Baltic Nations Want EU Bailout

Baltic states are grappling with the economic fallout from EU sanctions on Russia, Politico reported on Thursday. 

This has seemingly compelled the European Commission to provide financial aid next year, citing officials familiar with the plan. 

Tourism and investment have slumped across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, while cross-border trade has “largely collapsed” due to the loss of long-standing commercial ties with Russia, the media outlet said. 

Anonymous EU officials told Politico the initiative is intended to boost the economies of the Baltic states and neighboring Finland, with Regional Commissioner Raffaele Fitto expected to lead the effort as the countries come up with an extensive list of demands. The aid plan will reportedly be discussed at an Eastern European leaders’ summit in Helsinki, Finland next month. 

Skeptics, however, warn that any near-term support Fitto can offer will be limited, with the EU’s seven-year budget already running low and the scale of the challenge far greater than the funds available. 

All four nations share a border with Russia and have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions since 2022, while tightening entry rules for Russian citizens. Cross-border trade has been effectively shut down as a result. Furthermore, the downturn has been aggravated by post-pandemic inflation, which has surged across the region. And so, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland have all taken a hit. 

Despite the economic pain, the Baltic states remain among the most hawkish EU members on Russia and even pressing for further military buildup. 

I don't see an end to this economic quagmire and it can only get worse. In fact, Europe is gearing up for war with Russia. And it will surely happen as soon as they can cajole courage to come out of hiding. 

Sivasangari Subramaniam is only one match away from retaining the HKFC Squash Open title. 

Yesterday, her semi-final match against France's Mélissa Alvès saw the former triumphant 3-0 over the latter. The world #7 made a confident start, always ahead on the scoreboard as she took a two game advantage (11-7, 11-5). Alvès went 4-0 up in the third but the Malaysian regained total control to close out the match in 26 minutes.

Give Us All Your Heavy Weapons, EU Told

Denmark will transfer all of its artillery to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (left) announced on Saturday. 

 

According to her, despite production issues, Copenhagen and the EU in general have enough arms stockpiled to supply the country with the necessary weaponry. 

 

"We have weapons, we have ammunition, we have air defense, that we don’t have to use ourselves at the moment, that we should deliver to Ukraine”, Frederiksen added and pressed other EU member-states to follow suit.

 

Denmark is among the major suppliers of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It also spearheaded an effort to help Ukraine procure F-16 fighter jets and train its pilots to fly the warplanes last year, and is a member of the "drone coalition", a group of countries led by Latvia and the United Kingdom that have pledged to give Kiev one million drones to fight Russia.

 

On Wednesday, Ukrainian national security council chief Aleksey Danilov (right) repeated: "The EU should donate all their heavy weapons to Kiev", and he even boasted that Ukraine would have defeated Russia already if it had been given enough arms.

 

"We are prepared to achieve the task of destroying the Russian Federation", he declared.

Methinks, it's an idea worth considering because the more arms supplied to Ukraine by EU states, the faster their stockpiles get depleted. And so, it won't just be the demilitarization of Ukraine, but the whole of the EU as well! Then, the West won't be warmongering anymore!

Ukraine Wants NATO Countries to Pledge 1% of GDP

Ukraine has never been coy about asking, even demanding money and arms from other countries in order to sponsor its war against Russia.

 

Since Russia's Special Military Operation began, the US alone has directed more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial, and military support, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute (Council on Foreign Relations, February 22, 2023). 

 

As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of continued support for Ukraine, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk (left) now wants NATO countries to pledge 1% of their GDP to meet Ukraine’s weapon needs. 

 

A fool’s errand, that is what it is. 

 

Already NATO want their members to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defence – and yet, just seven of NATO’s 30 member states – not counting Finland which only joined NATO on April 04 – met the defense spending target in 2022. The US, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the United Kingdom, all achieved the standard with Croatia and France among those falling just short. Others, e.g. Canada and Germany were further behind. 

 

It is claimed that Ukraine is running out of anti-aircraft missiles, an apparent leak of Pentagon documents dating from February suggests. 

 

The New York Times already reported that Ukraine’s Buk air defence systems, which it relies on along with the S-300 to protest vital sites from Russian air power, and air defences protecting troops on the front line could be “completely reduced” by May 23! 

 

I hope this is true because if it is, we can expect the war to wind down. Enough of deaths and destruction.

NATO Special Forces Confirmed On the Ground in Ukraine

There's no denying anymore! According to BBC News yesterday, based on one of dozens of documents leaked online – popularly referred to as the Pentagon papers – which was dated March 23, the UK has the largest contingent of special forces in Ukraine (50), followed by fellow NATO states Latvia (17), France (15), US (14) and Netherlands (1). 

 

It is noteworthy to mention that the UK has been vociferous in its support of Ukraine, and is the second largest donor after the US of military aid to Kiev. Anyway, the document does not say where the forces are located or what they are doing. 

 

This issue of boots on the ground has been the subject of quiet speculation for over a year. The numbers of personnel may be small, and will doubtless fluctuate. But special forces are by their very nature highly effective. Their presence in Ukraine is likely to be seized upon by Moscow, which has argued that it is not just confronting Ukraine, but NATO as well. 

 

Not surprisingly, UK's Ministry of Defence, in a tweet on Tuesday said the leak of alleged classified information had demonstrated what they called a "serious level of inaccuracy". However, they did not elaborate or suggest which specific document(s) they were referring to – but Pentagon officials are quoted as saying the documents are real. 

 

One document, which detailed the number of casualties suffered in Ukraine on both sides, did appear to have been doctored. 

 

In any case, the US government say they are investigating the source of the leak.

Flowers for Russian Tanks

Actions in support of Kiev in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania went off script over the weekend as locals started bringing flowers to destroyed Russian tanks that had been put on display in the three nations’ capitals, ostensibly to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine. As in Berlin, Germany – as per my post “A Symbol of the Fight Against Neo-Nazism in Ukraine” published February 27. 

 

A video released by RT's video agency Ruptly shows small bouquets of flowers lying on the ground near a burnt-out Russian tank in the Latvian capital of Riga. The destroyed equipment was put on display at one of the central city squares to mark the anniversary of the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev. 

 

The tank is cordoned off by a fence featuring a placard explaining that it was destroyed in a “battle”, where, according to the text, Russian forces lost nine tanks and other combat vehicles and some 50 Russian soldiers were killed. Nothing is said about the Ukrainian casualties. 

 

Carnations can be seen lying near the tank and placard. These flowers are often used in Russia and the former Soviet states to honor the dead, a tradition particularly associated with those who lost their lives in World War II. 

 

Another video that surfaced on social media shows a young man purportedly bringing flowers to the destroyed Russian tank exhibited in the Estonian capital of Tallinn. A uniformed man standing nearby then removes the flowers following a brief verbal spat with the young man. 

 

The authorities in the Baltic states did not appreciate the idea of people bringing flowers to what they called tanks that once belonged to the “aggressor’s military”. On Tuesday, one person in Tallinn was fined after refusing to remove the flowers as demanded by the police, according to local media.

Europe's Chihuahua States Should Get a Good Spanking

The Estonian parliament have declared “Russia a terrorist regime and the Russian Federation a country that supports terrorism”. 

Of the 101 MPs, 88 on Tuesday voted in favour, ten were absent and three abstained. 

Additionally, they also deemed it “necessary to define the armed forces of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics established by the Russian Federation as well as the Wagner private military company as terrorist organisations”. 

The parliament in neighbouring Latvia have already proclaimed Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism” in August, and Lithuania adopted a similar resolution in May. 

These Baltic countries are among the crazy supporters of Ukraine and the strident critics of Vladimir Putin’s government. In fact, they have been regularly provoking Russia and still, Putin is exercising extreme restraint. 

Methinks, Putin should give these chihuahua states a good spanking!

Target: London

If World War III breaks out, Moscow won't target "Warsaw, Paris or Berlin" – but London. It will be the first city to be bombed! 

The pronouncement came from a close ally of Vladimir Putin, Andrey Gurulyov (right). 

UK’s The Mirror on Friday had also quoted the State Duma politician and former deputy commander of Russia's southern military district as saying: “It’s crystal clear that the threat to the world comes from the Anglo-Saxons”! 

I am inclined to agree with Gurulyov. The Americans and the Brits are the warmongers!

In fact, he desires to see Russia invade Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, knowing this may trigger NATO’s Clause Five and World War III. It is not a surprise that the Baltic states are targeted because they have been openly hostile to Russia. 

I’m sure Putin already knows that the 3 countries are the most belligerent to Russia, besides Poland and the UK. 

This aside, the collective West are expected to continue to show resolve and keep backing Ukraine. I can anticipate these countries to promise more weapons to Ukraine and more sanctions against Russia. The idea will be to send a signal to Putin that they have the strategic patience to maintain their support for Ukraine! 

In a separate development, Ukraine admitted on Saturday (Day 122 of Russia's special military operation) that Russian forces "have fully occupied" the key eastern city of Severodonetsk, following weeks of fierce fighting. Taking the city means Russia now controls nearly all of Luhansk region and much of neighbouring Donetsk – the two regions that form the vast industrial Donbas. 

And yet, on that same day too, the delusional Ukrainian President [V]olodymyr [Z]elensky in a video address pledged to take back "all our cities" occupied by Russia! He's a dreamer alright!

BoJo is the other dreamer. Yesterday, he had declared: “Ukraine can win and it will win"!

Visit Ukraine 2022

It would seem that even a country at “war” can become a popular destination and attract travellers, especially from Europe and North America! 

Consider Ukraine – although I must clarify that this country is mired in a military conflict with a neighbor, rather than being actually caught in a full-blown war, as Western media would like to portray. If Russia really goes to war, would VIPs ("Very Idiotic Persons") dare to step foot into a country where death and destruction is all around? 

Indeed, the country is luring those who want to be seen to "stand with Ukraine" and in the process, bask in the media limelight. This explains why an endless stream of visitors can’t wait to turn up there and I can tell you, thus far, the guest line-up is pretty impressive! 

In March, Ukraine hosted Czechia’s prime minister Petr Fiala, together with Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa, and Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his deputy Jaroslaw Kaczynski. 

In April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Council President Charles Michel, and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen were all in Ukraine at one time or another. So too, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciucă, Bulgarian prime minister Kiril Petkov, Swiss leader of the House of Representatives Irène Kälin and fellow parliamentarians, Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė, UK prime minister Boris Johnson, and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen along with her Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez. Not forgetting, from the US, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. 

In May, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, his deputy Chrystia Freeland and foreign minister Mélanie Joly paid Ukraine a visit. So too, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Eva-Maria Liimets, Edgars Rinkēvičs and Gabrielius Landsbergis respectively. And from the US, came House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and a posse of Democratic Reps, Gregory Meeks of New York, Jason Crow of Colorado, Jim McGovern and Bill Keating of Massachusetts, and Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee of California. Also, actor and United Nations special envoy Angelina Jolie and even first lady Jill Biden. Not to mention Irish singer-songwriter of U2 band, Bono.

I don’t think the above listing is exhaustive – but you get my drift! 

Ukraine is most certainly, 2022’s No. 1 travel destination!

Banned Letters Z and V

Yesterday, I had mentioned about the letter Z finding itself in trouble in Europe. 

Today, I came across a news report that Latvia's parliament have adopted a new law that bans the display of the letters "Z" and "V" in public, under the pretense that these symbols, which are being used by Russian troops in Ukraine, stand for glorifying "military aggression and war crimes".

Anyone found guilty under the new law will be fined up to €350, while companies can be fined up to €2,900. 

The vote on the new law was introduced as an "urgent procedure"! 

And then there was another report that Kiev had asked Slovenia's embassy on Thursday to take down its flag (left) because it was too similar to that of Russia! 

This is all becoming farcical and ludicrous!! But when you have a Ukraine President who is a real-life comic, what do you expect?!

Malaysian Banks Identified in FinCEN Files

Malaysia is not unaffected by the FinCEN files scandal. 

In case, you didn’t read my post this morning, the global financial industry has been put under the spotlight again after a cache of leaked documents show years of transactions handled by the world’s largest banks linked to money laundering, corruption and fraud. 

According to a Malay Mail report published yesterday, a total of 23 transactions involving Malaysian banks were flagged as “suspicious” – with over $4.88 million (RM20 million) going in and $13.38 million (RM55 million) going out. 

On the receipt side, AmBank led the list of dubious dealings, having accepted $2.9 million in two transactions, followed by HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd ($871,637) and Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd ($462,378). And the bulk of suspicious transactions, a total of $13.37 million in seven transactions, was sent by Public Bank Bhd. 

Other banks also allegedly involved included CIMB Bank Bhd, Standard Chartered Bank, United Overseas Bank and OCBC Bank. 

These undertakings all involved overseas accounts in countries such as Afghanistan, Latvia, Poland, United Arab Emirates and the United States. 

A timely meet-up with a friend and ex-colleague, Dr Sheila Cheng at the Asia e University campus in Jalan SS 15/4, Subang Jaya, Selangor today. 

We must have had an intense discussion so much so that it slipped my mind to take a photo with her. It’s been years since we last met.