Agence France Press reported on 27th May 2016 that,
"Steinmeier on Friday floated the possibility of a "step by step" reduction of sanctions but only if there is progress on ending the conflict in Ukraine." (AFP : 27 May, 2016) (my emphasis)
It can be no co-incidence that the Putinversteher Steinmeier choose the SAME day that Putin arrived in Greece to make this pronouncement.
Since then, Putin's friends in the EU have rallied around Steinmeier's call for the "step by step" reduction of sanctions aginst Putin's Russia. These include Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Austrian Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, and French Economics Minister Emmanuel Macron, including Alexis Tsipras of Greece and officials of Spain and Portugal.
And on Monday, Lydia Tomkiw (left) reported that,
"In another sign of crumbling European resolve over Ukraine, the French
Senate voted [by a 302-16 vote] Wednesday to urge its government to gradually dismantle
economic sanctions on Russia, a move welcomed by the Kremlin. The vote
came as politicians across the European Union have hinted at wanting to
reduce sanctions ahead of renewal talks this month." (International Business Times : 06/09/16) (my emphasis)
Even more disconcerting, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel (left) said in an interview published on Thursday that,
"Russia is an important global player and not a regional power," Gabriel told the Russlandkontrovers.de website.
"That is why I am calling for Russia to rejoin the group, and turn the G7 back into the G8."
Russlandkontrovers.de is the website of the established German-Russian Forum, which was founded in 1993 and includes over 400 leaders from industry, politics and academia." (Andrea Shalal : Reuters :
And whilst Putin's 'supporters' in the EU are rallying around him, Putin himself,
".. is building an
army base near its border with Ukraine, the latest in a chain of new
military sites along what the Kremlin sees as its frontline in a growing
confrontation with NATO." (in the town of Klintsy in Bryansk region, Russia)
"Let us not forget that,"...Angela Merkel has a portrait on her desk of Russian empress Catherine
the Great, the Prussian-born princess who went on to expand Russia’s
territory to the west and the south, including Crimea." (March 4, 2014)
" .... Members of the Russian-backed militant forces in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk region are reportedly abandoning the idea of fighting for the Kremlin due to unpaid wages." (UT : Jun. 8, 2016) (my emphasis)
Is this why that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, recently announced that,
Was Putin's invasion of the Donbas a 'maskirovka' strategy to FULLY incorporate Ukrainian Crimea into the Russian Federation behind the scenes, WITHOUT a whimper from the West? That vote in Ukrainian Crimea seems to support this contention.
And whilst Putin's rebel-proxies and Russian soldiers in the Donbas are complaining about the non-payment of their wages,
Putin's glove-puppet, Dmitri Medvedev was,
"... confronted by a pensioner who complained about the government's failure to index pensions. The prime minister replied: "There is no money. But be strong. All the best. Have a good day, and good health," he added. Then he turned round and left. (BBC News : 9 June 2016)
(to be continued)
"Steinmeier on Friday floated the possibility of a "step by step" reduction of sanctions but only if there is progress on ending the conflict in Ukraine." (AFP : 27 May, 2016) (my emphasis)
It can be no co-incidence that the Putinversteher Steinmeier choose the SAME day that Putin arrived in Greece to make this pronouncement.
Since then, Putin's friends in the EU have rallied around Steinmeier's call for the "step by step" reduction of sanctions aginst Putin's Russia. These include Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Austrian Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, and French Economics Minister Emmanuel Macron, including Alexis Tsipras of Greece and officials of Spain and Portugal.
And on Monday, Lydia Tomkiw (left) reported that,"In another sign of crumbling European resolve over Ukraine, the French
Senate voted [by a 302-16 vote] Wednesday to urge its government to gradually dismantle
economic sanctions on Russia, a move welcomed by the Kremlin. The vote
came as politicians across the European Union have hinted at wanting to
reduce sanctions ahead of renewal talks this month." (International Business Times : 06/09/16) (my emphasis)Even more disconcerting, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel (left) said in an interview published on Thursday that,"Russia is an important global player and not a regional power," Gabriel told the Russlandkontrovers.de website.
"That is why I am calling for Russia to rejoin the group, and turn the G7 back into the G8."
Russlandkontrovers.de is the website of the established German-Russian Forum, which was founded in 1993 and includes over 400 leaders from industry, politics and academia." (Andrea Shalal : Reuters :
And whilst Putin's 'supporters' in the EU are rallying around him, Putin himself,
".. is building an
army base near its border with Ukraine, the latest in a chain of new
military sites along what the Kremlin sees as its frontline in a growing
confrontation with NATO." (in the town of Klintsy in Bryansk region, Russia)
It is thus no wonder that,
"Senior officials from Georgia and
Ukraine on Wednesday exhorted Nato members to bring the two nations into
the alliance in order to protect them from Russia and cement ties with
the West." (Associated Press : The Telegraph : 9 June 2016) (my emphasis)
And, hot off the press, Roland Oliphant of the Telegraph reports that,
".. a few hours ago regional deputies [in Putin's annexed Ukrainian Crimea] voted overwhelmingly for Crimea to join Russia as another region of the Russian federation" (Telegraph video : 9 June 2016)
As I wrote in my blog entry (Sunday, 5 June 2016),
"Let us not forget that,"...Angela Merkel has a portrait on her desk of Russian empress Catherine
the Great, the Prussian-born princess who went on to expand Russia’s
territory to the west and the south, including Crimea." (March 4, 2014)
Let us remind ourselves that,
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" (George Santayana)
Where, now, is the outrage of Germany and Putin's other cohorts in the EU against this sneakily Putin-inspired vote by his hand-picked deputies in annexed Ukrainian Crimea?
Their silence is positively deafening!
Yet they continue to scream that Ukraine should pave the way for holding elections in a Donbas over-run by 10,000 active Russian soldiers whilst,
Where, now, is the outrage of Germany and Putin's other cohorts in the EU against this sneakily Putin-inspired vote by his hand-picked deputies in annexed Ukrainian Crimea?
Their silence is positively deafening!
Yet they continue to scream that Ukraine should pave the way for holding elections in a Donbas over-run by 10,000 active Russian soldiers whilst,
" .... Members of the Russian-backed militant forces in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk region are reportedly abandoning the idea of fighting for the Kremlin due to unpaid wages." (UT : Jun. 8, 2016) (my emphasis)
Is this why that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, recently announced that,
"[There are] no plans to recognize self-proclaimed Donbas republics
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that
Moscow's move to recognize the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk
People's Republics would be counterproductive, according to Russian news
agency TASS." (UNIAN : 31 May 2016) (my emphasis)
And whilst Putin's rebel-proxies and Russian soldiers in the Donbas are complaining about the non-payment of their wages,
Putin's glove-puppet, Dmitri Medvedev was, "... confronted by a pensioner who complained about the government's failure to index pensions. The prime minister replied: "There is no money. But be strong. All the best. Have a good day, and good health," he added. Then he turned round and left. (BBC News : 9 June 2016)
(to be continued)
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