© Reuters / Jonathan ErnstBiden: What am saying is, f**k the EU!
America's leadership had to embarrass Europe to impose economic hits on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine - even though the EU was opposed to such a motion, US Vice President Joe Biden revealed during a speech at Harvard.
"We've given Putin a simple choice: Respect Ukraine's sovereignty or face increasing consequences," Biden told a gathering at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University's Institute of Politics on Thursday.
The consequences were the
sanctions which the EU imposed on Russia, first targeting individual politicians and businessmen deemed responsible for the crisis in Ukraine, then switching to the energy, defense, and economic sectors.
"It is true they did not want to do that," Biden admitted.
"It was America's leadership and the president of the United States insisting, oft times almost having to embarrass Europe to stand up and take economic hits to impose costs," the US vice president declared.
Those
costs deemed behind the ruble's historic plunge not only forced America's ExxonMobil to retreat from Russia's Arctic shelf, but also provoked counter-measures from Moscow, which
suspended certain food imports from the EU.
Russia's counter-sanctions have hit many of the EU's agricultural states. EU members, particularly those close to Russia, were the most affected by the loss of the Russian market.
For instance, the Netherlands - the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural products - is set to lose 300 million euro annually from canceled business with Russia, as it accounts for roughly 10 percent of Dutch exports of vegetables, fruit, and meat.
At the same time, Poland was hit hard by the Kremlin's sanctions, as its food exports to Russia totaled $1.5 billion in 2013.
Spain, a large exporter of oranges to Russia, is estimated to miss out on 337 million euro ($421 million) in food and agriculture sales, while Italy has estimated its losses at nearly 1 billion euro ($1.2 billion).
Following pressure from local farmers, a 125 million euro EU Commission Common Agricultural Policy fund was established, from which the growers are expected to get some cash, while Amsterdam is willing to cover the cost of transporting excess produce to eight food banks across Holland.
Overall, Moscow's one-year food embargo against the EU, the US, Norway, Australia, and Canada will block an estimated $9 billion worth of agricultural exports to Russia.With European countries now at a
loss with apple and dairy surplus, it is not exactly clear whether EU producers will be able to return to the Russian markets after the one-year ban
expires.
However, this is no secret to the US, as Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland
remarked on Thursday.
"Implementing sanctions isn't easy and many countries are paying a steep price. We know that. But history shows that the cost of inaction and disunity in the face of a determined aggressor will be higher,"Nuland said.
Nuland's reference to necessary action against the "aggressor" might be taken with a grain of salt by the Europeans, as the "F**k the EU" leak is still fresh in their memory.
The four-minute video - titled 'Maidan puppets,' referring to Independence Square in Ukraine's capital - was uploaded by an anonymous user to YouTube.
Nuland was recorded as saying the notoriously known phrase during a phone call with US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, as the two were seemingly discussing a US-preferred line-up of the Ukrainian government. It apparently referred to Washington's policy differences with those of the EU on ways of handling the Ukrainian political crisis, with Nuland suggesting to "glue this thing" with the help of the UN and ignore Brussels.
The US State Department did not deny the authenticity of the video and stressed that Nuland had apologized for the "reported comments."
... is having to admit that a complete numb-nuts like Biden is America's current, twice-elected VP. Of course, when the only real qualification needed for the office is to resoundingly say, "I am a zionist!" on Shalom TV in Israel (e.g., he got the nomination within 48 hours of that very comment on Shalom TV), it's easy to see why a total nincompoop jagoff like Biden was selected for the job. If being an unabashed, open and loudly self-proclaimed zionist bootlicker is the only necessary qualification for the US Vice Presidency, then Joe Biden is supremely qualified.
Of course, Biden can openly and harshly chastise the EU leadership for not immediately bowing down before USA's diktats, as the EU, like the USA, is 100% zionist and neocon controlled, and all ultimately serve the same masters. And those 'masters' are NEVER the citizenry these 'leaders' supposedly represent, but instead are the vested financial and political interests of the zionist/neocon controlled banks and financial centers of the US, UK and the EU. THEY are the ones that call the shots and pull the strings that everybody else dances to, especially the West's political 'leadership'. EU farmers and even big name EU corporations can complain all they want about how much the Russian sanctions are hurting, even killing, their businesses, but it will all be to no avail. Because when the zionist/neocon international banksters say "Jump!", the politicians of the West all say in unison, "How high, sirs?" (And when their zionist/neocon masters say, "Crap!", well...... use your imagination.)
So it's all in the same boot-licking family, and these slimy, unctuous pols are used to public ass-spankings when they get out of line, no matter how temporarily. No real problem. It's just a big game to these politicians, doing whatever they have to in order to maintain the tiny amounts of (illusory) power and control that the zionist/neocons (i.e., the REAL 'masters of the universe') allow these disgusting political puppets.
Unfortunately, the suffering and mayhem these Western politicians inflict doing the zionist/neocon's dirty work is very, very real to the ordinary, innocent people that are maimed, butchered and slaughtered on a daily basis for the zionist/neocon agenda. But these Western politicians don't care. Not at all. Why?
Because they don't have to.........