Russia Central Bank Bans Sales Of Foreign Currency For 6 Months

Russians who want to convert their rapidly devaluing rubles, as Joe Biden was quick to point out today…

… into dollars or any foreign currency, are stuck for at least the next six months

In a statement on Tuesday, the Bank of Russia banned banks from selling cash currency to citizens who do not already have FX accounts for period of 6 months starting March 9, effectively ending ruble convertibility until September 9. It's unclear if the ban means there effectively won't be a RUB FX market until September, but it may also be a hint that the current crisis will be over by then, one way or another.

The central bank also said that Russians who currently have accounts in FX can withdraw up to $10,000 in cash, and can withdraw additional amounts in rubles at market rate on day of issue. The bank was quick to point out that 90% of accounts in foreign currency do not hold over $10,000 and so will be unaffected, central bank says.

When FX withdrawals do happen, they will be paid in U.S. dollars, regardless of original foreign currency of account; and conversion to dollars will be at market rate, which is probably not a great option with the ruble seen trading anywhere between 120 and 170 to the dollar in the past day.

The bank also said that it may take "several days" for the banks to supply the necessary amount of foreign currency to the actual office, it added.

Meanwhile, for citizens who open new accounts in FX, withdrawals will be in rubles during this period. And of course, citizens will still be able to sell FX to banks, although we very much doubt it that there will be much demand to convert hard currency - whether FX or gold - into rubles during this crisis period.

It wasn't immediately clear how the Bank of Russia would treat conversions in or out of gold or crypto, although if the recent shift in political sentiment is any indication…

RUSSIA'S DEPUTY GORELKIN CALLED ON THE AUTHORITIES TO SUPPORT THE CREATION OF RUSSIAN CRYPTOCURRENCY EXCHANGE

… Russia may soon join El Salvador as one of the most active adopters of digital currencies. For now, however, it appears locals are mostly buying gold.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/russia-central-bank-bans-sales-foreign-currency-citizens-6-months

Saudis, UAE Refuse To Take Biden's Calls To Discuss Ukraine Situation, Talk To Putin Instead

First, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro declined to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Then, India followed suit - as the Modi government attempted to balance its historic ties with Moscow and its strategic partnership with Washington.

Now, Saudi and UAE leaders are refusing to take Biden's calls as the US president tries to contain surging oil prices, according to the Wall Street Journal, which adds that the Persian Gulf monarchies have signaled "they won’t help ease surging oil prices unless Washington supports them in Yemen, elsewhere."

"There was some expectation of a phone call, but it didn’t happen," said one US official of a planned discussion between Biden and the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "It was part of turning on the spigot [of Saudi oil]."

The U.A.E.’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan also ghosted Biden in recent weeks according to Middle East and US officials.

Yet, both Prince Mohammed and Sheikh Mohammed took phone calls from Russian President Vladimir Putin after declining to speak with Biden, according to the WSJ. They also spoke with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Biden was able to get through to Prince Mohammed's 86-year-old father on Feb. 9, however the U.A.E.’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the call between Mr. Biden and Sheikh Mohammed would need to be rescheduled, according to the report.

What do they get out of it?

As the Journal notes, "The Saudis have signaled that their relationship with Washington has deteriorated under the Biden administration, and they want more support for their intervention in Yemen’s civil war, help with their own civilian nuclear program as Iran’s moves ahead, and legal immunity for Prince Mohammed in the U.S., Saudi officials said. The crown prince faces multiple lawsuits in the U.S., including over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018."

There's the ask.

Meanwhile, the Emiratis share Saudi concerns about the less-than-adequate level of engagement by the US regarding recent missile strikes by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen against both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The two kingdoms are also concerned about the revival of the Iran nuclear deal - which is in its 'final stages of negotiations,' yet does zero to address their security concerns.

So for those keeping track, while the west has continued to insist that Russia is isolated - and make no mistake, these sanctions will be immediately crippling - if one considers the population and resources which originate in China, India, Brazil and the Middle East kingdoms - basically half the world's population and those who control most of the world's commodities aren't on board with punishing Putin or easing the situation to the west's benefit.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/saudis-uae-refuse-speak-biden-over-ukraine-situation

Deleted Web Pages Show Obama Led an Effort To Build a Ukraine-Based BioLab Handling ‘Especially Dangerous Pathogens’.

Recovered by The National Pulse, the article raises serious questions about U.S. government activity in Ukraine, stretching back almost two decades.

A deleted web article recovered by The National Pulse reveals that former President Barack Obama spearheaded an agreement leading to the construction of biolabs handling “especially dangerous pathogens” in Ukraine.

The news comes on the same day that Biden regime apparatchik Victoria Nuland told the U.S. Senate that the American government is concerned about biological research facilities falling into Russian hands as a result of the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe.

Originally posted on June 18th, 2010, the article “Biolab Opens in Ukraine” details how Obama, while serving as an Illinois Senator, helped negotiate a deal to build a level-3 bio-safety lab in the Ukrainian city of Odessa.

The article, which also highlighted the work of former Senator Dick Lugar, was additionally included in Issue No. 818 of the United States Air Force (USAF) Counterproliferation Center’s Outreach Journal.

“Lugar said plans for the facility began in 2005 when he and then-Senator Barack Obama entered a partnership with Ukrainian officials. Lugar and Obama also helped coordinate efforts between the U.S and Ukrainian researchers that year in an effort to study and help prevent avian flu,” explained author Tina Redlup.

A 2011 report from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Anticipating Biosecurity Challenges of the Global Expansion of High-Containment Biological Laboratories explained how the Odessa-based laboratory “is responsible for the identification of especially dangerous biological pathogens.”

https://thenationalpulse.com/2022/03/08/obama-led-ukraine-biolab-efforts/

Two NY state Democratic lawmakers apologize for posing with a sign comparing the 9/11 terror attacks to climate change

The state lawmakers condemned the imagery and said that they had not realized what the sign depicted

Two New York state senators have issued apologies after posing in front of a sign that drew a parallel between climate change and the 9/11 terror attacks.

Democratic state Sens. Robert Jackson and Rachel May both condemned the imagery and said that when they posed with the sign, they had not realized what it depicted.

The state lawmakers were photographed with a sign that featured an airplane labeled "climate change" pointed in the direction of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed as a result of the 2001 terror attack.

"I attended the rally today to support a significant investment in climate change in the state budget. I posed for numerous photos with activists, and did not see the content of the sign," May tweeted. "The imagery on the banner is unacceptable and I would never endorse such a cynical use of our state’s history to score cheap points. I apologize sincerely to all New Yorkers and call upon the organizers to similarly condemn this message."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/democrats-apologize-sign-climate-change-911

Former Trump Aide Says President Was Framed for January 6, Names John 'Jayden X' Sullivan

Former Trump staffer Jason Funes told the January 6 committee that the president was totally oblivious to any violence being planned for that day. Funes had submitted evidence and testimony to the FBI for months but says they never followed up on his claims. Funes, who worked for the Trump administration with the Department of the Interior, detailed his January 6 testimony in an interview with Telemundo.

“You would put your hands over fire, that Donald Trump did not know there was going to be violence that day?” Funes was asked by Telemundo’s Cristina Londoño. “He [Trump] was ignorant to many things, and he put his confidence in these people. He’s a human being and they played him,” the former Trump staffer replied. “And his advisors closest to him betrayed him; and they didn’t betray just him, they betrayed the nation and what it represents.”

“The two people who I spoke with today do have interest in the truth of what happened, and they are discovering the truth,” Funes continued. “Now we just hope that the proper committee and its congressional members put the truth in their report.”

The former staffer has alleged that the violence on January 6 was orchestrated by assets of the federal government. Funes names John Sullivan, who is more widely known as “Jayden X”, as an example.

Sullivan — who is the adopted son of a former U.S. Air Force general — live-streamed his entry into the Capitol building on January 6. Sullivan was one of the first to enter and also filmed the shooting of Ashli Babbitt. He later sold the footage to media outlets for $90,000 and criticized Trump, saying he wasn’t there for him or the movement.

https://nationalfile.com/former-trump-aide-says-president-framed-january-6-names-john-jayden-x-sullivan/

McConnell Ups Pelosi’s $10 Billion for Ukraine to $14 Billion – Where’s It All Going?

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/03/mcconnell-ups-pelosis-10-billion-ukraine-14-billion-going/

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