"The gold company announced in April that it had "suspended indefinitely" plans to build the ore-processing plant in Sovetskaya Gavan and is now studying options to construct one in neighboring Kazakhstan." Let's just say I don't follow Kazakhstan that closely. Nevertheless, it has not escaped my notice that they have played their cards pretty smartly in this whole war situation. They have positioned themselves as the non-Putin, non-sanctioned central asia economic go-to place. They had Putin banging on them early on to send troops, and K-stan said no, they dont want to get involved in that. And Vlad is still pissed and lets out comments about including them back into his soviet scheme whether they want it or not. But they have lots of deals going. They don't want to end out like the Belarus Bootlicker Lukashenko. There are a few areas in regard to K-stan where it smells like the CIA is working with them a bit to help some things along, but that's fine. I don't need to know everything about that. In related news, (as I said, they are playing their cards smartly these days). Kazakh Economy Grows 4.6 Percent in Five Months https://astanatimes.com/2022/06/kazakh-economy-grows-4-6-percent-in-five-months/
Except they are smart both ways. Russia receives a lot of goods through K. This is the main driver of its success.
Yes. They are caught twixt and between but are profiting from it. If they had sent troops as Vlad wanted they would be getting bodies back and under sanctions. Playing their cards smart does not necessarily mean they are doing what I want.
Here is an article that delves deeper into the Kazakhstan rift with Russia and Belarus. Putin allies in meltdown as rift erupts on Ukraine war – Lukashenko rocked by Kazakh snub BELARUS dictator Alexander Lukashenko has been left reeling after Kazakhstan pulled out of a joint security and defence pact with Minsk. https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...efence-pact-vladimir-putin-ukraine-war-update The reason for the decision appears to be Kazakstan's anger at Belarusian support for Vladimir Putin's ill-judged invasion of Ukraine. The timing of the split between Russia's closest allies could not come at a worse time for the Kremlin, whose army is under increasing pressure from powerful Ukrainian counteroffensives in the south of the country. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow acted quickly to re-assert its authority in its near abroad. To that effect, the Kremlin created the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 1993, which was joined by both Belarus and Kazakhstan. The CIS was basically Moscow's answer to the European Union, which was rapidly absorbing former Warsaw Pact states from Central and Eastern Europe. Members of the CIS also signed a defence agreement known as the Collective Security Treaty. Article four of that treaty stipulates that member states will provide military assistance to one another in the event they are attacked by an aggressor. However, Kazakhstan's President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, looks set to renege on that commitment, as regards Belarus. In a letter to the Belarusian Ministry of Defence, Kazakhstan's Defence Ministry executive Marat Khusainov writes his country can no longer "co-operate" with Minsk on military matters. He says that Kazakstan's military is organised "on the basis of showing respect to the fundamental principles and norms of international law. "The direct participation in and attitude of the Armed Forces of the Belarus Republic towards the aggression against Ukraine clearly contradicts the above principles and norms. "Based on the above, the leadership of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Defence no longer sees it possible to continue the mutual cooperation with Belarusian Ministry of Defence in military matters." Belarus served as a staging ground for Russian troops, as they prepared to invade Ukraine. Lukashenko welcomed Russian soldiers to his country under the pretext of military exercises before Putin ordered the attack in February. The Belarusian despot continues to publicly back his Russian counterpart, who came to his rescue during the huge street protests in 2020 following the disputed Presidential elections. During a recent visit to Moscow, Lukashenko told reporters that Minsk supported and "will continue to support Russia" in its "fight against Nazism". The Belarus leader emphasised that his country would "remain together with fraternal Russia". However, despite the words of support, Lukashenko has yet to commit troops to Ukraine and it remains uncertain whether he will. Artyom Shraibman, a researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told AFP: "There are no rational reasons -- or irrational reasons for that matter -- for Minsk to join, for Lukashenko to join.
MOEX appears to be breaking down .... more. Another day, two maybe three should confirm either way. LOL but I bet their currency is getting "stronger".
India is really trying to make a run into the global market for discounted Russian oil. Their problem is Russia doesn’t want the Rupee and China will only accept US dollars for yuan to pay Russia with. So, now they are trying to float the rupee for exim. This is a gamble and I honestly doubt it is going to work. The Indians just don’t have enough to offer in terms of base goods and services and are most likely going to get clobbered but you never know the oil may be discounted enough to make sense.