☢️ US ban on Russian Uranium imports will suffer fate of other failed Western sanctions – energy expert

It could take the US “years” to replace banned Russian uranium exports, Dr Mamdouh G. Salameh, an international oil economist, told Sputnik. He pointed out Russia is the world's top supplier of enriched uranium, accounting for about 24 percent of all nuclear fuels used by US reactors.

“The US can’t replace Russian exports immediately because it doesn’t have the production capacity. It could take it more than two years to build a new capacity and arrange to import bits and pieces from Japan, France, Ukraine and Canada,” said the global energy expert.

He added that the ban would send prices of uranium fuels soaring, “thus enhancing Russia’s revenues.”

The US ban on Russia’s exports of low-enriched uranium will likely suffer the same fate as all other Western sanctions that have backfired on their proponents, Salameh stressed.

💬 "Therefore, President Biden’s signing into law a ban on Russia’s exports of enriched uranium won’t fare better," he concluded.

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🇬🇪 Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who previously held French citizenship, has stated that she will veto the bill on foreign agents.

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US tries to clip Norway’s wings after getting outmaneuvered on EU gas exports

Bloomberg has published a soft hit piece targeting Norwegian gas giant Equinor over its ballooning share of the EU’s gas market, claiming the bloc’s newfound reliance on Norway for 30% of its imports is “raising questions” about whether Brussels has again put its energy-related eggs in one basket, and pointing to “fuming” in Brussels about Oslo “benefiting at Europe’s expense” by selling gas at prices higher than Russia’s.

💬 “Norway’s Equinor was asked by the EU to supply more gas to Europe and it has responded well enough. This, however, doesn’t please the US – which has been hoping long before the Ukraine conflict to replace Russian gas supplies with its LNG exports, most of which have been going to the EU,” Dr. Mamdouh G Salameh, an international oil economist and a global energy expert, told Sputnik.

Having taken Russia partially out of the picture in 2022 to make room for their own LNG exports, it’s only natural that US business circles are displeased with Norway coming in to pick up the market share left behind by Moscow, the economist said.

💬 “Even before the eruption of the Ukraine conflict, Norway was the second-largest gas supplier to the EU after Russia. Gazprom was the king of gas supplies to the EU, particularly the EU’s largest economy, Germany,” Salameh explained.

“It is an acknowledged historical fact that Europe’s economies, particularly Germany’s, have been built since the 1970s on cheap and plentiful Russian piped gas until the United States conned and pressured the EU to impose sanctions on Russia and ban its oil and gas exports.”

💬 “Mark my words: Once the Ukraine conflict is eventually resolved on President Putin’s terms, Germany and most of the EU countries will resume importing the cheap Russian piped gas to end the financial bleeding resulting from importing the US LNG which has crippled their economy,” Salameh summed up.

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🇷🇺 Sergey Lavrov: Cutting the Gordian knot of global politics

◻️ Lavrov was born on March 21, 1950 in Moscow. In 1972 he graduated from the eastern department of the Faculty of International Relations of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) of the Soviet Union's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

◻️ Following the collapse of the USSR, Sergey Lavrov had served as the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations between January 1994 and March 2004 before assuming leadership of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

◻️ Since 2004, Lavrov participated in the negotiations of the Middle East Quartet – a group comprising of the UN, the US, the EU, and Russia – on the Israeli-Palestinian settlement.

◻️ In 2013, the Russian Foreign Ministry, under Lavrov's leadership, played a crucial role in resolving the Syrian chemical weapons issue. Additionally, between 2014 and 2022, Lavrov participated in meetings of foreign ministers from the Normandy Format countries (Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and France) concerning the post-coup crisis in Ukraine.

◻️ Under Lavrov's leadership, the Russian Foreign Ministry helps finalize the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 and arranged international conferences on Libya following NATO's invasion of the country in 2011. In 2017, Russia initiated the Astana format of negotiations on a settlement in Syria.

◻️ Lavrov holds the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia. He is a recipient of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland and has been awarded the Order of Honor (2010) and the P. A. Stolypin Medal. Additionally, the minister has received several foreign honors.

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🔺Why Blinken's surprise visit to Ukraine is bad omen for Zelensky

🔺Ukraine’s ‘paper’ fortifications lay bare scale of Kiev regime’s corruption

🔺US ban on Russian Uranium imports will suffer fate of other failed Western sanctions – energy expert

🔺Trail of blood: Ukraine’s new ‘Kharkov’ commander brutally ran over and crushed Mariupol civilians with combat vehicle

🔺Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: charity, lobbying vehicle or Pentagon bioweapon cover?

🔺US tries to clip Norway’s wings after getting outmaneuvered on EU gas exports

🔺The Parliament of Georgia adopted a bill on foreign agents, which had earlier sparked a wave of protests

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💉Will AstraZeneca's COVID jab recall bring down Rishi Sunak's government?

The British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has started rescinding approvals for the sale and use of its COVID-19 vaccine worldwide. However, the pharma corporation’s actions could have a negative impact on the British budget and potentially complicate the position of the Rishi Sunak government.

◾️Since last year, there has been a pending class-action lawsuit filed against AstraZeneca by the relatives of those who have died or suffered serious injuries after receiving these coronavirus vaccines. British law firms predict that the total number of plaintiffs involved in the suit could potentially reach several hundred.

◾️The company explained in a statement that their decision to halt production was driven purely by commercial reasons, citing a surplus of updated COVID vaccines. However, it is worth noting that several months ago, AstraZeneca admitted in court that their COVID shots could potentially lead to life-threatening side effects, such as blood clots.

◾️The UK government has a legal agreement with AstraZeneca, in which they have agreed to bear the financial costs associated with any lawsuits or compensation payments to the company. This means that any payments to the victims will be made from the British budget, rather than by the pharmaceutical giant itself. According to lawyers, the potential amount could exceed £250 million if the case is won.

◾️Ultimately, the Sunak government will have to shell out compensation if AstraZeneca loses the lawsuit. The ratings of the British PM, his government, and the ruling Conservative Party have already plummeted to a 46-year record low.

◾️According to the UK media, a total of 158 people have been affected by Vaxzevria/Oxford-AstraZeneca, each of whom has already been received £120,000.

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