The dust is beginning to settle on the G20 summit in China and, as per usual, many "behind-the-scenes" meetings were held, including those between Merkel, Putin, and Hollande, as well as that between President Obama and Putin.
Putin had hoped that this summit, showing himself hobnobbing with the leaders of the world and, hopefully, "cutting deals" with them over Ukraine by playing his "Syria Card", would once again propel him positively onto the world stage and boost his image on Russian State Controlled TV just 2 weeks ahead of the Duma elections in Russia..
Unfortunately for him, things did not quite work out as he expected.
arack Obama and Vladimir Putin held what the US president described as a “candid, blunt and businesslike” meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, on Monday.
Photographs suggested that the exchange between two of the most powerful men in the world had been frosty, and Mr Obama said afterwards that "gaps of trust" between the rival powers had hindered negotiations." (The Telegraph : 5 September 2016) (my emphasis)
Not quite what Putin was expecting from President Obama, soon to retire in two months time from the Oval Office.
Putin's gambit that he could "cut a deal" with President Obama over Ukraine by playing his "Syria card", just before President Obama leaves the Oval Office, fell on stony ground. (cf also: UT Aug. 18, 2016)
Now Angela Merkel had to tread rather carefully in light of President Obama's “candid, blunt and
businesslike” meeting with Putin.
Her meeting with Putin was rather less frosty, following in the footsteps of the outdated 'Ostpolitik' of Willy Brandt.
During this meeting she supported President Obama with her renewed public appeal to Putin,
"....to enable a cease-fire in Syria and humanitarian access to the city of Aleppo. Merkel said Monday that "this is of extreme urgency."
She said she had made that clear during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Sunday night on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit" (Mail Online (Associated Press) :
On Ukraine, however, the same 'Ostpolitik' mantra about the implementation of Minsk2 was trotted out.
As reported by UNIAN,
"German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Putin and Merkel also spoke [for nearly two hours late on September 4] "very concretely" about the conflict in Ukraine and how to implement the Minsk agreement, a cease-fire and peace plan aimed at resolving the war in eastern Ukraine." (UNIAN : 05 September 2016)
Let us recall, however, that Putin himself, after that FSB-staged sabotage attack in Ukrainian Crimea, had already relegated the Normandy Format meetings and Minsk2 to the dustbin of history.
As reported by TASS,
MOSCOW, August 10. / TASS /. Vladimir Putin considers pointless to hold a meeting in the Normandy format on the background of attempts to arrange a terrorist attack saboteurs Ukrainian in Crimea. President assured that more serious measures will be taken to ensure security on the peninsula, and Moscow will not leave unanswered the killing of its military saboteurs to Ukraine." (Tass : August 10, 2016) [Google Translate]
No doubt, those Minsk2 defined "elections" that are supposed to be held in the warzone of Donbas was a central feature of that 2 hour meeting she had with Putin on the sidelines of G20.
And it should therefore come as no surprise that,
"Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he will likely “have to meet” again with Ukraine’s president for peace talks, despite pulling out of “senseless” negotiations last month.
Putin said he and the leaders of France and Germany—Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel—discussed Ukraine over the weekend, when he was urged to return to negotiations with the Ukraine government, brokered by them." (Damien Sharkov : Newsweek : 5 September, 2016) (my emphasis)
Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine Foreign Secretary, best describes the total absurdity (cf: Deutsche Welle : 1st Sept., 2016) of implementing Clause 4 of Minsk2 BEFORE implementing Clause 10.
So why has Putin suddenly backtracked on Ukraine despite his G20 charm offensive?
As reported by Damien Sharkov,
"Despite his apparent charm offensive, Putin’s meeting with Ukraine’s Western allies yielded little headway for Moscow.
Speaking to journalists Monday, Putin said he was resigned to return to four-way talks on Ukraine “whether they are good or bad, there are still no other initiatives to regulate the conflict.” (ibid Damien Sharkov) (my emphasis)
Extreme caution should be exercised when Putin says that he was "resigned" to do the opposite of what he initially did.
Perhaps an indication of this caution is exemplified by the fact that,
The Levada Centre surveys political opinion among Russian people.
Its director, Lev Gudkov (right), said the move, which comes two weeks before parliamentary elections, amounted to "political censorship". (BBC News : 5 September 2016) (my emphasis)
Then, of course, we have Putin's military,
"... [launching] large-scale military drills on Ukraine's eastern border and around Ukraine’s Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
The Russian Defense Ministry said September 5 that 12,500 servicemen are taking part in the drills across its southern military region. It said the Russian Navy in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea are participating in the exercises and that planes also are being used." (RFERL (AFP & Reuters) : Tuesday, September 06, 2016)
The question now is, given that Putin’s meeting with Ukraine’s Western allies yielded little headway for Moscow,
"Has Putin really 'backtracked' on assigning Minsk2 and the Normandy Four format to the dustbin of history?"
(to be continued)
Putin had hoped that this summit, showing himself hobnobbing with the leaders of the world and, hopefully, "cutting deals" with them over Ukraine by playing his "Syria Card", would once again propel him positively onto the world stage and boost his image on Russian State Controlled TV just 2 weeks ahead of the Duma elections in Russia..
Unfortunately for him, things did not quite work out as he expected.
arack Obama and Vladimir Putin held what the US president described as a “candid, blunt and businesslike” meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, on Monday.
Photographs suggested that the exchange between two of the most powerful men in the world had been frosty, and Mr Obama said afterwards that "gaps of trust" between the rival powers had hindered negotiations." (The Telegraph : 5 September 2016) (my emphasis)
Not quite what Putin was expecting from President Obama, soon to retire in two months time from the Oval Office.
Putin's gambit that he could "cut a deal" with President Obama over Ukraine by playing his "Syria card", just before President Obama leaves the Oval Office, fell on stony ground. (cf also: UT Aug. 18, 2016)
Now Angela Merkel had to tread rather carefully in light of President Obama's “candid, blunt and
businesslike” meeting with Putin.Her meeting with Putin was rather less frosty, following in the footsteps of the outdated 'Ostpolitik' of Willy Brandt.
During this meeting she supported President Obama with her renewed public appeal to Putin,
"....to enable a cease-fire in Syria and humanitarian access to the city of Aleppo. Merkel said Monday that "this is of extreme urgency."
She said she had made that clear during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Sunday night on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit" (Mail Online (Associated Press) :
On Ukraine, however, the same 'Ostpolitik' mantra about the implementation of Minsk2 was trotted out.
As reported by UNIAN,
"German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Putin and Merkel also spoke [for nearly two hours late on September 4] "very concretely" about the conflict in Ukraine and how to implement the Minsk agreement, a cease-fire and peace plan aimed at resolving the war in eastern Ukraine." (UNIAN : 05 September 2016)
Let us recall, however, that Putin himself, after that FSB-staged sabotage attack in Ukrainian Crimea, had already relegated the Normandy Format meetings and Minsk2 to the dustbin of history.As reported by TASS,
MOSCOW, August 10. / TASS /. Vladimir Putin considers pointless to hold a meeting in the Normandy format on the background of attempts to arrange a terrorist attack saboteurs Ukrainian in Crimea. President assured that more serious measures will be taken to ensure security on the peninsula, and Moscow will not leave unanswered the killing of its military saboteurs to Ukraine." (Tass : August 10, 2016) [Google Translate]
No doubt, those Minsk2 defined "elections" that are supposed to be held in the warzone of Donbas was a central feature of that 2 hour meeting she had with Putin on the sidelines of G20.
And it should therefore come as no surprise that,
"Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he will likely “have to meet” again with Ukraine’s president for peace talks, despite pulling out of “senseless” negotiations last month.
Putin said he and the leaders of France and Germany—Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel—discussed Ukraine over the weekend, when he was urged to return to negotiations with the Ukraine government, brokered by them." (Damien Sharkov : Newsweek : 5 September, 2016) (my emphasis)
Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine Foreign Secretary, best describes the total absurdity (cf: Deutsche Welle : 1st Sept., 2016) of implementing Clause 4 of Minsk2 BEFORE implementing Clause 10.
- 04. On the first day after the pullout [of heavy weapons] a dialogue is to start on modalities of conducting local elections in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation and the Law of Ukraine "On temporary Order of Local Self-Governance in Particular Districts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts," and also about the future of these districts based on the above-mentioned law.
- 10. Pullout of all foreign armed formations, military equipment, and also mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine under OSCE supervision. Disarmament of all illegal groups.
So why has Putin suddenly backtracked on Ukraine despite his G20 charm offensive?
As reported by Damien Sharkov,
"Despite his apparent charm offensive, Putin’s meeting with Ukraine’s Western allies yielded little headway for Moscow.
Speaking to journalists Monday, Putin said he was resigned to return to four-way talks on Ukraine “whether they are good or bad, there are still no other initiatives to regulate the conflict.” (ibid Damien Sharkov) (my emphasis)
Extreme caution should be exercised when Putin says that he was "resigned" to do the opposite of what he initially did.
Perhaps an indication of this caution is exemplified by the fact that,
"Russia's leading independent polling
agency has been labelled a "foreign agent" by the justice ministry and
says it cannot now work.
Its director, Lev Gudkov (right), said the move, which comes two weeks before parliamentary elections, amounted to "political censorship". (BBC News : 5 September 2016) (my emphasis)
Then, of course, we have Putin's military,
"... [launching] large-scale military drills on Ukraine's eastern border and around Ukraine’s Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
The Russian Defense Ministry said September 5 that 12,500 servicemen are taking part in the drills across its southern military region. It said the Russian Navy in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea are participating in the exercises and that planes also are being used." (RFERL (AFP & Reuters) : Tuesday, September 06, 2016)
The question now is, given that Putin’s meeting with Ukraine’s Western allies yielded little headway for Moscow,"Has Putin really 'backtracked' on assigning Minsk2 and the Normandy Four format to the dustbin of history?"
(to be continued)
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