THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Putin has outmanoeuvred the West – Russia’s success proves it   

Putin has outmanoeuvred the West – Russia’s success proves it   

Re: “Rather than starting another cold war, Russia could join the US”, Have Your Say, March 5.

The writer’s description of Russia’s rundown military facilities and capability reads like a children’s war-game script.
Despite harsh US sanctions imposed on Russia, the Russian military and economy under Vladimir Putin is moving forward and improving.
Armed with the Russian S-300 air defence missile, the Syrian army is now able to deter Israeli air strikes. Also deployed in Syria is the more advanced Russian S-400 system, which the US is trying to discourage other countries from acquiring.
Russia is running a trade surplus (US$18.86 billion in December 2018) compared to America’s huge trade deficit ($621 billion in 2018). Russia has a moderately low national debt, compared to the $22 trillion US government debt. (Russia’s public debt-to-GDP ratio is among world’s lowest). In recent years Russia has built efficient gas pipelines to China and Europe to secure its main source of revenue. Its Nordstream pipeline will soon be able to bypass Ukraine and supply natural gas directly to Germany.
To overcome US sanctions, Russia has developed its own system of financial transfers to protect against a potential shutout from the SWIFT global transfer system. Recently there were reports that Russia’s Duma has approved a draft law to create a domestic internet, in case the US threatens to shut down Russia’s access to the World Wide Web.
It appears that Vladimir Putin has outmanoeuvred the West despite all the well-publicised Western sanctions and anti-Russia propaganda. The Russian people face a brighter future under Vladimir Putin, contrary to the claims of ill-wishers who offer neither facts nor evidence.
Yingwai Suchaovanich

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