Sun sets behind an idle pump jack near Karnes City, US The OPEC+ meeting at Vienna on Monday came amidst two events affecting the oil market — the G7 finance ministers decision to endorse the US proposal regarding price cap on Russia’s oil exports with effect from December 5 and secondly, Gazprom’s announcement on cutting …
Moment of truth in the Ukraine war
Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun in Kherson Oblast The fog of war envelops the Ukrainian “counteroffensive” in southern Kherson region where Kiev hopes to regain lost territories. But by the sixth day of operations, the echo chamber in the West has fallen silent. There are no tall claims. Today’s update of the UK Ministry of Defence …
100 years of Russian gas for India
Yamal LNG Project in Siberia, Russia (File photo) India is taking baby steps toward green energy. Two of India’s biggest business houses are spearheading it — Adani and Ambani groups. India has made several ambitious commitments at the Glasgow climate summit and two key pledges were that India’s non-fossil energy capacity will reach 500 GW …
Doing business with Taliban Govt
The best part of the UN Security Council discussion Thursday regarding the situation in Afghanistan was the candid remarks by the Russian and Chinese ambassadors on the accountability of the Taliban government in Kabul for the crisis gripping that country today, just an year after the vacation of the NATO occupation. (here and here) There …
Ground beneath Zelensky’s feet is shifting
A HIMARS vehicle on deployment in Eastern Ukraine (File photo) Reading and rereading the US President Joe Biden’s statement last Monday on Ukraine Independence Day, one is reminded of English poet John Keats’ immortal line, ‘Heard melodies are sweet but those unheard are sweeter.’ Three things are striking. Biden repeatedly invoked the abiding nature of …
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Where JCPOA, oil conjoin stands OPEC+
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and then Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at G20 summit, Hangzhou, Sept. 5, 2016, where they planned an oil output task force that fructified as OPEC+ The news that made the headline today is that the Biden Administration may have inched closer to restarting the 2015 nuclear deal with …
Erdogan repairs Syria ties with eye on Eurasianism
Dogu Perincek, Chairman of Turkey’s left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party, is reportedly leading a delegation to Syria (File photo) Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev regarding the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand on September 15-16. This must be the fourth or fifth time the two leaders confabulated over the upcoming event. One …
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US taunts Russia to escalate in Ukraine
An UAV hit the roof of the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol, Crimea, August 20, 2022 In military terms, the crude, locally assembled drone dropping a country-made bomb or two on unguarded sites in Crimea are at best pin pricks in the big picture of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. But it …
Ukraine war of attrition at inflection point
Two Russian soldiers patrolling in Kherson, south Ukraine The great beauty about the war of attrition is that the military strategy of belligerent attempts to win a war by wearing down the enemy may not necessarily achieve the intended strategic success. Worse still, it may remain inconclusive and it becomes difficult to distinguish between the …
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World order looks different from Moscow, Beijing
Chinese, Russian warships in joint drills, Sea of Japan, Oct 2021 The Chinese Defence Ministry announced today its participation in the Vostok 2022 strategic command and staff exercise in Russia, which is slated for August 30-September 5. The low-key statement in Beijing said China will send some troops and the participation is within the framework …
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