Putin Gobsmacks Obama and Euro-Leaders with Surprise Gas Deal

[Locutus]

[SIZE=-1]On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin clinched a groundbreaking deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that will strengthen economic ties between the two nations and make Turkey the major hub for Russian gas in the region. Under the terms of the agreement, Russia will pump additional natural gas to locations in central Turkey and to a “hub at the Turkish-Greek border” which will eventually provide Putin with backdoor access to the lucrative EU market, although Turkey will serve as the critical intermediary. The move creates a de facto Russo-Turkey alliance that could shift the regional balance of power decisively in Moscow’s favor, thus creating another formidable hurtle for Washington’s “pivot to Asia” strategy. While the media is characterizing the change in plans (Putin has abandoned the South Stream pipeline project that would have transported gas to southern Europe) as a “diplomatic defeat” for Russia, the opposite appears to be the case. Putin has once again outmaneuvered the US on both the energy and geopolitical fronts adding to his long list of policy triumphs. Here’s a brief summary from Andrew Korybko at Sputnik News:

“Russia has abandoned the troubled South Stream project and will now be building its replacement with Turkey. This monumental decision signals that Ankara has made its choice to reject Euro-Atlanticsm and embrace Eurasian integration.
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In what may possibly be the biggest move towards multipolarity thus far,..Turkey, has done away with its former Euro-Atlantic ambitions. A year ago, none of this would have been foreseeable, but the absolute failure of the US’ Mideast policy and the EU’s energy one made this stunning reversal possible in under a year. Turkey is still anticipated to have some privileged relations with the West, but the entire nature of the relationship has forever changed as the country officially engages in pragmatic multipolarity.
Turkey’s leadership made a major move by sealing such a colossal deal with Russia in such a sensitive political environment, and the old friendship can never be restored…The reverberations are truly global.” (“Cold Turkey: Ankara Buckles Against Western Pressure, Turns to Russia”, Sputnik News)
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Korybko seems to be alone in grasping the magnitude of what happened in Ankara on Monday, although –judging by the Obama administration’s silence on the topic–the gravity of the transaction is beginning to sink in. Grandmaster Vlad’s latest move has caught US powerbrokers flat-footed and left them speechless. This is a scenario that no one had anticipated and, if it’s not handled correctly, could turn out to be a real nightmare. Here’s more on Monday’s press conference from Russia Today:

“Putin said that Russia is ready to build a new pipeline to meet Turkey’s growing gas demand, which may include a special hub on the Turkish-Greek border for customers in southern Europe.
For now, the supply of Russian gas to Turkey will be raised by 3 billion cubic meters via the already operating Blue Stream pipeline…Moscow will also reduce the gas price for Turkish customers by 6 percent from January 1, 2015, Putin said.
“We are ready to further reduce gas prices along with the implementation of our joint large-scale projects,” he added.” (“Putin: Russia forced to withdraw from S. Stream project due to EU stance”, RT)
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How can this happen? How can Putin waltz into Ankara, scribble his name on a few sheets of paper, and abscond with a key US ally right under Washington’s nose? Isn’t there anyone at the White House who’s smart enough to anticipate a scenario like this or have they all been replaced with warmongering ding-dongs like Susan Rice and Samantha Powers?


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Talking Turkey » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

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[Nuggler]

"[SIZE=-1]Grandmaster Vlad’s latest move has caught US powerbrokers flat-footed and left them speechless. This is a scenario that no one had anticipated."


Usually a country will do whatever it can to ensure its own needs are met. I'm surprised at the surprise.
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[MHz]

Maybe you don't don't need to be a master at all to know that business deals means your country survives, trying to be the biggest prick of a nation sends you to the poor house, guess who is winning the debt race? Only in the West would that be promoted as being the sacrifice the Govt is willing to pay to assure the freedom of it's own citizens. That the citizens seem to be fine with it means we are full on stupid and we deserve what we get. In the meantime it will be fun to poke holes in what the West is fed and what the reality is.

Sort of like that physics professor that is all over the news blaming TEPCO for lying and thus he made the wrong assessment when that $250,000 education he had should have reached a conclusion before the roof of the building made it's way back to the ground that it gets the all caps version of 'that's about as fuked as it can get'. (and he's one of the more honest ones, lol) Apparently the 'great deception' isn't a masterful plan figured out by a host of geniuses, it is the worst lie one could ever tell yet the 'marks' swallow it without a whimper.

Harper is sending Canadian troops over and Kiev is signing a gas deals with Russia, does anybody care that it is at the new low rate that is a result of the currenet recession, I mean 'oil glut.

http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-says-russia-resumed-sending-gas-070158959--finance.html

 

[Praxius]

"[SIZE=-1]Grandmaster Vlad’s latest move has caught US powerbrokers flat-footed and left them speechless. This is a scenario that no one had anticipated."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Usually a country will do whatever it can to ensure its own needs are met. I'm surprised at the surprise.[/SIZE]

I find it pretty funny. If one country or more decides to end deals with you, simply make deals with other countries. Canada does a lot of trade with the US more than most countries but not because it's actually good business sense. Yes, close proximity makes trading with the US more enticing than trading with someone further away as it cuts down transportation / import / export costs, but when you put all your eggs in one basket and load most of your trade into one country simply because of proximity and lower expenses in relation, if and when something happens with trade with that nation, a lot more is affected and then you need to scramble fast to try and find more avenues before your nation takes a huge blow. Spread out and trade more with other nations and you mitigate the possible problems when one or two nations get cut off. Rather than a safety rope you have a safety net.

But with the remarks from the OP report, I can't see how anybody could be shocked and surprised.... The US, EU and China might be some of the bigger players but they are not the only ones. They can try and cut their deals and load sanctions on Russia, but they can not Monopolize the whole world and force other nations to only trade with them, let alone expect other nations to abide by their tactics.

If a nations has a profitable and prosperous deal on their hands that will benefit their people, are they expected to reject the deal and lose out because another nation is butt hurt over it?

Welcome to Capitalism B'atches.