Putin will collapse Minsk meeting this coming Wednesday (10 Feb. 2015)

“Look,” said Ms. Merkel, who, like President François Hollande of France, had just returned from hours of negotiations with Mr. Putin, “I grew up in East Germany, and when I was 7 the Berlin Wall was built.”

Nobody expected the West to mount a military attack to bring it down, she said, meaning that East Germans waited 28 more years in “dictatorship and unfreedom” until the Wall came down in November 1989. (AlisonSmale: New York Times : Feb. 8, 2015)

Comparing the Berlin Wall, a physical object, with what is now happening in Ukraine rather says it all about Merkel's attitude towards the invasion of eastern Ukraine, and the annexing of Ukrainian Crimea, by Putin's Russia. Comparing the current annexing of Ukrainian Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine with the building of the Berlin Wall is equivalent to comparing 'apples and oranges' viz. a misleading argument that is rather popular in advertising.

In making this comparison, is Merkel suggesting that Ukrainians have to accept eastern Ukraine being annexed by Putin, and that those Ukrainians already living in Ukrainian Crimea and eastern Ukraine will simply have to endure living under Putin's yoke until he leaves office, probably in 2024?

Even more frightening, this attitude of hers reveals just how deep the "Russland Versteher" (one who 'understands' Russia) has soaked into the minds of Germans from both the left and the right of the German political spectrum, as well as within German industry, thanks to the 1970's 'Ostpolitik' of Willy Brandt.

German business & Ukraine

As The Economist pointed out, "The boards of Germany’s large companies are also well stocked with Russophiles. In March (when Crimea was annexed into the Russian Federation) Joe Kaeser, the boss of Siemens, an industrial conglomerate, met Mr Putin in Moscow and signalled business as usual." (The Economist : May 10th 2014 : Berlin)

 Is it any wonder now that many are beginning to seriously question Merkel's stand over supplying defensive weaponry to Ukraine, as a counter to the flood of sophisticated weaponry entering eastern Ukraine from Russia?

As she says at the press conference with Obama after their breakfast meeting yesterday,

".... on diplomatics initiatives ... And this is going to be continued ..." (C-Span : 9 Feb., 2015)

Even though she admits that thus far all diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis with Putin have failed miserably, nonetheless she continues with her mantra about a 'diplomatic' solution, totally governed by the old saying that,

 "If at first you don't succeed

Try and try and try again"

Meanwhile, the bodies of both Ukrainians and Russians will continue to pile up.

President Obama, on the other hand, is caught in the vice of time, having soon to decide whether to send defensive armaments to Ukraine.

" ... the deadline ..  for the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 to come into FULL effect on the 16th February 2015. This Act mandates Obama into making a decision on sending military hardware to Ukraine since the Act includes the following:

(i) Provisions for training, defense articles, anti-tank weapons, anti-armor weapons, crew weapons, ammunition, counter-artillery radar, fire control, range diner, tactical troop-operated surveillance drones, and other equipment pursuant to the provisions of the Arms Export Control Act – Total of $350,000,000 over three years" (blog entry: 3rd Feb. 2015)

Thus, at the press conference with Merkel he had to state that,

" .... What other means can we put in place to change Mr. Putin's calculus. .. and the possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of those options being examined ....." (ibid C-Span : 9 Feb., 2015)

Recall that on Sunday last, Merkel, Poroshenko, Hollande, and Putin held a 'Skype-type' conference at which,

"The plan for a meeting Wednesday in the Belarusian capital emerged from a phone call between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, described the call as “intensive.” (Today's Zaman : February 08, 2015, Sunday)

However Putin also confirmed that,

" ... a summit was being planned for Wednesday in Minsk, but said it might not come about." (ibid Today's Zaman) (my emphasis)

Putin visits Egypt

And on his visit to Egypt yesterday, Putin simply re-iterated his mantra that the US and the EU is totally responsible for what is happening in Ukraine.

"President Vladimir Putin has blamed the US and the European Union for what he called their “expansionist policies” for the crisis in Ukraine." (Euronews : 10 Feb., 2015)

Furthermore, he once again,

" ...... denied direct Russian involvement in the conflict and warned Kyiv to stop its military operations in the east and to hold talks with the rebels." (ibid Euronews) (my emphasis)

Yet again do we see the 'maskirovka' strategy of Putin in action.

Putin DOES NOT want to attend this coming Wednesday meeting in Minsk. Why?

Because his mind-set is governed by the "Novorossiya" ideology of his Rasputin, Alexander Dugin.

As he stated in his recent interview in Egypt with the Al-Ahram Daily Newspaper,

" .... in the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership Program there have been attempts to tear states which had been parts of the former USSR off Russia and to prompt them to make an artificial choice "between Russia and Europe." (Kremlin : President of Russia : February 9, 2015) (my emphasis)

 Having made this statement, can anyone see Putin back-tracking on it?

 (to be continued)