Germany: Comes up with a fantastic idea to preserve the INF Treaty: NOT

(Berlin) So whilst the liberal world blamed President Trump (like they do) for pulling the US from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty- Which prohibited Washington and Moscow from fielding ground-launched cruise missiles that could fly between 310 and 3,420 miles.

- when they re-rolled the submarine launched RK-55 cruise missile for service on land as the 9M729 missile. 

The US stated in 2014 that the latest iteration broke the agreement as laid down in the INF, but the Russians replied actually it doesn't as they didn't provide the missiles with enough fuel to go further than 480 miles , so with Moscow taking no notice of the rule book or the protests agaisnt it regards the deployment of 2 battalions of the 9M729. Washington stated the otherday :

"If Moscow failed to destroy all new missile systems that  violate the treaty, "Russia will bear sole responsibility for the end of the treaty".

Well Moscow's answer was to be expected, seeing as both countries see the threat of China greater than agaisnt each other (China doesn't have to conform to the same rules). However in an attempt to defuse the situation Germany has come up with a novel idea of keeping both sides happy. Relocate the missiles to the other side of the Ural mountain range so as to ensure they can't hit Europe. Unless of course they move or even add more fuel. But hey I am talking about Europeans now who whilst relying on the US  to defend them, go well out of their way to mock Americans whilst waxing lyrical about those who can harm them: Russia/Iran. Funny enough this is just a repeat of the cruise missile crisis of the 1980s when cruise missiles deployed to Europe in response to the deployment of Russian missiles earned the anger of the ethical latte brigade , whilst their answer to the Russian nukes:

"Better red than dead"

Sometimes I wonder why the US bothers

RUSSIA IN EUROPE: MAY 1 - JUNE 14, 2016

(ISW) Russia heightened its military posture in Europe by projecting its land, air and naval capabilities. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on May 4 that it would create three new combined-arms divisions in the Western and Southern military districts, with a second announcement on June 3 specifying that these would include moving two motorized infantry brigades to its Western borders with Belarus and Ukraine. The Russian announcement was likely a response to proposed NATO plans to deploy multinational NATO battalions to the Baltic States and Poland, which were first announced as a possible course of action in April. Russia further reasserted itself through the movement of advanced naval equipment to the Black and Mediterranean Seas and continued violation of Baltic and Polish airspace. Russia also announced plans to boost its defensive capabilities through the installation of an additional S-300 air defense system in Belarus and an upgrade to the ‘Bereg’ coastal defense artillery system on the Black Sea. Russia will continue demonstrating its military capabilities over the next few months, as it plans to conduct a surge of military exercises June-October during its annual summer training period. These measures allow Russia to increase its military posture and position key capabilities along its Western border without crossing the threshold that would provoke an armed NATO response under Article 5.

Russia also continued to threaten NATO members and partners with retaliatory action for increased NATO presence in Europe. In response to the installation of European missile shield components in Romania and Poland, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that these countries could find themselves in Russia’s “cross-hairs.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia would not use military action against a NATO member state, with the key caveat of “unless provoked.” These statements allow Russia to maintain its defensive stance while setting conditions that could legitimize aggressive action. Meanwhile, NATO member states and non-NATO partners launched the ten-day Anaconda 2016 joint military exercise, the largest war game undertaken in Europe since the end of the Cold War.

Read more at the ISW website here

Russian MPs demand that Russia places missiles on Cuba.

(Moscow) It appears that the Russians really do want to cash in whilst Obama is in power. Their latest attempt in which to play "My dick is bigger than yours" is a proposal by Russian State Duma deputies for Putin to place missiles on Cuba in which to show the US just who's the man.  the last time we saw a US president disarm the country, the Russians deployed SS20 missiles in Europe. Now we see them wanting to deploy missiles on Cuba. I wonder if Obama has the balls to say no. Nah, he most likely will be hitting golf balls

Baltic Sea: Russian Jets buzzes USS Donald Cook in infantile move.

(Poland) Russia has been playing bullyboy yet again. It appears that in an attempt to show the World how strong they are, they decided to fly a couple of Su24 jets over the USS Donald Cook after it left the Polish port of Gdynia and was about 70 nautical miles from Kaliningrad (Russian Port) in the Baltic Sea. The Russian jets made 20 passes of the American ship and flew within 1,000 yards at an altitude of just 100 feet. In the second incident on April 12, two Russian KA27 Helix helicopters flew several circles around the Donald Cook, apparently taking photos, after which two jets again made numerous close passes of the ship both simulated attacks took place in international waters about 70 miles from the Russian (Stolen in 1945) enclave of Kaliningrad

Can you imagine the outrage if the US did likewise to a Russian ship, wow, they would be screaming blue murder and demanding an apology.  It appears that the whole world and its dog loves to tweak the tail of the US, in which to try and look good, until the US bitch slaps them, and then it’s a human rights crime.

The SU24 is an all weather supersonic  ground attack aircraft which first flew in 1967, and is also the same jet which the Turks shot down last year when the Russians carried out the same silly stunt there.

The USS Donald Cook is no stranger to Su24 harassment flybys when in Dec 14 it was buzzed by 2 of these ageing SU24s. The thing is, the  Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer is armed with the RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 is more than capable of looking after itself against air and missile attack.