The Tomahawk coercion has not ended yet, but it is increasingly turning into an absolute bluff as Washington becomes convinced that Moscow does not believe it.
A secret plan that could shock the planet is now taking shape on the global stage, as there is now the possibility that the leaders of the U.S., Russia, and China may hold a Summit Meeting.
It is worth recalling that the last time the leaders of the three countries met was in June 2019 in Osaka, Japan.
The potential summit could take place in Johannesburg, although nothing has been officially confirmed yet, and it already feels like stepping into a different historical era.
Even a behind-the-scenes meeting of the new “Big Three” would be a critical geopolitical event — it will happen sooner or later, but it is in the interest of all participants that the inevitable discussion is not delayed.
The summit… A harbinger
The second summit — after Alaska — between Putin and Trump in Budapest, Hungary’s capital, represents a strategic defeat for Europe and a humiliation for Ukrainian President Zelensky, who naïvely believed the U.S. would support Ukraine against Russia and would deliver Tomahawks.
The sudden phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump alone could overshadow Zelensky’s visit to the White House — it became clear that he would not receive Tomahawk missiles.
However, the conversation between the Russian and U.S. presidents also ended with an agreement for a new summit, which directly contradicts the escalation plans that Zelensky and certain European elites were trying to sell to Trump.
The two presidents decided to mark the two months since their Alaska meeting with a phone conversation.
Trump described it as very productive, noting that it was an important step forward.
The Kremlin’s comments were more reserved, which may be explained by the difference in style between the two presidents.
Clearly, the discussion focused on resolving the Ukrainian conflict — as had been done two months earlier in Alaska.
Trump evidently wants to leverage his success in the Middle East (even though the Gaza peace plan could derail at any moment).
The role of Tomahawks
Clearly, the Tomahawk coercion has not ended yet, but it is increasingly turning into an absolute bluff, as Washington becomes convinced that Moscow does not take it seriously.
This is evidenced by Trump’s recent speech about the “colossal prospects” for economic cooperation between the two countries after the end of the “disgraceful war.”
Clearly, both presidents remain committed to reaching an agreement — and that is what matters most now.
Agreement to meet
And it is not just a matter of willingness — Trump and Putin have essentially agreed to meet again.
The U.S. president suggested Budapest, and Putin agreed.
To prepare for the summit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov will hold talks — first by phone and then in person next week.
The location of their meeting has not yet been finalized, but it is already known that these will be not only ministerial talks but also between delegations that lead the discussions.
These delegations will likely include military personnel, so preparations for the Trump-Putin summit, while accelerated, will be serious and extensive.
What has changed since Anchorage
The idea of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, followed by a trilateral meeting with Trump, has disappeared.
It is no longer being discussed — although the U.S. president will likely return to the idea.
For now, it is important for him to meet again with his Russian counterpart, that is, to do something the Europeans and Zelensky absolutely did not want him to do.
The Budapest meeting itself will likely take place next month, after Trump’s visit to South Korea for the APEC summit, where he will meet Xi Jinping — the first time in five years.
Given the economic war that the U.S. has essentially declared on China, the meeting in Gyeongju at the end of October will be extremely important.
Subsequently, the presidents of Russia and the U.S. may meet in Budapest.
Their talks will likely occur in the first half of November, as the G20 summit in Johannesburg is scheduled for November 21–22.
The role of the G20
Although Trump does not plan to travel to South Africa, successful summits with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin could change his plans for the G20.
And there is also the possibility that the leaders of the U.S., Russia, and China could attend the Johannesburg summit — the last time they were together was in June 2019 in Osaka, Japan.
Not only has a decade passed, but it already feels like stepping into a different historical era.
Even a behind-the-scenes meeting of the new “Big Three” would be a critical geopolitical event — it will happen sooner or later, but it is in the interest of all participants that the inevitable discussion is not delayed.
Putin’s trap
In June of this year, announcing the 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen stated:
“The Russian economy is under severe pressure from sanctions. <…>
Russia’s revenue from oil and gas has fallen by almost 80% compared to pre-war levels.
The deficit is rising rapidly. Interest rates are extremely high.
Inflation is rising, far above 10%. The cost of importing technology and critical goods is six times higher than before the war. <…>
Russia has slid into a war economy and is sacrificing its future prospects.”
This statement caused outrage even among experienced Russophobic analysts, who are accustomed to lying professionally and convincingly, mixing half-truths and insinuations — but here they simply exploded.
American response
The U.S.-based Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) directly accused Von Der Leyen of lying:
“This is not just untrue. It is sabotage.
Almost nothing of this is true. Russia’s oil and gas revenues have not fallen by 80%, inflation is falling, not rising, and is below 10%.
The cost of imported technology has not sextupled, and Russia has not descended into a ‘war economy.’
If the previous seventeen EU sanction packages had truly worked, there would have been no need for this new package.”
In reality, the West has long realized that sanctions have failed.
And most importantly, it is unclear what should be done now.
The admission
However, the British magazine Energy Policy recently published an interesting article acknowledging that the sanctions imposed so far have not worked and could not have worked.
Instead, it proposed an unexpected and potentially painful solution:
“A measure that could reduce Russia’s long-term oil profits is sanctions targeting production technologies (prohibiting the transfer of technology and equipment to Russia).”
Changing the terms
The fact is that yesterday, the plenary session of the international forum “Russian Energy Week” took place, with the main event being a speech by President Putin, outlining the state and positive prospects of Russia’s energy sector — both domestically and globally.
But the real “gift” was that Putin, looking to the future, touched on the issue of technological coercion by the West:
“We saw how these same Western elites suddenly refused to service fuel and energy equipment provided to Russia. <…>
The fact remains: Western technologies and equipment for the fuel and energy sector could become unavailable at any time for geopolitical reasons — unavailable not only to Russia, but to any other energy supplier that someone in the West considers an inconvenient competitor or simply a difficult-to-manage country.
We must take all of this into account.”
What is really happening
The problem is real. Since 2021, Russia’s dependence on Western energy technology and equipment in certain sectors ranged from 52% to 80%, and in drilling orbit control technology, it reached 100%.
However, this problem is even more acute for other energy-producing countries.
Middle Eastern oil monarchies rely entirely on Western suppliers of technology and production equipment for oil and gas, dominated by companies such as Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, and Weatherford.
The situation is similar in Iran, Venezuela, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and many others.
And Putin said something simple:
“This means we must actively change the status of energy-producing countries from equipment buyers to technology leaders and establish full national energy sovereignty, from resource extraction and processing to the transport of final products.”
Essentially, if you don’t want your supply cut off at the worst possible moment, you develop it domestically.
The role of technology
Why are Western technologies being replaced?
Russia reverse-engineered the technologies and then created even better, more reliable, and cheaper equipment.
The world is already buying this equipment massively because the technologies have stood the test of time, proving their effectiveness in harsh physical and climatic conditions.
Russia has acquired the expertise, experience, and know-how to develop these even in complex energy sectors, extracting hard-to-recover resources — which is especially important for the oil industry.
Essentially, Russia is ready to wean itself off the West’s technological “needle.”
Gold helps Russia and China resist the West
The latest development is that Russia proposed comprehensive technological cooperation between energy countries, independent of sanctions and external pressures.
A genuine partnership based on knowledge and experience exchange and the creation of industrial alliances.
Furthermore, the results of such partnerships should be shared among all participants.
Essentially, Putin has proposed to the Global South the creation of the first alternative energy and technology alliance to the West, in which participants do not just hold a part of the benefits, but each holds a significant portion.
Revolutions are not always noisy.
Sometimes they occur quietly, in a few minutes of a speech.
But one can be sure that the Western reaction will be deafening, as the loss of indirect control over two-thirds of the world is extremely, extremely painful.
www.bankingnews.gr
It is worth recalling that the last time the leaders of the three countries met was in June 2019 in Osaka, Japan.
The potential summit could take place in Johannesburg, although nothing has been officially confirmed yet, and it already feels like stepping into a different historical era.
Even a behind-the-scenes meeting of the new “Big Three” would be a critical geopolitical event — it will happen sooner or later, but it is in the interest of all participants that the inevitable discussion is not delayed.
The summit… A harbinger
The second summit — after Alaska — between Putin and Trump in Budapest, Hungary’s capital, represents a strategic defeat for Europe and a humiliation for Ukrainian President Zelensky, who naïvely believed the U.S. would support Ukraine against Russia and would deliver Tomahawks.
The sudden phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump alone could overshadow Zelensky’s visit to the White House — it became clear that he would not receive Tomahawk missiles.
However, the conversation between the Russian and U.S. presidents also ended with an agreement for a new summit, which directly contradicts the escalation plans that Zelensky and certain European elites were trying to sell to Trump.
The two presidents decided to mark the two months since their Alaska meeting with a phone conversation.
Trump described it as very productive, noting that it was an important step forward.
The Kremlin’s comments were more reserved, which may be explained by the difference in style between the two presidents.
Clearly, the discussion focused on resolving the Ukrainian conflict — as had been done two months earlier in Alaska.
Trump evidently wants to leverage his success in the Middle East (even though the Gaza peace plan could derail at any moment).
The role of Tomahawks
Clearly, the Tomahawk coercion has not ended yet, but it is increasingly turning into an absolute bluff, as Washington becomes convinced that Moscow does not take it seriously.
This is evidenced by Trump’s recent speech about the “colossal prospects” for economic cooperation between the two countries after the end of the “disgraceful war.”
Clearly, both presidents remain committed to reaching an agreement — and that is what matters most now.
Agreement to meet
And it is not just a matter of willingness — Trump and Putin have essentially agreed to meet again.
The U.S. president suggested Budapest, and Putin agreed.
To prepare for the summit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov will hold talks — first by phone and then in person next week.
The location of their meeting has not yet been finalized, but it is already known that these will be not only ministerial talks but also between delegations that lead the discussions.
These delegations will likely include military personnel, so preparations for the Trump-Putin summit, while accelerated, will be serious and extensive.
What has changed since Anchorage
The idea of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, followed by a trilateral meeting with Trump, has disappeared.
It is no longer being discussed — although the U.S. president will likely return to the idea.
For now, it is important for him to meet again with his Russian counterpart, that is, to do something the Europeans and Zelensky absolutely did not want him to do.
The Budapest meeting itself will likely take place next month, after Trump’s visit to South Korea for the APEC summit, where he will meet Xi Jinping — the first time in five years.
Given the economic war that the U.S. has essentially declared on China, the meeting in Gyeongju at the end of October will be extremely important.
Subsequently, the presidents of Russia and the U.S. may meet in Budapest.
Their talks will likely occur in the first half of November, as the G20 summit in Johannesburg is scheduled for November 21–22.
The role of the G20
Although Trump does not plan to travel to South Africa, successful summits with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin could change his plans for the G20.
And there is also the possibility that the leaders of the U.S., Russia, and China could attend the Johannesburg summit — the last time they were together was in June 2019 in Osaka, Japan.
Not only has a decade passed, but it already feels like stepping into a different historical era.
Even a behind-the-scenes meeting of the new “Big Three” would be a critical geopolitical event — it will happen sooner or later, but it is in the interest of all participants that the inevitable discussion is not delayed.
Putin’s trap
In June of this year, announcing the 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen stated:
“The Russian economy is under severe pressure from sanctions. <…>
Russia’s revenue from oil and gas has fallen by almost 80% compared to pre-war levels.
The deficit is rising rapidly. Interest rates are extremely high.
Inflation is rising, far above 10%. The cost of importing technology and critical goods is six times higher than before the war. <…>
Russia has slid into a war economy and is sacrificing its future prospects.”
This statement caused outrage even among experienced Russophobic analysts, who are accustomed to lying professionally and convincingly, mixing half-truths and insinuations — but here they simply exploded.
American response
The U.S.-based Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) directly accused Von Der Leyen of lying:
“This is not just untrue. It is sabotage.
Almost nothing of this is true. Russia’s oil and gas revenues have not fallen by 80%, inflation is falling, not rising, and is below 10%.
The cost of imported technology has not sextupled, and Russia has not descended into a ‘war economy.’
If the previous seventeen EU sanction packages had truly worked, there would have been no need for this new package.”
In reality, the West has long realized that sanctions have failed.
And most importantly, it is unclear what should be done now.
The admission
However, the British magazine Energy Policy recently published an interesting article acknowledging that the sanctions imposed so far have not worked and could not have worked.
Instead, it proposed an unexpected and potentially painful solution:
“A measure that could reduce Russia’s long-term oil profits is sanctions targeting production technologies (prohibiting the transfer of technology and equipment to Russia).”
Changing the terms
The fact is that yesterday, the plenary session of the international forum “Russian Energy Week” took place, with the main event being a speech by President Putin, outlining the state and positive prospects of Russia’s energy sector — both domestically and globally.
But the real “gift” was that Putin, looking to the future, touched on the issue of technological coercion by the West:
“We saw how these same Western elites suddenly refused to service fuel and energy equipment provided to Russia. <…>
The fact remains: Western technologies and equipment for the fuel and energy sector could become unavailable at any time for geopolitical reasons — unavailable not only to Russia, but to any other energy supplier that someone in the West considers an inconvenient competitor or simply a difficult-to-manage country.
We must take all of this into account.”
What is really happening
The problem is real. Since 2021, Russia’s dependence on Western energy technology and equipment in certain sectors ranged from 52% to 80%, and in drilling orbit control technology, it reached 100%.
However, this problem is even more acute for other energy-producing countries.
Middle Eastern oil monarchies rely entirely on Western suppliers of technology and production equipment for oil and gas, dominated by companies such as Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, and Weatherford.
The situation is similar in Iran, Venezuela, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and many others.
And Putin said something simple:
“This means we must actively change the status of energy-producing countries from equipment buyers to technology leaders and establish full national energy sovereignty, from resource extraction and processing to the transport of final products.”
Essentially, if you don’t want your supply cut off at the worst possible moment, you develop it domestically.
The role of technology
Why are Western technologies being replaced?
Russia reverse-engineered the technologies and then created even better, more reliable, and cheaper equipment.
The world is already buying this equipment massively because the technologies have stood the test of time, proving their effectiveness in harsh physical and climatic conditions.
Russia has acquired the expertise, experience, and know-how to develop these even in complex energy sectors, extracting hard-to-recover resources — which is especially important for the oil industry.
Essentially, Russia is ready to wean itself off the West’s technological “needle.”
Gold helps Russia and China resist the West
The latest development is that Russia proposed comprehensive technological cooperation between energy countries, independent of sanctions and external pressures.
A genuine partnership based on knowledge and experience exchange and the creation of industrial alliances.
Furthermore, the results of such partnerships should be shared among all participants.
Essentially, Putin has proposed to the Global South the creation of the first alternative energy and technology alliance to the West, in which participants do not just hold a part of the benefits, but each holds a significant portion.
Revolutions are not always noisy.
Sometimes they occur quietly, in a few minutes of a speech.
But one can be sure that the Western reaction will be deafening, as the loss of indirect control over two-thirds of the world is extremely, extremely painful.
www.bankingnews.gr
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