A special US-ASEAN summit hosted by US President Joe Biden will be held in Washington, DC, 4-0 Friday local time
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian zhou said China and the United States are both Asia-Pacific countries and can have a common circle of friends.
The key is to listen to the formation of asia-pacific countries to maintain peace, deepen cooperation and seek common development
Later in the day, Biden will make his first trip to Asia, to Japan and South Korea, to reinforce his hard-line strategy
Biden hosted a White House dinner for visiting Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Thursday night and announced $150 million in grants to help Asian countries develop clean energy and education
Shenzhen TV noted that the figure was an increase from the $102 billion in similar funding pledged by the US at the annual US-ASEAN summit last October
But the bulk of this year's allocation, $60 million, will be earmarked for maritime related projects,
including the deployment of additional coast Guard personnel and facilities to the Indo-Taiwan region to help partner countries improve maritime defense capabilities
Observers say that the US is trying to stir up trouble in the South China Sea because we know that the south China Sea issue has been slowing down in recent years
China and ASEAN have made a lot of progress in this area and what about the United States
The second consideration is to drive a wedge between China and Mongolia
Countries like ASEAN sell US weapons including naval equipment and on the face of it he doesn't mention military
But actually the underlying intention is to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN on the South China Sea issue
This is a consideration that is troubling China. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Friday that china-asean relations have developed by leaps and bounds
since the establishment of relations with China 31 years ago
Openness and inclusiveness have always been the underpinning of China-asean cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to the more than two billion people in the 11 countries
China and ASEAN do not engage in joint game and do not promote collective confrontation. Both China and the US are Asia-Pacific countries
It's perfectly possible to have a circle of friends in common. The key is listening
Asia-pacific countries have renewed their commitment to peace, deepen cooperation and seek common development
Adhering to the principle of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, the ongoing US-ASEAN summit was a hot topic at the press conference for two days in a row
We have noticed that in Zhao Lijian's response for two consecutive days, openness and inclusiveness were frequently used words.
Today, he emphasized the fundamental theme of China-Asean cooperation, that is, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness
As for the speculation on the motives of the US side, Zhao Lijin did not directly respond today. She just said that both China and the US are Asia-Pacific countries and we can have a common circle of friends,
but the key is to listen to the voice of asia-pacific countries. In fact, this statement highlights our principled position of mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, openness and inclusiveness
Campbell, the National Security Council's coordinator for India and Taiwan affairs, said in a panel discussion that the summit was intended to allow ASEAN leaders to get to know Biden's team better
He also stressed that Biden will let Asian nations know that the United States has no intention of pushing Southeast Asia and Asia into a new Cold war
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Campbell says the U.S. government needs to become more familiar with Southeast Asia and its leaders need to understand U.S. domestic political operations and considerations
For example, although both parties in the US Congress support the administration's Asia strategy, they differ greatly on economic and trade issues
And the U.S. political debate over China policy
because in fact the So-called Indo-Taiwan strategy of the United States is pointed at China but we know because of ASEAN
Asean has its own concerns. It has its own interests. China is the number one trading partner of many ASEAN countries
So the United States sees this little pony forcing ASEAN to pick teams between China and the United States to side with the United States
It doesn't look like it's going to work so the next best thing is to take a kind of grand statement and actually
There is a lot of interest in the Biden administration's upcoming Indo-Pacific economic framework
The U.S. had said it would announce the details later this month during Biden's visit to Japan and South Korea, but some details could be unveiled at the ASEAN summit
But $102 million last year and $150 million this year illustrates the Biden administration's attitude toward southeast Asia
Asean countries are also watching the US calculation and the Southeast Asian media have repeatedly criticized the US for making false statements that are not timely
Yang Xiyu, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, sees similarities and differences between ASEAN's own economic vision and the economic framework the United States is trying to build
Behind America's enhanced economic presence is still a deep political strategy to force countries in the region to get on board the ship of decoupling from China
Much of Southeast Asia, which is now China's biggest trading partner, will remain wary
Southeast Asian countries that have close economic and trade relations with China are concerned that the so-called Indo-Pacific economic framework proposed by the US
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who attended the summit, spoke with U.S. Commerce Department officials Thursday afternoon about his encouragement for ASEAN members to join the U.S.-promoted India-Taiwan economic framework
But he cautioned that the framework must be inclusive and bring tangible benefits to its members in order to attract more countries
He also made it clear once again that Singapore does not want Southeast Asia to become an outpost of the US-China game and does not want the US to force ASEAN countries into a war between China and the US
The India-Taiwan economic framework is seen as being hastily thrown out to compensate for the gap created by the WITHDRAWAL of the United States from the TPP
But the main experience of the United States is still focused on India strategy, most notably the Biden administration's India Strategy Report released in early February this year, which conspicuously ignored the economy
Vowing to devote more diplomatic and security resources to the Indo-Taiwan region to counter China's growing regional and global influence
Observers say the report once again exposes the true intention of the US government to treat southeast Asian countries as strategic pawns rather than partners
Pleasing America's Allies while leaving more asean members in doubt asean members know that
The US is doing these things for its own interests and not for the consideration of its partners and
The exclusion of some countries is not good for the economic development of the whole region. As the Asian tour only includes Japan and South Korea and does not include any ASEAN countries
The White House had earlier informed Biden that he would be in Tokyo for the daily India-Austria Quadripartite security dialogue
Lu Xiang, an expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the recent us moves were intended to send such a political message
Despite the geopolitical turmoil caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Washington is determined to press ahead with its India-Taiwan strategy
Japan is paying close attention to the India-Taiwan economic framework biden will announce in Tokyo
Japan's ambassador to the United States, Hiroshi Fukuda, recently said his country was in the final stages of adjusting to joining the economic framework in conjunction with Biden's visit
Japan's minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Koichi Akiyota, also said he welcomed U.S. involvement in The indo-Taiwan region but raised concerns
Believes that the benefits of joining the India-Taiwan economic framework are not yet clear and that the United States should show its sincerity to the public to see the unique advantages of the framework
Japan's Asahi Shimbun said in a report on Thursday that although Japan, South Korea and ASEAN countries are expected to join the framework, what benefits will it bring to countries looking to expand their business in the US market since they will not engage in market opening with reduced tariffs
Japan is also very concerned that the U.S. intention is likely to keep China out of Japan and China although
Strategically there are a lot of conflicts in the region but Japan is in economic cooperation with China
Hello, Mr. Liu Heping Ren, Twitter commentator, what are your observations and thoughts on the special SUMMIT between the United States and ASEAN countries being hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington
You know Joe Biden has been looking at all the countries in the Indo-Pacific region since he became US President in order to build an Indo-Pacific strategy to contain China
Even America's Allies in the non-Indo-Pacific region are trying to spin them into a single plot against China
Battle formation and just like in football the battle formation is divided into forwards, midfielders and defenders
At the forefront of the hierarchy is the military alliance that the Biden administration has told
It included the daily US-South Korea-US-Australia alliance, which already existed in the Indo-Pacific region, and the later US-UK-Australia military alliance
The Biden administration is also pushing for NATO in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Shifting the strategic focus to the Indo-Pacific suggests that these Allies not only share the same market economy
Having the same political system and ideology ensures their unimpeded cooperation in the political and economic fields
And of greater concern are the Allies' willingness to bind themselves to America's security
They fought for the United States so they became brothers of the United States in India
In the middle is the political and ideological alliance the Biden administration is building
The daily Quadripartite Security Dialogue in response to the Olympics
Although the word "security" is typed, in fact, because India is in the military and security field
They don't want to get too close to the other three so they're just an ideological and economic alliance
It's a bit like Abe's idea of a free and prosperous Asia compared to his brother
At best, they were nominal Cousins in the back row
It's the economic alliance that Biden is trying to bring asean together because a significant number of ASEAN countries
They don't have the same ideology and political system as the US and they don't want to be tied to US policies
They are only willing to share in the economic dividends that the US brings in constructing its operational strategy
And it is in the economic interests of both China and the United States that they have to be in the United States' foreign alliance
The outermost layer is only hat and god compared to the brothers and Cousins above
What is so remarkable about the long-lost friendship is how the Biden administration is forging these alliances
Not just talking about something else but having priorities that they build and reinforce first
It is its military alliance, followed by its political alliance, and the first two alliances have been consolidated
Do you think that the foreign administration at the ASEAN summit will be able to manipulate the ASEAN countries into a hard platform strategy
I think it's hard to know whether Obama is implementing a balanced strategy in the Asia Pacific
Even Trump made great efforts in asean countries when he initiated the 14th Indo-Thai strategy
Even the death of nine cows and two fu including in southeast Asia to create a China threat theory
Provoke sino-Vietnamese sovereignty dispute between China and Africa and vilify China in ideology
But the end result was nothing more than a split between China and Mongolia
The reasons behind this lie in the ideology and values of the TEN ASEAN countries
Not only are they not unified but there are many countries that are aligned with the United States in this regard
There are sharp conflicts. Second, asean countries have sovereignty disputes with China in the South China Sea
After all, the majority of ASEAN countries are not only indifferent to the South China Sea issue, but even worried about being involved in conflicts
Hurt economic relations with China but obviously compared to Obama and Trump
The Biden administration seems to be much smarter and they've clearly learned the lessons of The Obama-Trump era
The body has become softer in terms of tactics when wooing ASEAN
It's becoming more covert and deceptive and that's what's happening in the lead-up to this ASEAN summit
America's representative coordinator has repeatedly spoken out about the purpose of the summit
The purpose is to expose leaders from ASEAN countries who are not as familiar with the United States to the Biden administration
And a little bit about the hardball strategy of the United States which is to get to know each other and make friends
It is clear that this is to dispel the power of ASEAN countries against the HARD-line strategy of the United States
The second is that the Baidan government has put itself in the realm of security and ideology as a new cold war tooth cure
It is hidden from view and only talks about economic cooperation with ASEAN countries at this summit
Even to provide serious silver aid for ASEAN's economic development obviously
The Bydan government is aware of the lack of consensus in security and ideological opinion in ASEAN countries
The only thing they agree on is economic interest so the US is prepared to do what they want
Give these countries a taste of the economic sweetener first and then slowly
Put these ASEAN countries in their own boat and China will be with asean countries
It has established close economic ties and made ASEAN countries a priority in the Belt and Road initiative
That means China and the United States are competing for economic opinion on the ASEAN battlefield
There is a positive game going on and of course I believe that ultimately the United States and ASEAN
It is just playing a game of fishing to lure ASEAN into its hardball strategy by using the bait of relatives
Most ASEAN countries will just bite the bait and refuse to upload
All right, thank you, Mr. Heping Liu, for sharing your views with us online. Thank you
In addition, the Russian blockade of the Yasu steel plant in Mali continues and there are reports of heavy rain
U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Russia is preparing for a protracted war of attrition in Ukraine not only in the Donbas region but also in parts of southern Ukraine
On the NATO side, it seems intent on accepting Finland as a full member, which would mean doubling NATO's border area with Russia
A new conflict could be brewing, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Konashkfuzhou Wu said
In the past day, Russia's air defense system weapons destroyed a Soviet Su-27 fighter plane in Kharkiv and shot down 15 uAVs in different areas
It also intercepted two rockets from Ukraine's Tornado Mounted rocket launcher system in Kharkiv province, Mr. Knashenkov said
Russian forces have destroyed nearly 850 drones 165 aircraft and 125 helicopters in Ukraine since the start of the special military operation. Russian forces are regrouping to prevent Ukrainian forces from advancing further towards the Ukrainian border
The Russian military also shelled Ukrainian troops, destroying Ukrainian personnel, weapons and military equipment. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also said in the city of Mariubur
Russian troops are still blockading Ukrainian forces inside the Yasu steel plant and the Ottawa Citizen is reporting that retired Canadian Lieutenant General Trevor Cartier is still in Ukraine in light of the current state of the war
Russian forces are concentrating their power to take Donbass or some of this in Donbass
The rapid advance of such a strategic objective appears to have not been achieved and the two sides are actually engaged in a new war of attrition in the demas direction
This war of attrition, if it continues, will be in Russia's worse interest in the long run for a conflict-free Russia, DIRECTOR of National Intelligence James Haynes said Tuesday
U.S. intelligence agencies believe That Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a protracted war of attrition in Ukraine not only in the Donbas region but also in parts of southern Ukraine, Hense said
Russia's military action specific aim is to occupy donetsk and Lu Gan, both in the east control hull city And to establish a connection Russian bath area and qualicoat mia land bridge Doing this will be a major strategic victory in Russia And will make Ukraine the landlocked country For now it We see is actually a
Not much progress is being made on both sides every day. Not much progress is being made
Haynes' comments were clearly a pitch for Biden to ask Congress for money to aid Ukraine
The $40 billion lend-lease bill for Ukraine, which the U.S. military recently warned would run out of money within 10 days, was passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday
But Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul blocked senate passage of the aid bill on Thursday, demanding amendments to create an inspector general to monitor Ukraine spending
Mr. Paul warned that Ukraine could not be saved by destroying the American economy and said Americans were feeling the pain of inflation
And Congress seems intent on exacerbating the pain by coming up with more money as soon as possible. Us media say Mr Paul's filibuster forced the US Senate to schedule an extra procedural vote to bypass the obstruction
Passage of the funding bill is reported to be delayed at least until next week or even longer under current circumstances
That means there will be a vacuum in the original house of America and this bill he says is now being delayed
But maybe after this postponement it will eventually get passed because in fact whatever it is in this
There had been unanimous support for the court both in the Senate and at the top of both parties
The Russians are well aware that they are fighting a proxy war with the United States and the West, which is behind Ukraine
It's worth noting that the Biden administration recently began reining in U.S. intelligence agencies to avoid direct conflict between the U.S. and Russia
Several US media outlets recently revealed that the US intelligence community was deeply involved in the Ukraine crisis and provided reports to support its military operations
Intelligence information about the positions and movements of Russian forces is flowing into Ukraine in real time, including satellite images and reports from sensitive sources in the United States
U.S. officials have also recently been keen to promote Ukraine's warring states. Biden administration officials have also stressed that the U.S. is not at war with Russia and that aid to Ukraine is for defense
But in fact the US has very limited control over how Ukraine uses its weapons and intelligence on the battlefield
The risk of direct conflict between the two core powers of the United States has increased dramatically as the war in Europe continues while NATO continues to expand. Finland and Sweden have recently flirted with NATO
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Marin made it clear in a joint statement Thursday that Finland will apply to join NATO
Finland's foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto says his country will apply to join NATO next week if parliament decides
On the same day, Russia responded that Finland's membership of NATO posed a direct threat to Russia and considered retaliating
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the Finnish leader's statement signaled a major change in the country's foreign policy and that Russia would be forced to take retaliatory measures of military technology and other nature
The deputy head of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday again warned of the danger of nuclear war with NATO
Reuters quoted a number of Russian officials as saying that the possible measures for Finland to join NATO including but not limited to the Baltic Sea immature nuclear-capable missiles military technology means what I think it is not likely to be directly this one
Ground attack a ground attack like this no charge he's probably more of a one of these
Uh, some of this nuclear missile testing with the Help of the United Nations
To do some of this kind of show of force and so on to put pressure on this acid and Sweden but actually this pressure on the Russian side
There is little he can do at present to reverse the accession process of Finland and Sweden, one of the five Nordic countries that share a 1,300km border with Russia
Russia's second largest city St. Petersburg is about 170 kilometers from the Border with Russia. If Finland joins NATO, the border between NATO and Russia will double in size
The risk of military friction between the two sides has increased dramatically and Moscow considers Finland's Kra peninsula a strategic bastion of national security
It's also home to Russia's Northern Fleet and for Russia NATO's expansion after the Cold War continues to squeeze Russia's strategic space
If NATO's north Arsenal arrives at Russia's doorstep, it is bound to further intensify confrontation with Russia and lead to a further deterioration of the Security situation in Europe
I'll get you on the line with guest Commentator Mr. Guan Yao Wang Hello, The President and prime Minister of Finland have issued a joint statement announcing that they will apply to join NATO without delay. Mr. Guan, what do you think of this
Okay, so this joint statement by the heads of state and government of Finland means
The Nordic country's bid to join NATO has landed the boot in the process
So this is of course a big deal for Finland in the European conflict that has been going on since NATO expanded eastward
It's still in the context of continuing tension and of course NATO is a big deal for European security
This is especially important for Russia, which is fighting for its own security
The big challenge for the county government in Finland is a five-party coalition so as head of government and head of state
His symbolism was evident in a joint statement that showed the country's decision to apply for NATO membership on video
At the top of the agenda, Finland has achieved a cross-party political consensus which means a finlandization of the international strategic community
It's going to be a thing of the past so Finland in the western bloc is facing the powerful Russian neighbor
Caught in the middle of the intense game between east and West, he was forced to take the initiative in this way
To defend the country's strategic survival and diplomatic autonomy
Kowtowing like Moscow so why break the country's neutrality now as The foreign minister reiterated to the European Parliament's foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday
A high-stakes military operation by Russia has finally pushed Finland to make a big decision the day before the Finnish president
It was also made clear that Russia's military actions were to blame and That Russia should be confident
Of course it seems to me that Finland's decision to join NATO was motivated by a combination of domestic and foreign incentives
Of particular concern is that the Finnish joint statement came a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Helsinki
It could be said that Johnson's visit gave Finland a decisive boost in its bid to join NATO
So how would Russia respond to NATO's possible northward expansion if Finland and Sweden apply to join NATO as widely expected in the Western media
To fast-track the application is of course humiliating from Russia's point of view and poses a major strategic challenge to Russia
So the Russian response was very strong and The Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that if Finland applied for NATO membership
Russia would have responded with reciprocal measures by serving one term as deputy chairman of the Russian Federal Security Council
Mr. Medvedev again issued a stern warning that a conflict between Russia and NATO could escalate
Medvedev was on social media just before the nuclear war when the two countries were rumored to join NATO
They're talking tough about deploying tactical nuclear weapons in the strategic enclave of Kalingrad and they're actually doing it with their nuclear guards
The Russian military had just conducted a tactical exercise in Kaliningrad simulating a nuclear attack, so once NATO had the longest border with Russia
The level of risk of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia as European countries become part of their own strategic map
It's going to go up a lot and it's going to be another high risk moment for European security but here's the dilemma
Despite Russia's overall escalation and deterrence against the ranks of this fighter is still in a bloody manner
But NATO's admission of Finland and Sweden as full members is almost irreversible
It will be difficult for Russia to reverse the applications of Finland and Sweden to join NATO as French President Michel Macron has made clear
There must be a realistic way to save Russia from humiliation, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and even U.S. President Joe Biden are not convinced
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Austin even talked about completely disabling Russia's ability to wage war abroad
So how will Russia respond to NATO's humiliating north Korea, no matter the cost
Will There be a substantial upgrade of Russia's nuclear deterrent The premise of Russia's use of nuclear weapons is defined as the existential threat to the country
As to the circumstances under which Russia is judged to be facing an existential threat it is possible to make that strategic decision now
There is and only Russian President Vladimir Putin so how did the British push the Finnish side doesn't fear the Russian reaction
Johnson he went to Sweden and he went to Finland and he signed security agreements with both countries
So the British Prime Minister declared that under the terms of the agreement the first country was bound to attack the British
Asked by reporters if this meant Britain would send troops once Finland had previewed the offer of help, Johnson was toned down. He said the solemn announcement itself
That's all there is to it then it is the obligation of states parties to provide the other party with all kinds of assistance including military assistance
Notice that both of these agreements were signed in time for his application to join NATO even after the so-called fast track process was initiated
He still has a process so it seems to me that the two security treaties have been submitted
But they haven't joined the greyzonePerry
Britain actually gave a security guarantee to Finland and Sweden during this period and whether Britain could afford to give it
Why is Mr Johnson, as the Economist ridiculed him, weak at home but a foreign crusader
This is another topic that can be explored further so Finland's application for NATO membership is domestic
The public opinion on the security situation has taken a big turn and the European conflict has directly triggered the security anxiety of the whole society in Finland
A poll published by Ya, a Finnish agency, showed that after Russia broke ranks on February 24th
Finland's support for NATO membership jumped to 76 points, up from 31 points in the 20-0 range
The United States, the main driver of NATO expansion from the outside world, has been behind the scenes urging Secretary blinken to make this clear in congressional testimony
As soon as Switzerland and Switzerland make a decision the United States will strongly support it and Johnson he rushes to the front
Finland has a population of just 5.5 million
A standing army of more than 30,000 is made up of only half of them professional soldiers and of course Finland is five times more advanced and has the same equipment as NATO countries
The Finnish military has recently purchased f35A stealth fighters from more than 60 failed companies
A long-term joint exercise with NATO forces just began this month with the United States and The United Kingdom
The four NATO countries conduct large-scale joint military exercises so it is widely expected that there will not be much friction with the Finnish military's integration into NATO
The addition of Finnish troops will have a limited effect on NATO's overall military expansion
But because of Finland's 1,300km border with Russia and the fact that Russia launched a military campaign
Fighting NATO's expansion to the east has led to NATO's fiercer attack at a time when Europe's soldiers are anxious
It is really a limited harm to Russia because Sweden will join after Finland
Thank you, Mr. Guangyang, for sharing your opinion with us online
Russian President Vladimir Putin told a conference on Russia's economy on Thursday that western sanctions against His country were not only counterproductive to its economy but had in many ways caused a global crisis
It has been noted that despite the rhetoric of high drug sanctions against Russia, most Western countries are clearly not ready to decouple from Russian energy. The European Union has even been exposed as postponing the push for Russia's oil embargo
Another source said 20 European firms had opened ruble accounts to buy Russian gas, bowing to the ruble settlement
Speaking at a conference on Russia's economy on Thursday, Putin said western sanctions against Russia had largely hurt its own interests
This can be seen in soaring inflation in Europe, which in some countries is nearing 20%
He said continued sanctions on Russia would inevitably have complex and irreversible consequences for the EU, its citizens and the poorest countries facing hunger
Putin blames western elites who are prepared to sacrifice the rest of the world to maintain their global hegemony
There's not a day when our husband has a wave of record boss you can
I shouldn't I mean you put him in the belly at the road level you can't go in there once in there I'm not supposed to serve but whatever you do you don't need bark to grow in there
As well as the quality can move that is not this way to Russia this kind of extreme sanctions is actually a double-edged sword
Europe in particular is heavily dependent on this energy so it can substitute but at the cost of substitution
Getting more expensive energy from the United States almost twice as much and what happens with that is that the cost of living goes up and that makes it less competitive
What's more, the common people are the month sign in the road putin stressed because of the macroeconomic policies introduced in recent years as well as the systematic decisions to strengthen economic sovereignty, technology and food security
Last week the Russian Central bank predicted that the Russian economy would fully adapt to U.S. and Western sanctions by 2023
One of the reasons is that the withdrawal of Western multinationals from the Russian market has created opportunities for local businesses
Let you or I put you eat some uncomfortable you have to say it to throw it away your love of life
You're gonna take me. I can't. Am I
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has warned of a global food shortage this year, but Putin said he expects Russia to have a good harvest this year and could produce 130 million tons of grain
This includes 87 million tons of wheat which will not only meet domestic demand but also increase supply to the global market which means that Russia's fiscal revenue will improve further
In addition, inflation is slowing, budget capacity is improving, Russia's trade surplus is widening as energy prices rise and the rouble is strengthening
Russia is also gradually rolling out countermeasures against western sanctions, focusing on energy companies in unfriendly countries. A new sanctions list posted on the website of the Russian Federal government on Wednesday prohibits Russian entities from dealing with targets even to fulfill existing contractual obligations
The Russian list covers 31 Gazprom subsidiaries or partners in Europe, the United States and Singapore
These include Gazprom In Germany and Poland's Eupol gas, which operates part of the Yamal Europe pipeline in Poland
The pipeline accounts for about 20% of Russian supplies to Europe because it passes through Poland, where the government charges tolls
But at the end of April Russia announced it had stopped supplying Gas to Poland because of anti-Russian extremism, so the closure of the Yamal Pipeline was no surprise
European gas prices have risen by 400 percent in a year in response to the European Union's repeated threat of sanctions against Russia while most European countries have chosen to vote with their feet
Bloomberg reported that a source close to Gazprom said 20 European companies have opened ruble accounts to meet Russian demand for ruble gas as the first payment deadline for ruble settlement approaches
Another 14 European companies have asked the bank for information on opening ruble accounts, according to the Italian prime minister
Mr Putin had previously stressed that refusal to pay in rubles would be regarded as a breach of contract and all consequences would be borne by the buyer
Russia is also tapping into the potential of emerging markets to counter increasingly volatile European buyers, the latest statistics show
In April Russia's biggest international buyer of oil was India, embarrassing the West by buying refined products from India despite the European Union's clamour to block Russian imports
India's exports of diesel and other refined products to Europe hit a record high of 219,000 b/d in March
India has cut through the chain of buying cheap oil from Russia, refining it in petrochemical plants and selling it to Europe at a higher price
The SANCTIONS imposed by the US and the West are neither global nor universally accepted by all countries in the world. India still retains a lot of autonomy
In fact, not only India but also many of these countries are now showing such an attitude that in the absence of a global suppression of Russia, the United States and the West have very limited countermeasures against Russia