Niall said:
The Obama admin has also slapped more sanctions on Russia. The
NYT - in
this breaking news alert - doesn't bother hiding the reason why:
'President Obama imposed sanctions on Russia, the strongest U.S. response to foreign hacking. The move could box in Donald Trump'
The Obama administration struck back at Russia on Thursday for its efforts to influence the 2016 election, ejecting 35 Russian intelligence operatives from the United States and imposing sanctions on Russia’s two leading intelligence services, including four top officers of the military intelligence unit the White House believes ordered the attacks on the Democratic National Committee and other political organizations. [...]
The sanctions were also intended to box in President-elect Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump has consistently cast doubt that the Russian government had anything to do with the hacking of the D.N.C. or other political institutions, saying American intelligence agencies could not be trusted and suggesting that the hacking could have been the work of a “400-pound guy” lying in his bed.
'They' are trying to generate as many facts on the ground - ie, put down as many obstacles to peace with Russia - as possible before Trump gets in.
First, Obama isolates China in a territorial dispute over the South China Sea, and a few days ago, Obama and Kerry have a major confrontation with Israel
and Netanyahu on the UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement policy and now "this" with Russia? Three strikes and your out!
So, Obama has effectively "isolated" the United States against three prominent World Powers ... leaving us wide open for attack!? Can't fix - STUPID!
Putin Will Determine Adequate Response to US Sanctions
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201612291049122432-putin-determine-usa-sanctions-response/
Russia will undoubtedly provide an adequate response to new US sanctions and it will make Washington officials 'feel uncomfortable', Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
"We will certainly response adequately…and it will be determined in line with decisions adopted by Russian President [Vladimir Putin], Peskov told reporters commenting on the US move, which he described as "unpredictable and aggressive." "There is no doubt that this adequate and mirror response will make the US side feel very uncomfortable as well," Peskov stressed. The Kremlin spokesman added that Moscow regrets the US move to impose new anti-Russian sanction as it continues to destroy bilateral relations.
He noted that the sanctions were unpredictable and seemed aggressive, adding that Russia still hopes to build normal relation with the US government.
The Obama administration imposed earlier on Thursday a series of punitive measures against Russia, including the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and the closure of two Russian diplomatic compounds, in response to Moscow's alleged interference in US presidential elections.
WikiLeaks says that new measures imposed by the US President Barack Obama against 35 Russian diplomats for involvement in alleged cyberattacks in the 2016 US election probably violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
WikiLeaks: US Banning Russian Diplomats Likely Violates Vienna Convention
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201612301049123752-wikileaks-russia-usa-ban-vienna-violation/
New measures imposed by the US President Barack Obama against 35 Russian diplomats for involvement in alleged cyberattacks in the 2016 US election probably violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, WikiLeaks said in a statement via Twitter.
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index has reported that the dollar has slipped .5% after several weeks of increases.
Dollar Hits Two Week Low After US Announces Sanctions Against Russia
https://sputniknews.com/news/201612301049124020-dollar-two-week-low-announced/
The fall has erased the dollar's gain in the past several days. US stocks also tumbled to a three-week low.
The dollar previously hit multiyear highs earlier in December, leading to record high levels of US equity. The fall in the dollar's value came in the wake of Washington announcing strict sanctions against Moscow in the midst of accusations that Russia interfered with the 2016 US Presidential election.