As highlighted in The Columbian, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Western sanctions. Though, in revenge, he has closed many McDonald’s restaurants in Russia, it’s noteworthy that Putin hasn’t dared touch the modern Boeing Design Center office directly above the largest McDonald’s restaurant in Moscow. And why should he? This U.S.-taxpayer-subsidized office, which created more than 2,000 jobs for Russian engineers, gives Putin welcome dollars. By contract, Boeing pays a number of Russian third parties, e.g. Russian aerospace companies Ilyushin and Sukhoi, in solid dollars. The underpaid Russian engineers are now being given devalued rubles. So who really benefits? You can bet it’s Putin and his well-heeled industrial cronies. Putin’s well-chiseled body might not suffer eating a Big Mac. But he would really suffer if this lucrative cash flow from Boeing were stopped.
Boeing has publicly stated it plans to invest as much as $27 billion in the development of business in Russia. Billions of dollars that could be used to hire American workers. As a first step, Boeing should first close the Moscow design center and return these jobs to the American Boeing worker. I know. I am a Boeing retiree. I’ve been to Moscow and foolishly supported this Boeing effort at one time.
Jerry Lisewych
Chelan
