Well, anyone wishes to know. Just remind yourself that in any confrontation with the West (Georgia, Syria, Ukraine), he won.
He did not react to the sanction on a “gentlemen” agreement as the US and Europe kindly (eheh) avoided to hit the correct target.
In Ukraine he will probably wait the 25 May election or an attack to the self declared independent Eastern Ukraine. He has a red lines: apparently there are over 400 Greystone mercenaries in Ukraine (font German magazine Bild -apparently all this interesting information against the US come from someone in German with interests more aligned with Putin than Obama – someone in energy?) and a number of CIA and FBI advisors. The Greystone mercenaries are currently dressed in Special Police uniform Sokol (logically Greystones denies). But the reality is the hits against Ukraine military are predominantly against the Sokol police.
He is trying not to invade Ukraine as he just need to destabilise it and now wander towards Europe. He knows that with economic pressure in a few year -after all the Western fanfare fades – it will economically succumb to Russia anyway.
But Ukraine, for Putin, is an integral part of Russia. Approximately 1 million Russian died there defeating the German Nazi.
On a greater scheme Putin is always seeing as US as the great enemy responsible for the fall of the USSR (with the Saudis) and affront of Serbia (Russia could not protect Serbia, considered like a sibling, during the Balcanic wars).
He has long understood that the centre of the US power is the fact that the US Dollar is the world reserve currency. He is trying to ally with China, Iran and possibly India to create an alternate currency bloc.
Russian Deputy Finance Minister Moiseev mentioned a potential “currency switch executive order” in which the Kremlin could order all the payments (including 1/3 of all European gas supply) to be made in Roubles not US Dollars.
Such a shift would have immense consequences.
Plus there is the fact of who is the owner of almost 1/3 of all US Treasury bought via Euroclear and deposited in Belgium. As they represent 300% of Belgium GDP it is not Belgium. If it is Russia ..what it is doing (it is so much I do not think so), the Chinese I do not know why they would do it. If it is the Fed – that would be a deception as it would mean that the tapering never happened (they just shifted asset) and would be a Watergate moment if exposed.
As usual do not underestimate Rodina (Mother Russia, for the Russian Speakers).
That is why, after having achieved our targets, we use this rally to proceed with caution.
With Russia, China and the US in a delicate situation, it is better to be careful – the timing could be between now and 3 years (the first signs of the Global Financial Crisis started in August 2006)
investorpolitico 