Is Walter Steinmeier Putin's "Manchurian Candidate" against the EU sanctions?

Is it a co-incidence that, shortly before the Brexit result, it is announced by Walter Steinmeier that,

"We in Europe bear a joint responsibility for ensuring that we do not fall back into a nationalism of single states," Steinmeier said. (Michael Nienaber : Reuters : Sun Jun 19, 2016) (my emphasis)

Then, shortly after the Brexit result, Nick Gutteridge reports that,

"EUROPEAN political chiefs are to take advantage of Brexit by unveiling their long-held plan to morph the continent’s countries into one GIANT SUPERSTATE, it has emerged.

....
The foreign ministers of France and Germany are due to reveal a blueprint to effectively do away with individual member states in what is being described as an “ultimatum”.
 

Under the radical proposals EU countries will lose the right to have their own army, criminal law, taxation system or central bank, with all those powers being transferred to Brussels." (Expess :Tue, Jun 28, 2016) (my emphasis)

 

As also reported by Alex Christoforou (left),

"The public broadcaster reports that the bombshell proposal will be presented to a meeting of the Visegrad group of countries – made up of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia – by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier later today." (The Duran : 29 June, 2016) (my emphasis)

Let us cast our minds back a few weeks, and recall that,

 

"I hope that by the end of June there will be progress and then we can see if we can reduce the [EU]sanctions [against Russia] step by step, or if we stay with the measures we have right now," Steinmeier told reporters on a visit to Tallinn on May 27." (Turkish Weekly : June 19, 2016) (my emphasis)

 

Also bear in mind that,

 

"Walter Steinmeier was, under former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder, responsible for co-ordinating Germany's intelligence services, (Wikipedia), (right: Steinmeier and Schröder) the very same Gerhard Schröder who now works for Putin's Gazprom , and who also,

".. embarrassed the government of his successor Angela Merkel by staunchly defending the Kremlin’s actions in the Ukraine and claiming that Russia wanted to stay “big and strong” and an equal to the United States." (Tony Paterson : The Telegraph : 14 Mar 2014) (my emphasis) (left: Schröder and Putin in 2014)

 

In the light of, "EUROPEAN political chiefs [taking] advantage of Brexit by unveiling their long-held plan to morph the continent’s countries into one GIANT SUPERSTATE", the question that arises is,

 

"How long will the EU sanctions against Russia last, even though they have been renewed for another 6 months, as reported by RFE/RL"?

"The European Union has officially decided to extend its economic sanctions against Russia to January 31, 2017. " (RFE/RL : Sunday, July 03, 2016) 

 

Surely Steinmeier, as Foreign Secretary of the country now dominating the EU viz. Germany, will ensure that his "step-by-step reduction" of sanctions against Putin's Russia will soon be implemented, notwithstanding the 6 month renewal thereof decided upon on July 1st.

 

As a possible indicator of this happening in the not-too-distant future lies in the fact that Russia and Turkey have renewed their friendly relationship after the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, apologised for the downing of the Russian plane.

 

As reported by the BBC,

 

"A spokesman for Mr Erdogan said on Wednesday that "necessary steps" would now be taken to mend the damaged ties between the two countries, and to drop restrictive measures on Russians visiting Turkey." (BBC News : 29 June 2016) (my emphasis)

 

 

This rapprochement comes shortly on the heels of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,

 

"Angrily lashing out at the bloc's treatment of Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey could hold a referendum along the lines of the plebescite in Britain, where voters are deciding Thursday whether to stay in the European Union or leave.

 

"We can stand up and ask the people just like the British are doing," Erdogan said late Wednesday at a speech in Istanbul, quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency.

 

"We would ask 'Do we continue the negotiations with the European Union or do we end it?' If the people say 'continue', then we would carry on," Erdogan said. 

...

"You are not keeping your promise. This is your (Europe's) ugly face. When Erdogan exposes your ugly face, you go crazy," he said.(Stuart Williams: AFP (Yahoo News) : June 23, 2016) (my emphasis)

Such a referendum in Turkey would remove the bargaining chip of EU membership and visa-free travel that the EU now holds in relations with Turkey, especially in light of the refugee crisis that the EU is now experiencing.

This new attitude of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan towards the EU, and his rapprochement with Putin, adds ammunition to the call of Walter Steinmeier that, "we can see if we can reduce the [EU]sanctions [against Russia] step by step".

(to be continued)