US Secretary of State Anthony BlinkenMOSCOW, Apr 4The post-Cold War era has come to an end as China challenges the established world order, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at a ceremony to erect a bust of 61st U.S. chief James Baker. «An assertive China is challenging the world order that has long been the foundation of the security and prosperity of Americans and the peoples of the world. The post-Cold War era is ending,» he said. 91-year-old Baker, who was present at the event, in turn, said that the West seeks to prevent the spread of violence and prevent an aggravation of the international situation. Russia began a military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine on 24 February. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.»In the United States, they were afraid of a cold war on two frontsThe Ministry of Defense emphasized that the Armed Forces only strike at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops, nothing threatens the civilian population. With the support of the Russian military, the offensive is being developed by the forces of the DNR and LNR. Putin has repeatedly stressed that there is no question of the occupation of Ukraine. In response, the West announced new anti-Russian sanctions, which are aimed primarily at the banking sector and the supply of high-tech products. Calls to reduce dependence on Russian energy resources began to sound louder in Europe. The Kremlin called these measures an economic war the likes of which had not yet been, but stressed that they were ready for such a development of events. The Bank of Russia takes measures to stabilize the situation on the foreign exchange market; payments for gas supplies to unfriendly countries were transferred to rubles. In addition, the government has prepared a plan to counter restrictive measures, which includes about a hundred initiatives. The amount of its funding will be about a trillion rubles.
