At a news conference held in Charlevoix, Canada, Trudeau announced that all seven countries in the summit had agreed on "a joint communique."
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At a news conference held in Charlevoix, Canada, Trudeau announced that all seven countries in the summit had agreed on "a joint communique."
Personal answers served as interjections to sharp commentary about Russia's complex relationship with the West.
No other leader in the world could possibly do such an event, as Putin does every year for 16 years running.
The Duran's Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the memorable summer Q&A from the Russian President in the video below.
Comment: See also:Another marathon Q&A with Vladimir Putin: God, steel and World War III among the highlights
And for a partial transcript of the marathon Q & A, see here.
© Mikhael Klimentyev / Reuters
Putin attends a news conference on the results of the SCO summit in China; June 10, 2018
Putin attends a news conference on the results of the SCO summit in China; June 10, 2018
"As for Russia's return to 'the seven,' 'the eight' [G7, G8] - we have not left it. Our colleagues once refused to come to Russia due to well-known reasons. We will be happy to see everyone in Moscow," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a news conference in Qingdao, where the SCO summit took place.
The SCO gathering concluded just shortly after the G7 summit, which was marred by strong divisions between US President Donald Trump and his allies over, among other things, US tariff policies. The contentious summit came to a head when Trump gave a clear 'no' to a joint resolution. He then called the Canadian prime minister "weak and dishonest."
Comment: The summit will officially start Friday in the Canadian province of Quebec and run until Saturday. US President Trump is expected to leave the summit early to fly to Singapore, skipping the climate session. Russia announced its permanent withdrawal from the G8 in 2017; the group was thereafter renamed the G7.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov responded to Trump's remark, concerning Moscow's participation in the G7 meeting, set to kick off on Friday:See also: Trump: 'Russia should be in G7, whether you like it or not'
"Russia is focused on other formats, apart from the G7," the spokesman stated, referring to formats for interaction between governments such as the G7 forum and BRICS.
"Did you know, Mr. Halper, the academic at Cambridge? [Halper] Do you know him at all," Hewitt asked.
"No, I do not. I didn't know anything about that until it came out in the media," Clapper replied. "I didn't know anything about it contemporaneously."
Comment: Seriously? With Clapper's record for prevarication, how can anyone buy this latest whopper.
- Clapper lies (again) about his previous lies on NSA spying
- Trump excoriates 'lying machine' Clapper for leaking dossier briefing to CNN then lying about it
- Lying weasel Clapper continues lying in interview responding to Trump tweet
- Sy Hersh comments in leaked tape: Russiagate a CIA-planted lie, "It's a Brennan Operation"
- John Brennan and James Clapper: Elder statesmen or serial liars and arch criminals?
- Stunning admission: James Clapper admits Steele Dossier was used for FISA surveillance "extension"
- James Clapper denies FBI was spying on Trump team, then says it was a good thing they were doing so
- Russia basher Clapper comes unhinged
© Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a live nationwide broadcast call-in in Moscow, Russia June 7, 2018.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a live nationwide broadcast call-in in Moscow, Russia June 7, 2018.
Tariffs are sanctions by another name
"The introduction of US tariffs on steel, on aluminum, not only for Europe but also for Canada and Mexico, are sanctions disguised in other terms," said Putin, noting that both Donald Trump's recent tariffs, and the long-standing sanctions against Moscow over alleged election meddling and Ukraine, both served to advance "American national interests."
"Did they also allegedly annex Crimea?" Putin asked sardonically of the affected Western allies, reminding them that he had warned them of American overreach as far back as his Munich speech in 2007.
The annual multination training event organized every year since 2010 is being held across the training areas in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Non-NATO countries taking part are Finland and Macedonia. Air assault landings are part of the scenario to hone the skills for launching offensive operations.
Sabre Strike is timed with Swift Response airborne drill in Latvia to culminate on June 8. It involves 800 paratroopers from US, Latvia, Lithuania, Israel and Poland.
© AFP 2018 / DANI POZO
"We are working on detecting and de-ranking those kinds of sites - it's basically RT and Sputnik," Schmidt said during a question and answer session at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada. "We are well of aware of it, and we are trying to engineer the systems to prevent [the content being delivered to wide audiences]. But we don't want to ban the sites - that's not how we operate."
© Unknown
US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump
Although there were smiles and handshakes between Trump and his counterparts from Europe, Canada and Japan, there was no sign by Friday night that they were any closer on the deeply divisive issues of trade, climate change and policy towards Moscow.
Trump made his comments on the way to the summit, saying: "Why are we having the meeting without Russia being in the meeting? Russia should be in the meeting, it should be a part of it."
In a Russian television interview due to be aired on Saturday, President Vladimir Putin said that dialogue with Trump could be "constructive". Trump is "a serious-minded person who knows how to listen to people and respond to their arguments. This leads me to believe that dialogue may prove to be constructive." The last meeting between Trump and Putin was a brief exchange in Vietnam last November.
In meetings on Friday with Emmanuel Macron of France and Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, a jovial Trump claimed to have good personal relations with the leaders, and claimed at his meeting with Trudeau: "We've made a lot of progress".
Comment: Sounds like the meeting from hell - so far. Leaders do not want to budge their comfort zone nor evaluate their biases, even if it is to eventually make 'a better deal' in the offing or reset the broken paradigm. See also:
- Trump: 'Russia should be in G7, whether you like it or not'
- Trump worsens rift with allies with call for Russia to rejoin G7
© Free Press Kashmir
Chinese Premier Xi Jinping • Russian President Vladimir Putin
Chinese Premier Xi Jinping • Russian President Vladimir Putin
The Russian leader arrived in China on Friday and is set to stay there till June 10, taking part in the summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member-states.
But before that, Putin and Xi showed unity on a number of issues. Moscow and Beijing have long enjoyed a rather predictable and pragmatic relationship, largely based on economic and strategic concerns. The sides have been steadily expanding their economic cooperation and are planning to make additional efforts to increase trade. The neighbors signed a number of agreements, including one on joint space projects.
© Toby Melville/Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu • Prime Minister Theresa May
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu • Prime Minister Theresa May
The cartoon was spiked by the Guardian's editorial staff. After which Bell wrote an angrily-worded email to his boss and Guardian editor, Katharine Viner, after claims from colleagues that his cartoon played on anti-Semitic tropes, report Buzzfeed.
Comment: There is a fine line between crude humor and just bad taste - regardless the anti-Semitism criticism. Did this artist step over that line? Was this anti-Semitic? Or was it disrespectful of the slain Palestinian medic?
And then this revealing answer:
"Why could you not use rubber bullets? ... Why did you have to kill them?" Netanyahu replied: "Hamas wanted the Jews to kill more. Their goal was to have as many casualties. Our goal was to minimize casualties."Hogwash. Lies. Dodge. Deception. Perception management. Netanyahu is a master spin doctor, revealing a twisted pathological mindset.
Comment: It seems like Trump knows all the right buttons to press with Trudeau, but it's really all just posturing.
See also: