Trump is in lock-step with Putin's imperial ambitions in Ukraine.

Sooner or later it had to happen.

The previous German Foreign Minister, Walter Steinmeier, was always pushing for the Minks2 protocol about the holding of elections in eastern Ukraine(Donbas) even before the removal of  Putin's soldiers and their military equipment from the Donbas, or the FULL return of the Ukrainian border into the hands of the Ukrainian authorities.

Now we have the German Ambassador to Ukraine arguing that,

"Holding elections in the occupied territory of the Donbas region is possible even without withdrawal of the Russian military units from there. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Ukraine Ernst Reichel (left) said this in an interview to RBK Ukraine.

"Optionally, the elections in Donbas can take place only when there will be no Russian troops or on each of the city administration will be posted Ukrainian flag. Without a doubt, it is rather difficult to imagine - the local elections without security. I am convinced that it is not something impossible; it all depends on the conditions", said Ambassador of Germany." (112UA : 7 February 2017) (my emphasis)

This 'sudden' announcement from the German Ambassador comes close on the heels of US President Trump,

" ..... [promising] to “find out” the nature of the pro-Russian forces fighting the Ukrainian government, casting doubt over whether they are controlled by Russia. (Damien Sharkov (right): Newsweek : 7/2/2017) 

Sharkov further reports that,

"Contrary to Poroshenko’s claims that the rebels are emboldened and advancing on frontline village Avdiivka, Trump said “we don’t really know exactly what that is.”

“They’re pro-forces,” Trump said of the separatists groups in an interview that aired on Monday night (6/2/2017). But added it was not certain that these forces were commanded by the Kremlin—an allegation Russia denies but European governments have long since accepted. (ibid Sharkov)

What was disconcerting during this interview is that Trump regarded the US as somehow morally equivalent to Putin's Russia.

This particularly disturbed Senator McCain, a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Putin invaded and annexed Ukrainian Crimea, and started his war with Ukraine in the Donbas. (McCain interview with  Greta Van Susteren: 7 February, 2017)

Even Trump's new pro-Putin Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is on record as saying during his confirmation hearing that,

“It [Putin's Russia] has invaded Ukraine, including the taking of Crimea, and supported Syrian forces that brutally violate the laws of war,” Tillerson said.... " (Damien Sharkov : Newsweek : 11 January 2017) (my emphasis)

And recall that on (1/2/2017), Trump's US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, the 116 Governor of South Carolina,

 
"...offered a strong condemnation of Russia in her first appearance at the UN Security Council on Thursday, calling on Moscow to de-escalate violence in eastern Ukraine and saying that US sanctions against Moscow would remain in place until it withdraws from Crimea." ( Nicole Gaouette and Richard Roth : CNN : 2/2/2017) (my emphasis)


Trump is trying very hard to dis-entangle himself from the international truth that Putin and his Kremlin 'siloviki' dictate the actions of his Russian soldiers and pro-Putin proxies in the Donbas.

Almost as a last resort Trump now wishes to "find alternative facts" in the Donbas by,

"[promising] .. to “find out” the nature of the pro-Russian forces fighting the Ukrainian government, casting doubt over whether they are controlled by Russia." (ibid Damien Sharkov (7 February 2017)

To which that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov (right), recently

"... praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to the Ukraine crisis, saying it marked a big improvement from that of his predecessor Barack Obama, in comments likely to worry Kiev." (Jack Stubbs : Huffington Post (Reuters): 7 Feb., 2017)

I would hazard a guess that a central figure hovering in the background of the Trump administration, none other than Paul Manafort himself (see video below), will be the one that Trump will task with "finding those alternative facts" in the Donbas that will help Trump dis-entangle himself from the scarlet thread of Maidan.

This is the same Paul Manafort who has,

"...... denied secret links with Moscow calling the allegation “an outrageous smear being driven by Harry Reid and the Clinton campaign”. (Julian Borger : The Guardian : 11 January 2017) (my emphasis)

Two weeks ago, Andrea Shalal, Sabine Siebold and Andreas Rinke reported that,

"Ukraine must have a say in any deal struck between Russia and the United States aimed at ending violence in eastern Ukraine, its deputy foreign minister [Olena Zerkal (right)] said on Wednesday.

Ukraine, which has been battling pro-Russian separatists in its eastern Donbass region for nearly three years, is worried that U.S. President Donald Trump will cut Kiev out of any peace negotiations as he attempts to improve ties with Moscow.

"Because we are talking about the future of our country, we don't want to be excluded from the negotiations," Deputy Foreign Minister Olena Zerkal told Reuters. "We don't want to be a card (to be played). We want to be an actor." (Reuters : Wed Jan 25, 2017)

 With 

• the German Ambassador to Ukraine, Ernst Reichel, proposing that elections in the Donbas can be held even without the removal of Russian soldiers, 
• US President Trump is considering sending a scouting party to eastern Ukraine to obtain 'alternative facts' to cast doubt on the internationally recognized fact that Putin and his Kremlin 'siloviki' are directing pro-Putin proxies and Russian soldiers in the Donbas, and
• Lavrov is singing the praises of Trump in the Kremlin

Olena Zerkal is right to be worried.

Trump is in lock-step with Putin's imperial ambitions in Ukraine.

(to be continued)