Weekend Quotables
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Weekend Quotables
Rebecca Solnit: "The world is unpredictable and strange. Still, there is hope in the madness." — Guardian
Sec. of State Blinken’s threat to halt imports of Russian gas and oil sent the stock market into Monday morning shock. Oil prices have risen some 30% since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the surge deals another shock to global price pressures already at their highest levels in decades. People here and in Europe will also be in shock on their next stop at the gas pump and when they see the next heating bills.
President Biden’s advisers are discussing a possible visit to Saudi Arabia this spring to help repair relations and convince the Kingdom to pump more oil. (Axios)
…And Senior US officials have flown to Venezuela for rare talks with Nicolás Maduro’s government in an apparent bid to pry the South American country away from Russia and access Venezuelan oil as a potential substitute for Russian imports were it to slap more sanctions on Moscow. (Guardian)
Weekend Quotables
Anthony Blinken
"We are now in very active discussions with our European partners about banning the import of Russian oil to our countries, while of course, at the same time, maintaining a steady global supply of oil.” — NBC's "Meet the Press"
Donald Trump
“And then we say, China did it, we didn’t do it, China did it, and then they start fighting with each other and we sit back and watch,” he said of labeling U.S. military planes with Chinese flags and bombing Russia. — Washington Post
Emmanuel Macron
Macron is the only leader in Western Europe in regular contact with Putin.
During a tense call with Putin in which Macron emphasized the need to avoid a disaster at Ukraine’s nuclear power sites after the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia plant last week, France’s president also reiterated the west’s demand that civilians be given safe passage.
A French official said Putin told Macron it was "not in his intention to carry out attacks on these plants" and that "he was ready to comply with IAEA standards." — Politico
Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson
…said a deal can be reached in "the shortest time" with U.S. approval of Iran's stance. "Iran's peaceful nuclear cooperation should not be limited and affected by any sanctions, including Iran's peaceful cooperation with Russia and China.” — Reuters