Lyudmila Chernova / Paul Craig Roberts

It is already underway. It will develop into a war without limits. Few if
any will survive. The US started it and will be destroyed. What's left of
Russia may end it. What comes afterwards hardly bears thinking about.

Fearing Russia-EU Economic Integration US Provoking Moscow Over Ukraine

Washington is using the atrocities committed by Kiev against Russians in Ukraine to force Putin's hand to send troops to Ukraine, sabotaging Moscow’s prospective economic integration with Europe, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts told RIA Novosti Monday.

“Washington's purpose is to force Russia to confirm Washington's propaganda about invasion and annexation, and to use Russian intervention to force Europe to break off economic relations with Russia. Washington is fearful of economic integration between Europe and Russia, especially on such an important front as energy,” Roberts said, adding Putin is hoping restraint on Russia's part will make it difficult for European politicians to go against their countries' business interests, thereby frustrating Washington's plan to isolate Russia from the West. “Germany's Merkel seems to be more under the thumb of Washington than she is responsive to German business interests,” Roberts asserted, hinting Washington's efforts to steal $10 billion from France's largest bank has made France less open to the US.

Roberts underlined that Putin needs to have direct face-to-face talks with Hollande and Merkel and determine whether Washington's strategy or Moscow’s strategy will win.

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Lyudmila Chernova / Paul Craig Roberts

A new round of sanctions announced by the White House will have unintended consequences and only benefit Russia, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts told RIA Novosti Monday.

“The sanctions are nothing but gratuitous propaganda. Obama himself acknowledged that it is uncertain whether the additional sanctions will have any effect,” Roberts told RIA Novosti. “Besides, the sanctions will encourage and hasten Russia’s withdrawal from Washington’s exploitative system, and the BRICS countries are likely to follow.”

US President Barack Obama levied the additional sanctions against Russia to target individuals and companies close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The sanctions were imposed on seven Russian government officials, as well as 17 companies.

“The Obama regime continues to pretend that a few Russian individuals and companies are responsible for Crimea’s return to Russia,” asserted Roberts, stressing that the evidence is completely clear that the return of Crimea to Russia was the result of the Crimean people and their self-determination. “People voted 97 percent in an amazingly large voter turnout to return to Russia, from which Khrushchev detached Crimea in the 1950s,” he explained.

Roberts foresees that the announced measures will only encourage the Russian government to withdraw from the dollar-based payment system that makes sanctions possible.

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