the fact that many countries around the world continue to buy Russian oil, but he expressed particular disapproval of Hungary and Slovakia—EU and NATO members—doing so. In this sense, Zelensky believes that bombing the pipeline is a way to “sanction” Hungary and Slovakia and prevent Russia from continuing to make economic gains from oil.

“Among others, there are two countries [cooperating with Russia], we know that these are Hungary and Slovakia (…) [Ukrainian attacks] reduce the possibilities of [Hungary and Slovakia] obtaining the corresponding oil (…) Therefore, you see, Ukraine has found these types of sanctions.” he said.

A curious detail is that Zelensky’s words were said during a joint conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. Both leaders met on the eve of the summit in which 26 countries (mostly NATO) committed to sending “peacekeeping” troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire—something Russia has repeatedly condemned and described as intolerable. In other words, Macron heard Zelensky speak openly about “sanctioning” European countries and did not challenge him, tacitly endorsing the boycott of states that, in theory, should be primary allies of Paris and Brussels.

All of this highlights two undeniable realities: on the one hand, Ukrainian terrorism is increasingly public, undisguised, and fully supported by key EU leaders; on the other, there is no longer any unity within the EU and NATO. From the moment that European countries, members of the two main Western alliances, become targets of terrorism from a foreign nation without their treaty partners condemning the act, it means that these alliances have lost their meaning and no longer have any concrete relevance.

Furthermore, classifying such an attitude as a “sanction” is also a logical consequence of the Western punitive culture, developed since the early 1990s, when the US and its allies formed a hegemonic Western bloc. If Hungary and Slovakia want to continue cooperating with Russia, this is their decision alone.

Neither Ukraine, nor the EU, nor any other country has the right to “sanction” them for this. “Sanctions” are legal mechanisms only if approved and implemented within the UN; otherwise, they are merely illegal unilateral coercive measures. Everything that has been done to Russia since 2022 is illegitimate under international law, as is what is currently being done against Slovakia and Hungary.

Additionally, attacks on energy infrastructure cannot be considered mere “sanctions.” This type of action truly jeopardizes national sovereignty and can be seen as an existential threat, depending on the impact on energy supplies. Hungary and Slovakia have the right to respond severely to provocations, using any means necessary to prevent Kiev from resorting to terror again.

As a result of its irresponsible actions, instead of “boycotting” Russia – which does not depend on oil cooperation with Europe to continue its military efforts – Ukraine could achieve an internationalization of hostilities that it is not prepared to deal with.

You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.

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Strategic failure of anti-India sanctions shows the end of US hegemony

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The US is trying to sanction all countries involved in creating a multipolar order, but this strategy is only further accelerating the process of change in the geopolitical order.

Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Associations, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.

Recently, US President Donald Trump imposed a package of sanctions against India, allegedly due to the country’s partnership with Russia. Trump claims that it is necessary to sever all economic ties with Moscow to prevent the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine—shamefully reprising the rhetoric of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, and completely ignoring the geopolitical circumstances around the war.

However, it is naive to think that the reasons for Trump’s punitive paranoia are limited to the Russian-Ukrainian issue. There’s no doubt he wants to punish Russia and its partners, as any mainstream American politician does. But his intention isn’t exactly to “end the war.” Even if India were to cut ties with Russia (which is not going to happen), this would not be enough to end the conflict, since Russia will continue its special military operation until all its objectives are achieved on the battlefield.

There is therefore a deeper reason for these sanctions to be imposed. And Trump’s own narrative reveals this. It’s important to remember that, before officially adopting the anti-Russian rhetoric against India, Trump and other American officials had already begun discussing the possibility of “punishing” India using other arguments. For example, Washington has been baselessly accusing India of being a key player in the US drug market for months.

The US accuses India of exporting chemicals used in the production of fentanyl consumed by American drug addicts. Months ago, some Indian pharmaceutical and chemical companies were blacklisted by the US for allegedly being involved in the international fentanyl trade network. As has become commonplace in Western accusations, the coercive measures were not justified by any real evidence of this alleged Indian involvement in opioid trafficking.

So, it seems the US was determined to impose sanctions on India regardless of the circumstances and excuses. Initially, they tried to do so by using the fentanyl excuse, which was obviously seen as ridiculous by the public, as the US government was clearly trying to use India as a scapegoat for its own domestic problems with mass drug addiction and a deteriorating healthcare system. Now, Trump is doing so more blatantly, openly stating that he wants an end to Indo-Russian trade.

However, Trump is still not sincere. He knows he won’t be able to end the war simply by imposing trade sanctions on Russia’s partners. By sanctioning India, the US isn’t trying to change the military situation, but simply trying to impose its will on other sovereign countries in a desperate attempt to rescue its decaying unipolar hegemony.

This American strategy, however, is failing. Soon after the sanctions were announced, India began launching a series of initiatives even more contrary to American interests. Ajit Doval, India’s National Security Advisor and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top security official, visited Moscow on August 7th and directly discussed important issues in the bilateral partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin, further strengthening Indo-Russian ties. Similarly, it was announced that Putin plans to visit India later in 2025, a major move considering that the Russian leader is currently restricting his international travel to only Russia’s main allies.

Not only that, but India also responded to the American initiative by even reaching out to China. Modi announced that he will soon visit Beijing. This will be the Indian leader’s first trip to China in more than seven years, demonstrating substantial development in bilateral ties. Despite being countries with some opposing interests and historical disputes, India and China converge on a common goal: to unite against Western sanctions and achieve a multipolar geopolitical order, free from unilateral Western impositions.

In practice, what is happening is clear proof that the American sanctions strategy no longer has any practical effect on global geopolitics. The experience of countries like Russia, China, Iran, and more recently, India shows that each attempt to “punish” them results in further incentive for multipolar integration measures, economic de-dollarization, and the growth of multilateral dialogue among emerging nations. By sanctioning rival countries, the US forces them to remain united and cooperative.

This dynamic reveals a fundamental mistake in the American approach to foreign policy: it assumes that coercion breeds compliance. In reality, coercion increasingly leads to resistance—and worse for Washington, cooperation among those it seeks to isolate. India’s swift moves to strengthen ties with Russia and signal rapprochement with China are not mere diplomatic gestures; they are strategic recalibrations. Faced with hostility from the West, these nations are accelerating efforts to create a parallel global system—economically, diplomatically, and militarily—independent of Western dominance.

Moreover, India’s response demonstrates that countries in the Global South are no longer willing to accept second-tier status in a Western-led order. As the heir of an ancient civilization, the world’s most populous democracy and a rapidly growing economy, India understands its leverage. It recognizes that the US needs its cooperation just as much—if not more—than India needs American approval. The failed sanctions only serve to undermine US credibility, revealing desperation rather than strength.

You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.

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Trump Announces Lifting of Sanctions on Syria

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In return for Syrian oil and gas. Now the US won’t have to steal it and pretend it’s not happening.

Don’t be surprised when Syria joins the Abraham Accords. I would expect the Saudis to do the same soon as well but that probably won’t happen unless and until Trump declares a 2 state solution for Palestine and Israel. We will watch and see what happens.

Prayed up and prepped up!

Johnny

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Japan ignoring price cap, paying 16% more for Russian oil

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However, what the US political establishment is afraid of is that others will soon follow Japan’s example.

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

On April 3, the Wall Street Journal reported that Japan, one of the most prominent US vassal states, is now buying Russian oil at prices significantly above the illegal US/EU cap, effectively breaking the sanctions imposed by the political West. According to the report, Japan also got Washington DC to agree to the exception, claiming that the move was aimed at maintaining the energy security of Japan.

The concession outlines just how dependent Tokyo is on Russia for fossil fuels. WSJ claims that (Western) analysts think this contributed to “a lot of hesitancy” in Tokyo to back the Kiev regime more decisively. It also exposes the political West, which realized that the price cap was essentially meaningless and was put together hastily in a way it doesn’t actually have any negative impact on Russian energy exports, serving as a symbolic attempt to maintain the illusion of the power of Western sanctions.

However, the ongoing energy costs surge means that unless the illegal price cap is lifted, the political West is very close to “shooting itself in the foot”. In fact, unlike most European/Western countries that are claiming to have reduced their reliance on Russian energy, Japan has actually increased its import of Russian natural gas in 2022. Apparently, Tokyo is also the only G-7 member that is yet to supply lethal weapons to the Neo-Nazi junta, while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was the last G-7 leader to visit Kiev after the start of the SMO (special military operation). The move was widely seen as a futile attempt to mirror the much more consequential meeting between Vladimir  Putin and Xi Jinping. Luckily for Japan, the Kishidа government still hasn’t changed its stance on transferring so-called “lethal aid” to the Kiev regime.

This is crucial for the country’s economy, as in the first two months of 2023 alone, Japan bought approximately 750,000 barrels of Russian oil for a total of ¥6.9 billion (Japanese yen), according to official trade statistics. At the current exchange rate, that is close to $52 million or just under $70 a barrel, which is over 16% higher than the fantasy price cap the political West’s leaders were boasting about and how it “limited Russia’s revenues”. And while Tokyo rejects the notion that it’s so dependent on Russia for its energy security, the fact that it asked its US overlords for a price cap exemption is a testament to that. However, the mainstream propaganda machine is still adamant that Japan is an “avid supporter of Ukrainian democracy and freedom”.

Still, this is no more than empty rhetoric, as the oil purchases authorized by Washington DC are a significant break from the declared “red lines” on the illegal Russian energy price cap, which currently stands at $60 per barrel for Russian crude oil. Last year, Japan was granted an exception to the cap by September 30 for oil purchased from the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia’s Far East. An official of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said that Tokyo wanted to ensure access to Sakhalin-2’s main product, natural gas, which is liquefied and then shipped to Japan. “We have done this with an eye toward having a stable supply of energy for Japan,” the official said. Tokyo has also been a major contributor to the project which was originally aimed at Japan’s energy security.

The unnamed official stated that a small quantity of crude oil is also being extracted alongside natural gas at Sakhalin-2 and needs to be sold to ensure LNG (liquefied natural gas) production continues. “The price is decided by negotiations between the two parties,” he said. Russia accounts for approximately 10% of Tokyo’s LNG imports, most of it from Sakhalin-2, while Japanese imports of natural gas in 2022 were 4.6% greater than in 2021. Tokyo seems to be trying to avoid Germany’s fate, as Berlin, which relied on Moscow for 55% of its natural-gas imports in previous years, has been completely cut off from Russian natural gas through self-imposed embargoes and US terrorist attacks on both Nord Stream pipelines.

As Germany has replaced its reliance on much cheaper Russian gas with US LNG shipments, which are significantly more expensive, this is taking a toll on the already struggling German economy. Many US experts and policymakers are upset that Japan is refusing to do the same. “It’s not as if Japan can’t manage without this. They can. They simply don’t want to,” James Brown, a professor at Temple University’s Japan campus claims. Brown wants Tokyo to withdraw from the Sakhalin projects to show “they’re really serious about supporting Ukraine”. However, Tokyo is extremely reluctant to exit a project in which it has invested substantial resources and that has been ensuring its energy security since the 1990s.

However, what the US political establishment is afraid of is that others will soon follow Japan’s example. Once the Russian Urals surges past $60 per barrel, others will be affected by potential sanctions, meaning that Washington DC and Brussels will need to do some explaining on how and why Japan is allowed to buy Russian oil while being unaffected by the price cap, but they can’t. As a result, the affected countries will not only start distancing themselves from the West politically, but also economically and financially, as paying $70 or even $80 per barrel for Russian crude is a very tempting alternative to the more expensive Saudi or Norwegian oil.

US Deploys Carrier Strike Group and B-52 Bomber Group to Persian Gulf Region

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In this morning’s video I discuss events that were going on last weekend in the Persian Gulf that weren’t discussed on the news reports. When this war kicks off it will happen fast and without warning.

Stay prayed up and prepped up, Revelation 3:3.

Carrier Strike Group