Soviet Union 1991

Main text Chapter 812: A disguised Ponzi scheme

Yanayev also has his own considerations for his oil debt repayment policy. According to the previous agreement signed with OPEC, he will not offset all crude oil at the original price, but will only offset two-thirds of the total price. This means that France still needs Pay one-third of the fee. Even if all this crude oil is sold, the Soviet Union will not feel too distressed.

If crude oil falls in the future, the backlog of "black gold" sold in advance in Yanayev's hands can also alleviate the pain of becoming "black water". When crude oil soared to almost 60 US dollars a barrel, Chirac felt an unspeakable surprise when faced with the sudden sales that lowered the market price by 10 US dollars.

But surprises are surprises, and France does not need nearly $4 billion in crude oil now. The Soviet Union's debt repayment in this way also brought him other problems, such as the reserves and settlement of French foreign exchange. In addition to filling the Soviet portion of the Mediterranean Bank plan, the French government also had to advance its own share. Given the pros and cons, Chirac's first thing to consider is whether the pros outweigh the cons.

"If France is willing to use Soviet oil as an offset for part of the loan, then I think our dialogue can continue. If not, the Soviet Union is willing to respect France's choice and withdraw from the Mediterranean plan."

Yanayev is busy putting pressure on the French president. Now he has the initiative. France needs itself. Because of the oppression of the United States, they are already grasshoppers on the same rope.

The Soviet Union's strategy of retreating to advance made France very embarrassed. On the one hand, they were ready to join forces with the Soviet Union to fight against the United States. On the other hand, the huge amount also made the French government feel embarrassed.

"But we can't come up with so much funds at once." Chirac said in embarrassment, "There will be a big hole in the Mediterranean Bank plan, which will not be able to fill the funds, which also means that it will not be able to operate in the early stage. ”

The Soviet Union gave France an idea, and a disguised version of the "Ponzi scheme" was born. Yanayev said, "The Soviet Union sold crude oil to France at a price of ten dollars per barrel, and France could also sell it to other countries in the same way. , isn’t it? You can sell it for five dollars below the market price, and France can still make a profit in the middle. In this way, you can solve the capital hole and at the same time earn a sum of money to fill the gap in foreign exchange expenditures.”

But when the price of crude oil falls, the recipients of this batch of oil will suffer heavy losses. Crude oil worth nearly ** billion is like a bomb disrupting the oil market. It depends on who is unlucky and becomes the last country to take over.

When OPEC and the Soviet Union signed a common advance and retreat policy, Yanayev had already realized that price decline would become an irreversible trend.

"I see."

Chirac suddenly realized that this seemed a bit despicable, but it would not only allow France to recover its capital, but also relieve the pressure brought by the Mediterranean Bank on France's finances. It’s simply the best of both worlds.

Apart from the slightly cumbersome process and formalities, France was able to earn a decent price difference in the end. Yanayev could even tell from the other party's breathing that Chirac was still very interested in this matter.

"Now, can there be further cooperation between the Soviet Union and France?" Yanayev asked with a smile. At this moment, he just wanted the other party to promise him as soon as possible.

"Okay." Chirac replied to him.

After Chirac hung up the phone, Yanayev breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head and looked at Primakov, who was stunned beside him, and shrugged, "What's the matter? Do you have any objections to my plan?" "

"No." Primakov shook his head, "I just don't know that General Secretary Yanayev can still do this."

Yanayev raised his lips and said, "We can negotiate with the leaders of OPEC and announce a joint oil production reduction. Throwing this squeezed inventory into the oil market will inevitably cause a sharp drop in prices. The only way is to reduce oil production. , to maintain the operation of the oil market, this emergency sell-off should be regarded as a problem for the Americans.”

Then President Mario was dumbfounded.

Chirac announced to the outside world that representatives of France and the Soviet Union issued a joint statement that the Soviet Union and France would invest nearly 18 billion in the Mediterranean Bank to inject a boost into this cooperation. As soon as this news came out, all the countries in the Mediterranean Alliance understood what kind of secret transactions the Soviet Union and France had carried out behind the scenes.

It is simply so dirty that it cannot be seen. This news is also a message. For those countries that are still hesitating between the Soviet Union, France and the United States, it is time to choose sides. However, everyone knows that France and the Soviet Union have become an alliance of interests, and they naturally know where to turn. Therefore, Egypt, as a die-hard loyalist to France, immediately stood up and emphasized its support for President Chirac's decision after the Franco-Soviet joint statement was released.

As a result, President Mario couldn't sit still. Isn't this completely out of line? He immediately asked his derelict national security adviser to go to the White House and explain clearly what was going on.

"For God's sake, what kind of fools do we support with the budget we spend every year?" President Mario clenched his fists. "Who can tell me why? Why is the Soviet Union always able to find them one step ahead of us? Breaking through and catching us off guard, what on earth were the elites in the White House thinking about writing? Are they as stupid a pig as Gorbachev?”

Facing the overwhelming accusations from President Mario, Presidential Advisor Berger reluctantly pushed the thick lenses on the bridge of his nose. Indeed, his previous analysis that the Soviet Union was unable to provide the funds needed for the Mediterranean Alliance was the result of his verification and calculation from many parties, and it was absolutely unmistakable. But who would have thought that the Soviet Union would actually use oil payment to cleverly avoid the trap designed by the United States.

Berger had not expected this.

What’s even more frightening is that the Soviet Union gave France a preferential price below the market price, which meant that France could still resell the oil and earn the price difference. Although the Soviet Union lost part of its foreign exchange income, it still made up for the capital investment in the Mediterranean Alliance. , they still made money. They are a win-win situation, and the United States, which has done nothing, looks more like a loser.

"We will try our best to make up for this mistake..."

Berger tried to comfort President Mario, but was met with an angry reply. The backs of Mario's hands were covered with sudden veins. He almost wanted to send all these think tanks to see Washington!

"Make up? How to make up for it? Do you want the United States to continue to fill this black hole with funds? France's dominant position will not change anymore, Advisor Berger. I hope our White House think tank can analyze the problem next time. Be smart and don’t jump to random conclusions! You bastard, I now wonder if these guys in the White House have become KGB members. Why do they always come to me like idiots?”

Berger's face turned red but he said nothing.

President Mario slumped on the sofa. He could no longer refute others.

"As of now, it is no longer possible for the United States to take over the banner of the Mediterranean Alliance. Not having the largest share means that it has to try to win over pro-American forces. In this way, our resistance will be much greater. But it is not without hope."

Mario sighed, he no longer had the energy to accuse the other party of who was wrong or who was right. In other words, blaming is no longer helpful. Since the Bush era, they have not been able to take the initiative. Looking back on the history from 1991 to the present, the United States has always lost more than won. Now Mario can only comfort himself in his heart. At least this has deepened the internal conflicts and crises of the EU. Cole is no longer able to prevent the disintegration of the EU. Although it suffered a tactical mistake, at least it ensured the smooth implementation of the plan strategically, which was a consolation to Mario.

"We have supported the Mediterranean Alliance, which is equivalent to a fatal blow to Germany. Now the French's goal is no longer focused on cleaning up the EU's mess."

President Mario narrowed his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth.

"Now, we should take the initiative."

Kohl is going crazy now, Germany's next presidential election is coming soon. What's terrible is that the five East German states unanimously support the East German Democratic Renaissance Party, and the slogans put forward by the German Democratic Renaissance Party are completely aimed at the people at the bottom, such as medical care and education. The most terrible thing is that the Soviet Union privately gave the other party a series of grants, which meant that the Democratic Renaissance Party was fully capable of independently fulfilling their slogans that promised the people.

Bread, work, education, and medical care are simply the reappearance of the glory of the world in the industrial age.

In addition, they still have the German Democratic Republic Army in their hands. Isn't this the original line of the Soviet October Revolution?

The crisis of the general election is approaching. If it is not handled well, Germany will trigger civil war again. Although Cole tried to counterattack, they were frightened by the Soviet troops deployed on the ceasefire line. After the expansion of soldiers and armored forces, they were not afraid of the East German armed forces, but they were afraid of another force, the Soviet Red Army.

Now, in addition to internal troubles, there are also external troubles that add insult to injury. The original principle of joint advancement and retreat of the Franco-German alliance was secretly broken by Chirac. With the instigation and support of the United States and the Soviet Union, he was ready to abandon Kohl and start to go it alone. To make matters worse, President Kohl, who relied on force to support the overall situation, may eventually face the disintegration of the EU.

Now, he needs to try his luck, hoping that France can share the pressure that Germany is now facing.

However, what surprised Kohl was that Chirac took the lead in calling Germany to express his close attention to EU issues. Cole could only respond with a sneer, "Now that we know the seriousness of the EU's problems, what did France do before? Build its own small circle to alleviate the crisis when the EU disintegrates?"

President Chirac replied bitterly, "France has never given up on the EU, just as we have never violated the common principles of the Franco-German alliance. Since the beginning of the European Community, we have been committed to promoting the development of EU integration. Prime Minister Kohl, now The crisis in the European Union has also affected France, so I am here today to take up the heavy responsibility of the European Union.”

What he said was better than what he sang. This is the only thought in Cole's heart.

The expectations for the Mediterranean Union are far greater than the sense of mission to save the EU.

"But today France came here for the benefit of the European Union. Now France has a batch of oil purchased below the market price. Once it is sold to the market, it will cause a big fluctuation. So I want to transfer this oil Half of them were sold to EU countries at a discounted price of four dollars below the market.”

In order to minimize the risk of price fluctuations, Chirac chose to sell at the same time in different countries.

At this time, Cole had received news that the Soviet Union and OPEC were negotiating to reduce oil production, which was tantamount to a boost for them. Cole was tempted by the lucrative situation.

“Negotiate at current oil prices?”

Cole dragged on the topic while thinking about the pros and cons of this matter. Europe's oil demand is mainly concentrated in the Soviet Union and North Africa. After OPEC announced production cuts, Germany's manufacturing industry was affected to varying degrees. If this batch of French oil can stabilize people's hearts, it will also alleviate the EU crisis to a certain extent.

Thinking of this, Cole's brows relaxed slightly. France had made so many small moves behind his back, and this time it was finally more reliable.

"Yes, with the current oil price negotiation, if it is not decided before the Soviet Union and OPEC reach an agreement, then we will negotiate with the oil price after the agreement is released."

Although Cole very much hopes to sell oil after the OPEC agreement is reached, the Mediterranean Bank plan has been put on the agenda and they cannot change the time because of this. We had no choice but to seek an internal solution to the problem within the EU.

"Germany can agree to France's oil cooperation plan, but we also have one requirement, that is, France must support the backbone of the EU. Stop your little tricks behind your back, the EU is really going to collapse, and no one can escape this disaster. Europe will sink with no hope of rising!”

However, after finding a substitute for the EU, Chirac is no longer afraid of Kohl's threat.

"I will try my best to keep the EU functioning." Chirac only used the word "try my best".

Although he said so, Chirac already had a premonition that the time of this jointly created European Union was numbered. Just like the leaders of other countries who attend the summit every time, their faces have dull expressions that contrast with their dark suits.

EU pill!

Other member states have gradually divided into two groups, one is Brexiteers, and the other is supporting Germany in retaining the EU. But France's Mediterranean Union has caused the vast majority of member states to lose confidence.

Europe is already on the verge of collapse, and it only needs one last bullet to trigger an explosion of contradictions and send the EU into hell! (To be continued.)

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