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JOE BIDEN HAS vowed to make it “very, very difficult” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to take military action in Ukraine, saying his administration is putting together a comprehensive set of initiatives to curb Russian aggression.
The US president offered the measured warning to Putin amid growing concern about a Russian build-up of troops on the Ukrainian border and increasingly aggressive rhetoric from the Kremlin.
“What I am doing is putting together what I believe will be the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do,” Biden told reporters.
There are signs that the White House and the Kremlin are close to arranging a conversation next week between the two leaders.
Mr Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Friday that arrangements had been made for a Putin-Biden call in the coming days.
He added that the date will be announced after Moscow and Washington finalise details.
The Russians say a date has been agreed, but declined to say when.
Joe Biden did not detail what actions he was mulling over, but Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who met US secretary of state Antony Blinken in Sweden on Thursday, said the US has threatened new sanctions.
He did not detail the potential sanctions but suggested the effort would not be effective.
“If the new ‘sanctions from hell’ come, we will respond,” Mr Lavrov said. “We can’t fail to respond.”
Deep differences were on display during the Blinken-Lavrov meeting, with the Russian official claiming the West was “playing with fire” by denying Moscow a say in any further Nato expansion into countries of the former Soviet Union.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed for Ukraine to join the military alliance, which holds out the promise of membership but has not set a a timeline.
Swift payments system
Anthony Blinken this week said the US has “made it clear to the Kremlin that we will respond resolutely, including with a range of high-impact economic measures that we’ve refrained from using in the past”.
He did not detail what sanctions were being weighed up.
But one could be to cut off Russia from the Swift system of international payments.
The European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution in April to cut off Russia from Swift if its troops entered Ukraine.
Such a move would go far towards blocking Russian businesses from the global financial system.
Western allies reportedly considered such a step in 2014 and 2015, during earlier Russian-led escalations of tensions over Ukraine.
Then-Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said it would be tantamount to “a declaration of war”.
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That man was a true legend. A real movie star who ate up the screen. Made a number of movies in Ireland and was never less than a real talent. Never really hit the heights but he was still cool enough to do a turn for Tarantino in Inglorious B*stards a couple of years ago. Could have watched him in anything.
I’d say the time machine would be one of his best performances when he has to face the morlocks. When I was a child they frightened the life out of me and gave me terrible nightmares. I look at the film now and laugh at how badly they look.
I had nightmares for years about the Morlocks.
‘The Time Machine’ was my own favourite.
Remember when He was on the late late show with Oliver Reed, & Gay Byrne goaded the two of them into arm wrestling on the studio floor….??
ps. Rod Taylor won.
The Late Late was mighty back then …. most of the guests were piddled !
Yeah, – like the night Oliver Reed was trying to get the leg over Susan George.
Thanks for the memories. And he was sooooo handsome to boot.
Morlocks!
Was great in the movie ‘Hotel’ as well..and in the ‘VIP’s'… old school actor who did it as it should be done.
He opened waterford city shopping centre with gay Byrne in the mid to late 70′s…remember thinking as a child ooh that’s the guy from bobcats which was shown on rte.obviously shooting one of his irish movies at the time.loved him in time machine another where he played a mercinary fighting in the Belgian Congo.
The Mercenaries, that and the Time Machine were his best movies
Great movie.
I used to love watching him in “Bearcats” years ago, what a show.
For me ” The Birds” from his movies and “Bearcats ” from his tv series.
A great old-style actor who never quite achieved the success and accolades he deserved. The Time Machine is one of my favourite films head and shoulders above the more recent remake.
The Time Machine is a movie ill always watch when its on telly, he was excellent in it. Don’t know why that descendant of H.G Wells had such a problem with it, probably more loyal to the book than his noughties version was
Sad news
Birds is it ?
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