TrueValueMetrics ... Impact Accounting for the 21st Century

Date: 2025-03-14 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00027036

RUSSIA DIANE FRANCIS ON WEAKNESS OF RUSSIA Times Radio: 'Russia is going out of business' as 'staggering losses' cause manpower shortages \| Diane Francis Original article: Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess
'Russia is going out of business' as 'staggering losses' cause manpower shortages \| Diane Francis Times Radio Jun 20, 2024 864K subscribers ... 356,565 views ... 11K likes Frontline \| The War in Ukraine and Global Security 'The losses, apparently are staggering in Russia. Not that he gives a damn. but the point is that the noose tightens.' Tightening international sanctions and distancing by allies like China are leaving Putin in a risky position as losses continue to rise in Ukraine, journalist and author Diane Francis tells Kate Gerbeau on Frontline. 📻 Listen to Times Radio - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/radio 📍 Subscribe to our channel - / @listentotimesradio 🗞 Subscribe to The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/subscribe/... 📲 Get the free Times Radio app https://www.thetimes.co.uk/radio/how-... Transcript 0:00 think that you know we're seeing the Incredible Shrinking Russian image here uh you know between that that showcase uh conference he hels holds every year and the poor attendance by global South Nations also including India and others and the fact that you know he's making a 0:18 big uh deal about visiting a pariah in 0:22 North Korea uh indicates and and the 0:25 fact that he he'll be arrested he he 0:27 couldn't go to the brics conference he 0:29 couldn't go to the G 20 because he faces 0:31 arrest as a war criminal I mean it's the 0:34 Incredible Shrinking Putin and his 0:36 Empire that I hope we're seeing and that 0:38 seems to be obvious and he makes a big 0:41 Fanfare in lots of Pomp and Circumstance 0:44 and lots of propaganda and rhetoric but 0:46 the fact remains that that country is 0:49 going to go out of 0:51 business hello and welcome to front line 0:53 for times radio with me K jao and this 0:55 time we are catching up with Diane 0:57 Francis a senior fellow at the Atlantic 0:59 Council in Washington she's editor at 1:02 large with the National Post newspaper and has a bestselling substack with regular updates on geopolitics including the war in Ukraine and Putin's Russia Diane welcome back good to see you again good to see you yeah we're going to talk 1:16 a little bit about your latest article 1:18 on your substack in a moment but first I 1:19 wanted to talk about President Putin's 1:21 first trip to North Korea in more than 1:23 two decades what are your takeaways from 1:26 the meeting with Kim 1:28 Jong-un well I think that this is a guy 1:30 who's becoming increasingly 1:32 Reliant to get ammunition and missiles 1:36 from a country and he's M paying a a 1:38 courtesy call just to make sure that the 1:41 that the arrangement continues and 1:44 probably that it 1:46 expands and possibly also to recruit 1:49 workers from from North Korea to work in 1:53 the factories in Russia where they have 1:55 Manpower shortages because of the war 1:58 and lastly I think it's also to kind of 2:01 rattle everybody's cage a little bit because North Korea is kind of scary uh and it it actually it makes the whole region in Asia nervous and so the fact that he sort of gives uh Kim a laying on of hands and a legitimacy makes him even more scary and and is kind of a a rebuke to China Japan South Korea and America 2:26 so they've signed this agreement which 2:28 provides Mutual assistance in the case 2:30 of aggression against one of the parties 2:32 what does that mean in practice I mean 2:34 does it amount to much Beyond a pact for 2:36 paranoid Paras or or should we be taking 2:38 it much more seriously well you know 2:42 look it's it's a NATO agreement I mean 2:44 NATO has has its agreement uh you know 2:47 an attack on one is an attack on all 2:50 with the exception now of Mr Mr orbon 2:52 apparently he doesn't have to 2:54 participate uh in helping uh attack 2:57 people that have been uh been attacked 2:59 by by an enemy but that aside uh it's 3:03 it's a it's kind of a standard boilerplate security bilateral uh and you know it's interesting though that he did it he didn't do it right after he went to China he did it separately because apparently the Chinese said we don't want to be put on the same level 3:20 you do what you want to do but we don't 3:22 want it tacked on as that we're equally 3:24 important so you know it's I think it's 3:26 a climb down for for Putin uh and you 3:29 know this is a Scourge this this country 3:31 North Korea starves its people it it's 3:34 an awful Place hardly and worthy 3:38 Ally so is the real concern how much 3:41 support Putin might offer or feel he has 3:44 to offer North Korea in terms of missile 3:46 and nuclear weapons that's prog 3:48 supporting that program in return for 3:50 for badly needed ammunition as you spoke 3:52 about earlier oh yeah he's going to 3:54 Share technology with them but you got 3:56 to remember too that there's constraints 3:59 in side North Korea as to the number of 4:01 people who can adapt and uh develop and improve any technology information they're given I mean how they have actually been able to develop a nuclear weapon is and and have missiles that that deliver it some distance is quite shocking given the fact that you know the P place is a is a gulg where people are starving and I don't I just don't know how any of that sort of thing gets 4:25 done except to you know deny its 4:28 citizenry and spend all of its money on 4:30 these these military um 4:34 toys how worried should South Korea be 4:37 about this very uh that was another 4:40 message uh you know South Korea has very 4:44 indirectly become one of the largest 4:47 providers of ammunition to Nato the 4:49 United States and Ukraine uh among the 4:52 Western Alliance if I can include them 4:55 in the Western Alliance which you can 4:57 along with Japan they are one of the 4:59 world's biggest artillery makers and 5:01 Munitions makers and an enormously enormously powerful and Wealthy country that that really is a that that embarrasses or should embarrass North Korea and so you know there's an intense rivalry there they don't have nuclear weapons but they have American troops on 5:20 the ground and I think they're going to 5:22 end up with nuclear weapons frankly and 5:24 I think Japan will 5:26 too uh I mean South Korea has described 5:30 this whole thing as absurd and it's 5:32 complained about about the development 5:35 of this this Alliance it it's also 5:38 reported to be considering or 5:40 threatening even withdrawing that the 5:42 supply of Munitions that you mentioned 5:44 earlier which could affect 5:47 Ukraine it could affect Ukraine um South 5:51 Korea is really very much in mesed in 5:54 the alliance against to to contain China 5:58 uh and and and and and Russia too 6:01 Russia's not far away so I think that what uh what you've got is you've got a a pygmy K Kingdom which is what North Korea is called called which South Korea would gladly take over and and develop but is at odds with uh just to give you an idea of the difference I mean it's almost laughable the GDP of all of North Korea is only one quarter of the 6:26 revenues that Samsung Korea's gigantic 6:29 electri ICS firm makes a year you know 6:32 it's it's just it's it's inconsequential 6:35 except that he has developed a nuclear 6:37 bomb which gives him 6:40 status let's turn now to to your latest 6:42 piece in your substack series and it's 6:44 looking at something not really reported 6:46 in the western media a Ukrainian Special 6:48 Forces attack on Russian mercenaries in 6:50 the goolan Heights in Southwestern Syria 6:53 what happened and why were they 6:55 targeted they were targeted because the 6:58 ukrainians have been monitoring the 7:00 Russians wherever they are and they've around the world the Vagner mercenaries as well as Russian Special Forces and they had noted that increasing numbers and this is going back for a while increasing numbers of recruits were 7:17 being trained recruits from the Middle 7:19 East Africa wherever were being trained 7:22 in Syria by 7:23 Russians Russian mercenaries and 7:25 Russians and they were given Russian 7:27 passports and they were shipped up to 7:29 Ukraine to fight against ukrainians in 7:31 the war and so they were concerned about 7:33 this and so they decided to uh dismantle 7:37 the training operations and they and 7:39 they and they pretty much did uh and 7:42 this was uh this was a very important 7:44 and necessary thing to do but what it 7:47 opened up my eyes to and should to the 7:49 rest of the world is that Russia is 7:52 using Syria which is a failed State I 7:55 mean was absolutely ruined in the Civil 7:57 War that began in 2011 8:00 but it occupies a big part of the country has military bases there we don't know how many thousands of soldiers and they're they're exporting all kinds of terrorism and problems and the indication was that the Ukrainian had ukrainians had had seen that uh mercenaries in Syria were training uh in 8:19 ooc before October 7th to attack Israel 8:22 told Israel Israel did not heed the 8:25 warning and the rest is history and so 8:28 they were doing this to attack a source 8:31 of of training and and terrorism coming 8:35 out of Syria uh by by Russia and they 8:39 just wanted to interdict and it seems 8:42 that this attack by Ukrainian Special 8:44 Forces was was carried out without any 8:46 complaint from Bashar al-assad the 8:49 Syrian 8:50 president I I don't know I don't read 8:53 his press I don't even think he has 8:55 press uh look it's a failed State 8:58 essentially in return for getting help 9:01 from Moscow to fight the Democratic forces in Syria in their Civil War he seeded Russia probably I don't know a third or half the land it's just it's a no man's land that Russia occupies and it uses as a staging ground it also uh 9:18 is is now getting into uh other other 9:22 aspects it's now moving uh armaments to 9:27 Libya this is its next attempt to move 9:30 closer and circle Europe frankly and 9:34 they hope to establish a military a 9:36 naval base in in Libya where there's a 9:38 dictator who's kind of out of control 9:41 and and you know that's got a lot of 9:43 people and should get a lot of people in 9:44 NATO concern because they could they 9:47 could attack Europe easily from Libya 9:49 that's their next move so just just how 9:52 significant is Syria at the moment as a 9:55 base from which Russia can project power 9:59 in region and influence I think it's 10:02 it's enormously important I think Ukraine's the first to recognize and do something about it I think others the West Israel for sure should be getting involved in attacking of course if Israel attacks Syria then you've got a a 10:16 bigger a wider war in the Middle East 10:19 however uh they are also uh the Vagner 10:22 mercenaries are trained there and they 10:24 are now positioned in many countries 10:26 mostly in French Africa in the s hell 10:30 where they are stoking insurrections and 10:32 Civil Wars and so it's just a a like a 10:36 node in a metastasis and that's what 10:39 they're using it for and they're 10:41 exporting trouble including drugs 10:44 they're exporting drugs from there and 10:47 when you mention um Russia Russian 10:49 forces or Russian mercenaries moving 10:51 into Libya and the threat that it poses 10:53 to n to Nato and to European security 10:56 can you just describe how you see that 10:58 threat 10:59 well the isw The Institute uh um for War 11:04 The Institute for studies in war out of Washington as well as others have noted the fact that you know Europe NATO cannot abide having on its Southern flank a naval base with potentially nuclear submarines that could launch 11:19 nuclear missiles against the southern FL 11:22 flank of of of you know of Europe in 11:25 Libya Libya also they've warned is a is 11:30 a place that is facilitating the 11:33 weaponization of migration into Europe 11:36 from African countries boatloads of 11:38 people are leaving from Libya the Libyan 11:40 dictator is apparently allowing this or 11:43 profiting from it and this is 11:45 destabilizing to Europe it's another 11:47 weapon and it's something that Russia's 11:50 used for quite a while so it really does 11:53 uh escalate and extend shall we say the 11:56 warfront way Beyond Ukraine 12:00 let's talk now a little bit about about China which was heavily criticized after the G7 Summit where a communic called on Beijing to stop supplying weapons technology to Moscow and oppose China's militarization in the Pacific do you think China has any interest in the War 12:16 ending in 12:18 Ukraine yes and no um I don't think that 12:23 China apart from making some trade benef 12:26 having some trade benefits and the 12:28 biggest trade benefits China is not that 12:31 they're selling weapons they're not 12:32 directly selling weapons but what 12:34 they're getting is cheap oil gobs of 12:37 cheap oil from Russia which has been 12:39 sanctioned from other countries and 12:40 banned in other countries so that's 12:43 helpful and then with the money that 12:45 with the with them that to help pay for 12:48 the oil oil that they buy from Russia 12:50 they're selling refrigerators and toys 12:52 and cars and all sorts of things from 12:55 their manufacturing base so it's a very 12:58 beneficial and they're trade benefits 13:00 far away the benefits that Russia gets selling oil to them but you know the oil sales to Russia to to China and India are are mostly financing Putin's War because he can't sell sell the stuff uh to Europe any longer so you know this is 13:17 this is the uh this is the tradeoff 13:20 China is playing very careful carefully 13:23 and I've also uh I really really believe 13:26 that China is playing a waiting game 13:29 because Russia is weakening itself with 13:31 this war it's suicidal economically 13:34 they're taking advantage but they're not 13:35 going too far they keep making friendly 13:38 talks with Europe and and America 13:40 because that's where their customers are 13:42 and so I think China is playing a 13:44 waiting game hoping that Russia loses 13:47 the war Andor is defeated and then it's 13:50 very possible they can get Manchuria 13:52 back which is something that they have 13:54 long since talked about 200 years ago 13:57 was swiped from China by a are and they 14:00 want M manua back which includes Vlad VTO by the way and we talked about that didn't we Diane at last time that we spoke um how would you judge Uh current relations between China and Russia because they did not send us and you wrote about this as well a significant 14:15 delegation to the St Petersburg 14:17 International Forum Russia's Davos which 14:19 actually coincided with D-Day 14:21 commemorations and Putin was saying 14:23 Russia was fostering an alternative uh 14:25 to the American dominated Global 14:27 Financial order but what did the 14:29 attendants say about his influence and 14:32 that alternative well I think that you 14:35 know we're seeing the Incredible 14:36 Shrinking Russian image here uh you know 14:39 between that that showcase uh conference 14:42 he hels holds every year and the poor 14:45 attendance by global South Nations also 14:48 including India and others and the fact 14:51 that you know he's making a big uh deal 14:54 about visiting a pariah in North Korea 14:58 uh indic Ates and and the fact that he 15:00 he'll be arrested he he couldn't go to the brics conference he couldn't go to the G20 because he faces arrest as a war criminal I mean it's the Incredible Shrinking Putin and his Empire that I hope we're seeing and that seems to be obvious and he makes a big Fanfare in lots of Pomp and Circumstance and lots 15:19 of propaganda and rhetoric but the fact 15:21 remains that that country is going to go 15:24 out of 15:25 business because um you know he's wanted 15:28 by the ice CC but he he's able to travel 15:31 to Vietnam and that is one of the one of 15:33 the complaints I think perhaps unsa 15:36 about him making these kind of trips the 15:38 moment it kind of normalizes him as a 15:41 leader or or that is that what he's 15:42 attempting to do at least I think 15:45 exactly that I think that's what I am a 15:47 leader I have I have state dinners 15:50 thrown for me there's popping 15:52 circumstances I get to review their 15:54 troops I'm a big deal that that's what 15:56 it is and he's got to keep that going 16:00 so the G7 Summit agreed to release $50 billion worth of profits on Frozen Russian assets by way of a loan to Ukraine and the EU has now agreed a 14th sanctions package against Russia to further deny Russia access to key Technologies strip it at further energy revenues tackle it Shadow Fleet and 16:18 Shadow banking Network how much is that 16:21 going to hurt Putin and is in a 16:24 circle I think that hurts them uh the 16:27 news is tightening there's no question 16:28 question diplomatically 16:31 economically and and militarily the the 16:34 weapons are flowing uh the ukrainians 16:36 are doing better the losses apparently 16:39 are staggering in Russia not that he 16:41 gives a damn uh but the point is that 16:44 the news Titans I think the assets is 16:46 very important it's a very important 16:48 first step and that of course uh is 16:51 going to Rattle his inner circle because 16:54 it was threatened but they didn't 16:56 believe they'd do it and they've kind of 16:57 done it but not 16:59 seizing the ass they haven't confiscated 17:02 the assets and they haven't done that because they don't want to start uh you know creating a precedent where the world doesn't like Americans and they seize American Assets in their inside their country so that was the reason for that but this is a blow and I would like to see the next blow I would really like 17:20 to see his oligarchy go gone after I 17:24 would like to see them harassed and 17:26 denied visas and stripped of 17:30 citizenships and you know just generally 17:32 repelled around the world uh have their 17:35 properties seized have to fight for them 17:38 in court uh I think that that would they 17:42 don't have power but I think that that 17:44 could help uh rattle the regime in in in 17:49 Russia a little bit there's also an 17:52 argument that you could put pressure on 17:54 Russia into ending the war in Ukraine by 17:56 putting immediate financial pressure on 17:58 it not not only in the ways we've just 18:00 talked about but enforcing it to pay Ukraine damages how would that work well I guess they'd have to to just uh I I don't know the mechanism I don't know who would be doing the assessments and collections I guess through the United Nations which did this before 18:18 with in the Kuwait Iraq situation the 18:21 United Nations took over and demanded 18:24 reparations uh from Iraq for invading 18:27 Kuwait and got them 2 billion it took 18:30 time they set up committees there's a 18:31 process it's all in place it has to be 18:34 done through the United Nations the C 18:36 the the catch is that the United Nations 18:39 security Council policed that uh 18:42 reparations collection and you know uh 18:46 Pudo has enjoys a veto that's another 18:48 thing that must be addressed Russia has 18:51 to be kicked out of the United Nations 18:53 permanently no questions asked 18:56 gone let's just return again to the same 18:58 pie of International Forum because pu 19:00 Putin also said his forces were prevailing on the battlefield in Ukraine how strong do you think the resolve of NATO allies is now to make sure they don't Prevail and they support Ukraine to deliver a catastrophic defeat to Russia I think they're frightened I think they get it I think Germany even 19:20 gets it uh you know they excuse me 19:23 Germany Germany is psychiatrically a 19:26 mess frankly I mean they really don't 19:29 want it the the word War uh terrifies 19:33 them I mean it's post-traumatic stress 19:35 disorder because the war completely 19:37 destroyed their country and their people 19:39 and everything they stood for uh and and 19:42 nearly ruined the world so they really 19:45 avoid it to the best extent they can but 19:50 now they are also starting to pull their 19:53 weight certainly financially and also in 19:55 terms of arms provisions and macron has 19:58 led this 19:59 and you know he's also got some issues 20:01 but that's a different story uh the Europeans are very very strong and uh you know led by the baltics Poland Netherlands who it looks like is going to provide the next head of NATO Mark Ruta and uh you know they're they're very strong and very supportive so I I 20:22 think that there's very little chance 20:24 that the Europeans will Wayne 20:28 you mentioned Mark Rutter um the Dutch 20:31 prime minister the outgoing Dutch prime 20:33 minister um he is going to be the next 20:36 NATO secetary General with the 20:37 withdrawal of the the only other 20:39 candidate in the ring Romanian president 20:41 class oanes um he will take over the job 20:44 at a crucial time just over a month 20:47 before the US presidential elections 20:49 good news I 20:50 presume it's very good news because Ruta 20:53 has established himself uh on the right 20:57 side of this war uh the Netherlands has 21:00 has provided I mean they've just opened up their arsenals and handed over they're handing over all their f-16s uh they have done an enormous job diplomatically and financially to support the cause of fighting Russia so he will be a an appropriate cheerleader to continue that and and I think he will 21:23 also uh be a a forceful Advocate inside 21:27 the United States 21:29 so don't you write prolifically about 21:31 geopolitics I'm just wondering from your 21:33 point of view at the moment what is the 21:34 thing that is kind of like preoccupying 21:37 your attention the most what is the 21:38 thing that that concerns you the 21:43 most 21:44 Putin I think Putin is a Scourge I think 21:48 Putin is the new Hitler I think Putin is 21:51 uh is lives and breathes and sleeps 21:55 dreaming up ways to light fires all over 21:57 the world to upset and kill people um 22:01 and you know he he really has to be removed somehow uh from his job because I think he's a oneoff and I think that uh there isn't another one in the wings or I hope and so I think Putin is the biggest biggest challenge and then of course there are other challenges uh such as uh you know climate and economic reform and poverty but uh right now this 22:28 one gets fixed or the world is in for 22:32 more and more 22:33 trouble Diane Francis great to speak to 22:36 you as ever thank you very much for your 22:37 time you're welcome you've been watching 22:39 Frontline for times radio with Me Kate 22:41 shabo my thanks to our producers today 22:43 Lis SES and Morgan verdict and for you 22:45 for watching if you'd like to support us 22:47 you can subscribe now or you can listen to times radio for the latest news and in-depth analysis or go to the times.co.uk for now though thanks for watching bye-bye

SITE COUNT