Sunday, August 12, 2018

Russia's Defense Minister Talks Smack* to Germany

In February 2016 we posted a series of five headshots of defense ministers that had made the rounds on the internet the previous year, see if you can guess which one is Russian:

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/2015/10-overflow/20151029_defmin.jpg
(from left to right): Sweden (Karin Enstrom), Norway (Ine Eriksen Søreide), Russia ( Sergey Shoigu), 
Netherlands (Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert), Germany (Ursula von der Leyen)

Of the five, three have moved on with their political careers while the defense minister in the middle and the defense minister on the far right remain in the office.
Here's the latest from RT, August 12:

‘Ask your grandads’: Russian defense minister warns Germany against ‘strength & unity’ strategy 
The Russian defense minister has reminded his German counterpart that approaching Moscow from a “position of unity and strength” is not the wisest idea, citing the bitter history of WWII that should’ve made Berlin more prudent.
“We are open for dialogue. We are ready for a normal cooperation, but not at all from a position of strength,” Sergey Shoigu told Rossiya 24 TV station. “I certainly hope that the time when we could be talked to, as someone once said, as a second- or third-class country has now irretrievably passed.”

Referring to the original question from the host, Yevgeniy Popov, who noted the recent call by the German Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, to engage in dialogue with Moscow only from a “position of unity and strength,” Shoigu reminded his counterpart that, while Russia seeks peace, it will not tolerate being coerced.
“After everything Germany has done to our country, I think, they should not talk on the issue for another two hundred years,” Shoigu said. “Ask your grandparents about their experience of talking to Russia from the position of strength. They will probably be able to tell you.”
Shoigu explained that NATO, including Germany, cannot come to grips with the reality of seeing Russia return to the world stage as an independent actor with a strong and powerful military force....MORE
*Talking smack:
The art of telling another person off, belittling them or calling their momma fat, while in the heat of competition.
"Man, your mamma so fat she got her own zip code!"