Russia To Defend Its Venezuela Oil Assets In ‘Toughest Way Possible’
By Tsvetana Paraskova

March 11, 2019 "Information Clearing House" - Nicolas Maduro’s staunchest international ally—Russia—reaffirmed last week its full support to the Socialist leader’s regime and his efforts to prevent what Moscow sees as interference in Venezuela’s domestic affairs.

At the same time, Russia, which vowed to defend its oil assets in Venezuela as early as the political crisis began in January, sees risks to its investments in the Latin American country and pledges to react “in the toughest way” possible within international law if those investments are threatened, Russia’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Vladimir Zaemsky, told Russian government-run newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta in an interview published this week.

Russia is the staunchest supporter and ally of Maduro’s "regime" in the political power struggle in the Latin American country sitting on top of the world’s largest oil reserves, while the US and many European nations have recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim president. Russia has stood by Maduro for years and has poured billions of US dollars in Venezuela in the form of loans and oil investments. Russia’s state-controlled oil giant Rosneft has extended US$6 billion of loans to Venezuela’s state oil firm PDVSA. As of December 31, 2018, Venezuela still owed Rosneft US$2.3 billion.


Rosneft is also said to be helping Venezuela to get the oil products it needs to dilute its heavy crude after the US sanctions choked off American naphtha exports to Venezuela.


There certainly are risks to Russia’s investments in Venezuela, but those risks are associated with Washington’s behavior, rather than with Venezuela’s government, as the case with PDVSA’s US-based refining subsidiary Citgo has shown, ambassador Zaemsky told Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in the interview with a headline ‘Russia is not abandoning its friends’).

All Russian investment projects have been approved by the relevant Venezuelan and international law and therefore, are under their protection, Zaemsky said, and added: 

“If attempts are made to deprive Russian companies of their investments in Venezuela’s economy, Russia will react to this in the toughest way, employing all available means under international law.”  

Referring to Citgo, Zaemsky said that Russia sees in this a US policy of unfair competition, citing another example—“unprecedented US pressure on Europe” over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project in an attempt to squeeze Russia out of the EU gas market.

Similarly, Washington basically appropriated assets of a large oil refining business, without paying a cent for it and hiding behind tales of its transfer to “the legitimate president Juan Guaidó” [sic], Rossiyskaya Gazeta quoted Zaemsky as saying.

The Russian ambassador to Venezuela also reaffirmed Moscow’s stance that Russian-Venezuelan relations are strategic and the countries continue to strengthen them.

This position was also expressed last week by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said on Friday, after talks with visiting Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, that Moscow supports Maduro and the “measures taken by Nicolas Maduro’s government to prevent further destabilisation.”

Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed what President Nicolas Maduro has said repeatedly: that the Venezuelan leadership is ready for such a dialogue. Of course, it is unfortunate that the opposition has consistently rejected dialogue – upon direct instructions from Washington, as we all know very well,” Lavrov said, as carried by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On Saturday, in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding Venezuela, Lavrov “condemned the threats the US has made toward the country’s lawful leadership, which is an overt interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and a severe violation of the international law,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

While the global superpowers spat over the handling of the crisis in Venezuela, the Latin American country’s oil industry has been hit hard by the US sanctions against it and its state oil firm PDVSA. Venezuela struggles to find buyers for its oil, after the sanctions essentially ban exports to what was its largest market until recently, the US, as well as imports from the US of naphtha, which the country uses to dilute its thick heavy oil to make it flow.

Russia’s Rosneft is reportedly coming to the rescue with shipments of naphtha to Venezuela to help it make its heavy oil suitable for processing and exports. Two Rosneft tankers will be sending 1 million barrels of heavy naphtha to Venezuela in the next few weeks, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing shipping reports and a source with knowledge of the plans. These naphtha shipments could bring some immediate relief, but they would be lower than Venezuela’s typical monthly heavy naphtha imports of 2-3 million barrels, according to Bloomberg.

Tsvetana is a writer for the U.S.-based Divergente LLC consulting firm with over a decade of experience writing for news outlets such as iNVEZZ and SeeNews.

This article was originally published by "Oil Price" -  

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/51254.htm

The random walk to war with Russia:

Russian Troops, Aid Arrive In Venezuela After Delivering Red Line Warning To Trump

Just days after a high-level meeting in Rome this week, during which Russia reiterated a grave warning to the US – Moscow will not tolerate American military intervention to topple the Venezuelan government with whom it is allied - it appears Russia is taking no chances with its South American ally.

After the Rome meeting, Ryabkov said bluntly:

One of those warnings delivered by Ryabkov is understood to have been that no American military intervention in Venezuela will be tolerated by Moscow.
For his part, Abrams sounded as if he had emerged from the meeting after having been given a severe reprimand.

Quote

“No, we did not come to a meeting of minds, but I think the talks were positive in the sense that both sides emerged with a better understanding of the other’s views,” he told reporters.

“A better understanding of the other’s views,” means that the American side was given a red line to back off.

And now, according to journalist Javier I. Mayorca, Colonel General Vasily Tonkoshkurov, chief of the Main Staff of the Ground Forces - First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces of Russia, arrived in Venezuela.

The Russian general arrived in the Bolivarian Republic accompanied by 99 servicemen. On board the An-124 delivered 35 tons of cargo.

The Russian General was reportedly received by the Director General of the Office of Integration and International Affairs, Vide Admiral Marianny Mata Quijada, and by the Director of FAES (Venezuela's Special Forces Unit), Edgar Colina Reyes.

This is enough. The Monroe Doctrine should be implemented.

Putin is a despot.

Globalism, mass migration, nationalism, moral decay, economic decay, nations preparing for war. All the ingredients for the Fourth Turning. 2020's will very interesting in a murderous way.

Both Russia and America should be working together to ensure that there's a peaceful, democratic transfer of power over there. That is the only solution.

This is enough. The Monroe Doctrine should be implemented.

Yea, sure. Maybe the U.S. should stop being so hypocritical and stay on their own side of the globe for a change.

However, Zakharova has the perfect answer for this nonsense;




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Not only that, he's an open and devout Christian.

A heretic is not a Christian.

A heretic is not a Christian.

Then neither is a catholic pope and "saint".........

Alaric:  Have Putin prove himself, as a God fearing man.  Have him consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and The Sacred Heart, publicly.  This is what all leaders have been begged to do and our families.

Alaric:  Have Putin prove himself, as a God fearing man.  Have him consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and The Sacred Heart, publicly.  This is what all leaders have been begged to do and our families.

Really? Not even catholic popes  along with the bishops will do that. And even after the Lady of Fatima requested as such.
Why in the world would you demand a head of state of such a demonstration, when even the so-called vicar of Christ himself will not  even acknowledge this order by Christ's own Mother?
At least Putin openly displays his devotion to the Church (orthodox), that's more than I can say than 90% of world leaders today. Putin has more than proven himself to be a "God-fearing" man.
And a much better track record than  the popes of the last hundred years. At least when it comes to this Fatima issue.