Putin: Do not threaten anyone and will not be dragged into a geopolitical tricks

, Announced the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, the day that Russia does not threaten the security and will not be dragged into a geopolitical tricks. Putin stressed the peaceful nature of Moscow's foreign policy, and its determination to defend the sovereignty of Russia and the security of allied nations.

In a meeting on the development of the Russian armed forces to be held in the city of Sochi, southern Russia on Wednesday, the Russian president said: "We are not threatening anyone, and no plan being sucked behind the geopolitical games or plots, especially in the conflict, regardless of who wants to pin us back out and the methods used to it." . He added that there is a need to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia, and the security of its allies. Putin pointed to the importance of coordination between all the organs of power when dealing with issues related to the security of the country.

On the other hand, Putin pointed out that in recent years has been in Russia develop an integrated system of military planning and auditing positions of the military administration, in addition to adopting a plan for the Defense of the Russian Federation early last year.

The Russian President has conducted days before a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Army Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, and the leaders of other military, addressing a group of Russian troops in the Crimea southwest Russia and the leadership of a new strategy of the armed forces in the Arctic region.

Discount over: Gazprom hikes Ukraine gas prices 44%

​Russia’s state-owned gas major Gazprom announced a new price for gas exports to Ukraine of $385.50 per 1,000 cubic meters as of April 1, 2014. The price increased by $117 after Gazprom cancelled its discount agreed in December. "This follows Ukraine’s default on its obligation to repay its debt for gas supplies in 2013 and the 100 percent lack of payment for current supplies,” Gazprom chief Aleksey Miller said Tuesday. Gazprom had until April 10 to decide on a new price. Ukraine, which imports about half its natural gas from Gazprom, owes the company $1.7 billion for gas that has already been delivered in 2013 and 2014. The Russian government and Gazprom had announced they would stop providing Ukraine with a 33 percent discount after the first financial quarter of the year. Transit fees for gas moving through Ukraine will also be bumped up 10 percent following an agreement reached in 2009. Gas pricing disputes and unpaid bills have led Gazprom to turn off supplies through Ukraine twice, once in 2006, and again in 2009. Gazprom has a multi-tier pricing system for its clients- offering the generous subsidies to domestic buyers, cheaper gas for former Soviet states, and the most expensive prices for European customers. Under the 2010 Kharkov Agreement, Russia guaranteed Ukraine a $100 gas discount in return for using the Sevastopol port to host its naval fleet. Now that Crimea has joined the Russian Federation, the additional $100 could be added to the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas. Last December, Russia offered Ukraine’s Yanukovich-led government a $15 billion loan and a 33 percent discount on natural gas, a lifeline to help its faltering economy. As tensions in Kiev escalated and President Yanukovich was ousted, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, which is home to an ethnic majority Russian population.

Belgium: Ukraine violence has no place in modern Europe - Kerry

M/S John Kerry arriving for press conference [cutaway]

SOT John Kerry, US Secretary of State (speaking English): "The powerful expressions of support for Europe in cities all across the Ukraine have really been quite extraordinary. People of all different backgrounds are giving voice to their very real and very deep aspirations, and we urge the Ukrainian government to listen to the voices of its people that want to live in freedom and in opportunity and prosperity. And we urge all sides to conduct themselves peacefully. Violence has no place in a modern European state. And to work together, we think, that is really the goal that everybody in the Ukraine should be pursuing - work together to get Ukraine back on the road to European integration and to economic health. And we hope that can happen as rapidly as possible."

W/S John Kerry at press conference [cutaway]

SCRIPT

Belgium: Ukraine violence has no place in modern Europe - Kerry

The Ukrainian government should listen to the demands of protesters calling for greater integration, US Secretary of State John Kerry said at a NATO summit in Brussels Tuesday.

He then continued to say, "The powerful expressions of support for Europe in cities all across the Ukraine have really been quite extraordinary. People of all different backgrounds are giving voice to their very real and very deep aspirations, and we urge the Ukrainian government to listen to the voices of its people that want to live in freedom and in opportunity and prosperity. And we urge all sides to conduct themselves peacefully. Violence has no place in a modern European state. And to work together, we think, that is really the goal that everybody in the Ukraine should be pursuing - work together to get Ukraine back on the road to European integration and to economic health. And we hope that can happen as rapidly as possible."

NATO leaders are meeting Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss a myriad of issues, including Ukraine and ongoing military involvement in Afghanistan. Meetings of the NATO-Russia Council and the NATO-Georgia Commission will be held on the sidelines of the session.

Washington's regime change gets a makeover

Washington's regime change gets a makeover


Back in the day, the US government openly backed dictators who were pro US and pro free market. It was part of the Cold War era where the US trained, financed and supported military dictators and governments that committed heinous crimes against their populations, such as in Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Brazil. However, the bloody trail left behind by Washington's henchmen resulted in the US government shifting gears in how it supported or implemented regime change. Today the new method is known as Democracy Promotion