Putin is burning all his bridges behind him.

The abyss into which Putin has stepped has finally revealed the 'Black Swan' event that he has fallen into.

Just prior to the recent G7 Summit in Germany, Deutsche Welle (DW) informed us that,

"[Ash] Carter (left) ... [met] in Stuttgart Friday (05.06.2015) with American defense and diplomatic officials to plan a strategy to address Russian aggression." (DW : 05.06.2015)

The article further points out that,

"US Defense Secretary Ash Carter  raised his concern in February about Russia's alleged violation of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces, or INF, treaty. Russia has allegedly been testing ground-launched cruise missiles with a range prohibited by the treaty." (ibid DW)  (my emphasis)  

Robert Burns (right), AP (Associated Press) National Security Writer, [also informed] us that,

"The Obama administration is weighing a range of aggressive responses to Russia's alleged violation of a Cold War-era nuclear treaty, including deploying land-based missiles in Europe that could pre-emptively destroy the Russian weapons.

This "counterforce" option is among possibilities the administration is considering as it reviews its entire policy toward Russia in light of Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine, its annexation of Crimea and other actions the U.S. deems confrontational in Europe and beyond.

The options go so far as one implied - but not stated explicitly - that would improve the ability of U.S. nuclear weapons to destroy military targets on Russian territory. (AP : Jun 4, 2015)

Dmitry Peskov (left), Putin's Kremlin mouthpiece, responded to this news by stating that,

"Moscow will carefully analyze media reports about the Pentagon’s possible missile deployments in Europe before gauging the news"

The article further states that,
 
"Moscow warned that possible redeployment of US nuclear cruise missiles to Europe and other military steps mentioned by a US official over Russia's alleged violation of a crucial arms control treaty won't add to US security, but will increase tension" (RT : June 05, 2015) (my emphasis) (right : Latest Russian Mobile launcher 'Yars' missile system)

Against this backdrop, President Obama re-affirmed at the recent G7 Summit that,

"The G7 remains strongly in support of Ukraine. ....  Every member of the G7 continues to maintain sanction on Russia ... Even as we continue to seek a diplomatic solution, sanctions against Russia will remain in place ..... Our European partners confirm that they will maintain sanctions .... which means maintaining the EU sectoral sanctions beyond July ... And the G7 is making it clear that, if necessary, we stand ready to impose additional significant sanctions against Russia"

Meanwhile,

"Putin [yesterday (10 June, 2015) travelled to] Italy to visit the Russian pavilion at the expo in Milan on Russia day (the Russian Federation’s national holiday) and .. then [headed] to Rome. His itinerary [included] meetings with Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister, Sergio Mattarella, the Italian president, and Pope Francis, whom Putin [met] at the apostolic palace in Vatican City in late afternoon." (Philip Pullella : Reuters : Wed Jun 10, 2015)

However, as Philip Pullella further informs us,

• .the Italian leader [Matteo Renzi] showed little sign of breaking ranks over European Union sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow's role in Ukraine and
• A stern Pope Francis urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to make a "sincere and great effort" to achieve peace in Ukraine. ... The tone of the Vatican statement after Wednesday's meeting also suggested Francis (right) had been blunt with Putin behind closed doors. The word "cordial," which is used in nearly every Vatican statement about the pope's talks with a world leader, did not appear. (ibid Pullela) (my emphasis) 

Pope Francis' 'blunt' words seems to have mirrored Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (left) who, in Washington yesterday (June 10, 2015),

"[u]sing particularly blunt language, ... said [that] Russia’s calls for reconciliation are disingenuous ."
adding that,

".. pro-Moscow separatists were unfit for negotiations at this stage in the conflict." (John Hudson : FP : June 10, 2015) (my emphasis) 

Underscoring the 'bluntness' of both Pope Francis and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk towards Putin, we have  Putin's constant 'mantra' that there are no Russian soldiers fighting in eastern Ukraine, even though freshly dug graves in Russia of the fallen Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine are on the increase. 

This constant 'mantra' of Putin that there are no Russian soldiers fighting in eastern Ukraine displays his cruel cynicism towards the Russian people, especially now that he has signed a decree to make losses of Russian troops in peacetime a secret.

 Then there is the 'sudden' climb-down of Putin's rebel proxies in eastern Ukraine who, getting their orders directly from the Kremlin, have the effrontery to,

"...nominally agreed to remain within Ukraine under the Minsk peace plan negotiated in February. Leaders have previously said reintegration with Ukraine is impossible." (Roland Oliphant : The Telegraph : 09 Jun 2015)

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is correct in stating that,

"My government will never talk to terrorists” until they are “behind bars or sitting in a prison cell,” he told a small group of reporters in Washington on Wednesday. “Russia wants us to establish a direct contact with the terrorists. We will never talk to terrorists." (ibid John Hudson) (my emphasis) 

Added to which, John Follain tells us that,

"Pope Francis waited for more than an hour to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin to commit to peace and dialogue on Ukraine.

Putin kept the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics waiting for 70 minutes -- a rare occurrence at the Vatican." (Bloomberg Business : June 10, 2015)

Is it any wonder that their meeting got off to a chilly start?

(to be continued)