SPUTNIK -- NATO London Summit Day One Highlights: Trump-Macron Row, S-400, Syria, Avoiding Cold War With Russia

NATO London Summit Day One Highlights: Trump-Macron Row, S-400, Syria, Avoiding Cold War With Russia

EUROPE

07:01 04.12.2019

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The two-day NATO summit of heads of state and government titled "NATO Engages: Innovating the Alliance", kicked off on Tuesday in London. US President Donald Trump, who has previously slammed European bloc members for not spending enough on weapons for the alliance, arrived in the United Kingdom on Monday night.

The arrival of the US president was accompanied by anti-NATO rallies that engulfed the central part of London beginning early Tuesday. Protesters also chanted anti-Trump slogans. A local resident, who took to the streets of London with hundreds of demonstrators, told journalists that Trump's "racist policies" have lead to barriers and entry restrictions into the US for people from seven countries.

Anti-Trump protests were also held in London during the US president's first and second visits to the UK, in 2018 and 2019.

Some protesters also opposed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who, in their opinion, has been serving the interests of the US and not Great Britain.

The protests have not spoiled the planned schedule of the NATO summit.

Trump-Macron Row

The summit began with a meeting between Trump and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. After the official introduction and exchanges of commandments about the progress done within the bloc, reporters pounded the US president with questions. One much-anticipated comment was Trump's reaction to the recent controversial statement by French President Emmanuel Macron, who had described NATO as "brain dead".

"I heard that President Macron said NATO is “brain dead”, I think that’s very insulting to a lot of different forces, including the man that does a very good job in running NATO", Trump said before changing the subject to criticize France and its domestic policies.

"France is not doing well, economically, at all. They’re starting to tax other people’s products, so therefore, we go and tax them. That’s just taking place right now, on technology, and we’re doing their wines and everything else. And it’s - it’s a very tough statement to make when you have such difficulty in France. You look at what’s happened with the yellow vests, or you look at what’s going on during certain parts of their season. They’ve had a very rough year. And you just can’t go around making statements like that about NATO", Trump said.

Stoltenberg was more diplomatic in answering the question.

Turkey Vows Response to US Sanctions, Including Steps Toward Incirlik Air Base

© REUTERS / Umit Bektas

WORLD

11:13 22.07.2019(updated 12:50 22.07.2019)Get short URL

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The move comes after US State Department said last week that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “are examining all of the options in the CAATSA [Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act] legislation over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems."

Ankara is set to retaliate against the sanctions that Washington intends to impose on Turkey over its purchase of Russia's S-400 air defence system, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday,

“If the United States slaps sanctions, we will respond in kind. A [relevant] step can also be taken with regard to the Incirlik airbase. This is a natural position under these circumstances, not a threat and blackmail,” Cavusoglu told Turkish news TV channel TGRT Haber.

Last year, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag rejected media reports about US plans to withdraw its troops from the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey. This came after German troops left the base after German lawmakers were not allowed to visit the facility.

© AP PHOTO / EMRAH GUREL

Incirlik Air Base, on the outskirts of the city of Adana, southern Turkey (File)

Cavusoglu also suggested that US President Donald Trump is unwilling to slap sanctions on Ankara over its S-400 deal with Russia.

Pence Issues Turkey Ultimatum: "Choose Between Remaining NATO Member Or Buying Russian S-400"

by Tyler Durden

Wed, 04/03/2019 - 15:33Twitter

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Two days after we reported that the US had halted delivery of equipment related to the stealthy F-35 fighter aircraft to Turkey as part of the ongoing rift over Erdogan's plans to move forward with taking delivery of the advanced Russian S-4000 anti-air defense system, on Wednesday the US escalated the war of words with its NATO ally when Vice President Mike Pence threatened Turkey’s future role in the NATO alliance, warning it against "reckless decisions," like following through with the purchase of the Russian-made air defense system.

Russia's S-400 air defense system; photo: Reuters

“Turkey must choose. Does it want to remain a critical partner in the most successful military alliance in history or does it want to risk the security of that partnership by making such reckless decisions that undermine our @NATO alliance?,” Pence tweeted on Wednesday, after making similar remarks at a NATO summit in Washington.

Vice President Mike Pence

✔@VP

 · 22h

Replying to @VP

.@POTUS has made it clear that we will not stand idly by while @NATO allies purchase weapons from our adversaries that threaten the cohesion of our alliance.

Vice President Mike Pence

✔@VP

Turkey must choose. Does it want to remain a critical partner in the most successful military alliance in history or does it want to risk the security of that partnership by making such reckless decisions that undermine our @NATO alliance?

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Valentin Vasilescu -- Le Su-57 et le S-400 : de précieux instruments de la politique étrangère russe

Le Su-57 et le S-400 : de précieux instruments de la politique étrangère russe

par Valentin Vasilescu

Sous les présidences Bush et Obama, les Etats-Unis, certains de leur supériorité sur leurs rivaux russe et chinois, se sont contentés de leur armes. Pendant ce temps, le complexe militaro-industriel russe menait des recherches sur des projets innovants qu’il a expérimenté en situation de combat en Syrie et peut désormais produire à la chaîne. Washington est aujourd’hui dépassé. Il a besoin d’au moins une décennie avant de revenir à égalité avec Moscou. La Russie entend maintenant utiliser ses nouvelles armes comme instruments diplomatiques.

RÉSEAU VOLTAIRE | BUCAREST (ROUMANIE) | 29 DÉCEMBRE 2018 

ROMÂNĂ  ESPAÑOL  TÜRKÇE 

Les essais des avions Su-57 sont terminés. Le nouveau moteur assure un régime de super-croisière, c’est-à-dire un vol à vitesse supersonique sans forcer. De nouvelles armes spécialement adaptées aux compartiments carénés du Su-57 ont été testées. La chaîne de production a déjà une capacité de 30 Su-57 par an et, si elle en a les commandes, elle peut fabriquer 60 avions par an. Le prix d’un Su-57 est deux fois inférieur à celui d’un F-35.

Cependant, la Russie ne mettra en service que 12 Su-57 d’ici 2020. La Russie a motivé ce choix avec son concept défensif qui définit pour les avions invisibles la mission de créer un « couloir » de pénétration de la défense anti-aérienne adverse.

La mission du Su-57 est de frapper le réseau de radars de détection au sol, les radars de guidage des missiles antiaériens et l’aviation ennemie au sol dans l’axe principal de la progression des troupes terrestres.

Une fois cette mission accomplie, les avions de quatrième génération, qui ne sont pas invisibles au radar mais qui sont dotés de 5 fois plus d’armes que le Su-57, jouissent d’une totale liberté d’action sur les cibles au sol.

Mon opinion est que la Russie garde le Su-57 et le S-400 comme monnaie d’échange pour promouvoir ses intérêts en matière de politique étrangère.

Au cours de la prochaine décennie, les États du Golfe ne recevront pas de F-35 américains. Mais ils pourraient obtenir des Su-57 et des S-400 s’ils contribuent financièrement à la reconstruction de la Syrie et s’alignent sur les intérêts de la Russie au Moyen-Orient et pour ce qui concerne le prix des ressources énergétiques.

Il est peu probable que les intérêts de la Russie en Syrie et sur sa frontière méridionale soient menacés. Cependant, en cas de menaces, le Su-57 sera opérationnel en Syrie et probablement en Iran.

L’Égypte pourrait acheter des Su-57 et des S-400 dans le cas où la flotte militaire russe souhaiterait revenir dans les anciennes bases d’Alexandrie et de Port-Saïd. La flotte russe de la mer Noire est déjà présente dans l’est de la Méditerranée.

Si les États-Unis sortent du traité INF et déploient des missiles nucléaires de moyenne portée en Europe, le Venezuela pourrait recevoir le Su-57 et le complexe S-400, en échange de l’utilisation de bases militaires du pays par la Russie. La distance entre le Venezuela et Washington est de 3 000 km, distance parcourue en 11-12 minutes par un missile à moyenne portée.

Valentin Vasilescu

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