Putin is at 'panic stations'

"Oh! what a tangled web we weave

When first we practice to deceive"

Yesterday I wrote that,

"When Putin ordered his acolytes in the Kremlin to 'steal' information from Democratic Party computers in the US as a means of assisting Trump get into the White House, he did not quite anticipate just how swiftly the deep links between Trump and his top White House officials, and himself and his kleptocratic 'siloviki', would become universally exposed.(full video)" (blog entry: Monday, 27 March 2017)

This morning we learn that,

"Jared Kushner (left) has been asked to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee to discuss communications between Trump aides and Russian officials, the first time a White House official will be interviewed by investigators over Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election." (Courtney Weaver : Financial Times : March 27, 2017) (my emphasis)

Furthermore that,

"... in addition to meeting Mr Kislyak in December, Mr Kushner met Sergei Gorkov, the head of Russia’s state-owned bank Vnesheconombank. That meeting occurred at the request of Mr Kislyak, the Times reported. " (ibid Courtney Weaver) (my emphasis)

Rachel Maddow, of MSNBC, exposes the links between Russia’s state-owned bank Vnesheconombank, Putin, Ukraine, and Jared Kushner. (Full Report)

In particular, she also outlines the inextricable link between the EU-US sanctions that resulted from Putin's invasion of, and subsequent annexation of, Ukrainian Crimea, as well as his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas, and Jared Kushner and Sergei Gorkov. 
 

 Part 1

Part 2

Rachel Maddow also reports on the ever-expanding White House brief that Kushner is in charge of, including modernizing the technology and data infrastructure of every Federal department and agency, as well as broadband policy for the USA.

Like Trump, Kushner seems also to have a cosy relationship with Deutsche Bank, the very bank that is now under scrutiny in New York for, among other things, laundering Russian money.

 Recall that,

"In January a US regulator, the New York Department of Financial Services, fined Deutsche Bank $425m for laundering around $10bn of Russian money. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority imposed a £163m fine, its largest ever." ( Luke Harding, Stephanie Kirchgaessner, Nick Hopkins and David Smith : The Guardian : Thursday 16 February 2017) (my emphasis)

And whilst Putin must now be rueing the moment when he ordered his Kremlin henchmen to steal data from the Democratic Party computers because it has not only exposed his sympathizers in the White House, but also seems to be heading Trump towards a possible impeachment, UNIAN reports that,

"The situation in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation has become more intense as Russian-terrorist forces have attacked 88 times the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the past day, according to the ATO Headquarters.

The shelling was most intensive on the Mariupol line, the ATO HA wrote on Facebook." (UNIAN : 27 March 2017) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, though Putin is consolidating his 'romance' with France's National Front leader, Marine le Pen, he must be spitting nails because of Angela Merkel's election victory in Saarland against his Social Democratic sympathizers. 

 

As reported by Paul Carrel and Hakan Erdem,

"German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives won a regional election in the western state of Saarland on Sunday, dealing a setback to their Social Democrat rivals and boosting her prospects of winning a fourth term in September's national election." (Reuters : Sun Mar 26, 2017) (my emphasis) 

As the revelations of Putin's interference in the US presidential elections continues to emerge, Putin is now also suffering from the collateral-damage this has caused to his global propaganda machinery viz. RT and Sputnik.

This weaponizing of information by Putin now turns out to be a double-edged sword. 

The general public in the West is now more aware of how his army of 'computer trolls' operate. They are also more aware of the propaganda role of RT and Sputnik.

More importantly, they are becoming more aware of how these propaganda outlets of Putin disseminate 'false news' or, in other words, that they lie.

Putin is now at 'panic stations'.

(to be continued)

The scarlet thread of Maidan continues to weave itself even tighter around Trump and Putin.

As the 'bromance' between Trump and Putin begins to seriously falter under the weight of the mounting revelations about the direct links between key lieutenants in the Trump administration and Putin's 'siloviki' in the Kremlin, so the 'romance' between Putin and Marine Le Pen begins to blossom in the Spring air.

As reported by Juliet Perry (right),

"Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Russia was not seeking to influence the upcoming French election but had the right to communicate with French politicians."

whilst Marine Le Pen,

"...  told the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, that she had "always pressed for the abolition of sanctions" because she regarded them as "counter-productive," Tass said." (CNN : March 25, 2017) (my emphasis)

The unraveling of Putin's direct interference in the US presidential elections has shut the door against Donald Trump  being able to give Putin 'sanctions-removal payback' for helping him move into the White House using methods of subterfuge.

And now Putin's attention has turned towards Marine Le Pen, and the upcoming French Presidential elections, as a means of getting those US-EU sanctions against himself and his 'siloviki' clan in the Kremlin, that was brought about by his invasion and annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his war with Ukraine in the Donbas, removed.

When Putin ordered his acolytes in the Kremlin to 'steal' information from Democratic Party computers in the US as a means of assisting Trump get into the White House, he did not quite anticipate just how swiftly the deep links between Trump and his top White House officials, and himself and his kleptocratic 'siloviki', would become universally exposed.(full video)

It is no wonder that Putin's  'Sean Spicer' equivalent, Dmitry Peskov, had to re-assure us that,

".. Russia was not seeking to influence the upcoming French election" (ibid Juliet Perry)    

Yet, no matter what Trump and his top administrators try to conceal about their direct links with Putin and his Kremlin cronies, evidence just keeps on emerging about these links.

The scarlet thread of Maidan continues to weave itself even tighter around Trump and Putin.

(to be continued)

Tillerson' scurrying off to the Kremlin is ominous for Ukraine

Yesterday's 5 hour Congressional Hearing into Putin's direct meddling into the US presidential elections, with the aid and assistance of senior members of Donald Trump's election committee, has revealed the direct link between Putin's war with Ukraine and his stealing and dissemination of data from the Democratic Party computer systems to undermine Hillary Clinton, and help Trump win the White House.

The US-EU sanctions against Putin and his Kremlin 'siloviki', that followed his invasion and annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his subsequent invasion of eastern Ukraine (Donbas), is now centre-stage in the Congressional investigation into his direct meddling in the US presidential elections which was aided and abetted by some of Trump's loyal lieutenants.

And we now have breaking news from Reuters that,

"U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to skip a meeting with NATO foreign ministers next month in order to stay home for a visit by China's president and will go to Russia later in April, U.S. officials said on Monday, disclosing an itinerary that allies may see as giving Moscow priority over them.

Tillerson intends to miss what would have been his first meeting of the 28 NATO allies on April 5-6 in Brussels so that he can attend President Donald Trump's expected April 6-7 talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, four current and former U.S. officials said." (Arshad Mohammed and John Walcott: Reuters : Tue Mar 21, 2017) (my emphasis)

Recall that I suggested last month that,

"And as of yesterday (15/2/2017) the unraveling of the Putin-Trump connection continues apace.

Putin's gambit to help Trump get elected, and to then get Trump to help him with removing the US and EU sanctions against  himself and his 'siloviki' clan because of his ill-fated Crimean and eastern Ukraine (Donbas) invasions, seems to be fading fast.

The scarlet thread of Maidan continues to wrap itself even tighter around both Putin and Trump.(blog entry : Thursday, 16 February 2017)

Tillerson's scurrying off to the Kremlin next month, and foregoing his first meeting with all NATO members,  just as the Congressional and Senate investigations into Putin's direct intervention in the US presidential elections are set in motion, signals that both Putin and Trump are beginning to panic.

The imminent failure of Putin's "Trump gambit", as the Congressional and Senate hearings gain momentum, presents the world with the prospect of a wider war between Ukraine and Putin.

Now, more than at any time, Merkel's illusion of clinging to the Minsk2 agreements as a panacea for bringing a peaceful resolution to the war between Ukraine and Putin, has simply evaporated into thin air.

Like Trump, Putin simply cannot admit failure without lashing out. And herein lies the danger.

For both Trump and Putin, the eyes of the world cannot be averted this time with either 'tweets' or scaremongering 'sabre rattling'.

Tillerson's scurrying off to the Kremlin is ominous for Ukraine.

(to be continued)

Trump and Putin have the Sword of Damocles dangling above their heads

The much anticipated first meeting between Angela Merkel and Donald Trump has finally come and gone.

Last Friday (17 March 2017) they met at the White House and, at their press conference, it was apparent that they may have differing views on how to end Putin's war with Ukraine.

Trump's rather perfunctory statement about Ukraine made absolutely no mention of the Minsk2 protocols.

Rather, it was Merkel who mentioned Minsk2, adding that Trump also commits himself to Minsk2.

Strangely, Trump refused to shake Merkel's hand after their meeting, which may be an indication that all is not well between the Chancellor of Germany and the President of the US.

Could this, by any chance, have anything to do with the fact that, as stated by German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (right) on the same day as the Merkel-Trump meeting that,

"It is important that Europe and the United States present a unified front and stick to the sanctions against Russia until there is progress in implementing the Minsk agreements," Gabriel said in an interview with the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper, to be published on Saturday." (Andrea Shalal : Reuters : Sat Mar 18, 2017) (my emphasis)

Recall that on 13th March 2017, the EU prolonged sanctions over actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity until 15 September 2017 (EU Council : 13/03/2017)

Was it this that Merkel relayed to Trump and that stuck in his throat, especially when viewed against his disgraced, and sacked, National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn? How, now, is he to pay back Putin for getting him into the White House?

 
This seeming chasm between the EU and Trump and his White House clan over Putin's war with Ukraine, and what measures should be taken to resolve it, is about to become more apparent as the US Congress and Senate continue to unravel Putin's role in influencing the outcome of the US presidential elections.

As also reported by CNN,

"Ukrainian prosecutors want to question Paul Manafort (left) in connection with a corruption investigation and have made repeated requests for assistance from US authorities, CNN has learned.

Prosecutors in Kiev said they have made seven separate appeals over the past two years for help in questioning President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, including letters to FBI Director James Comey and US Justice Department officials. Ukrainian officials said the US has not responded to those requests." (CNN : March 19, 2017) (my emphasis)

 

To-day's Senate hearing on Russia's involvement in the 2016 election may lead to the granting of the request of Ukrainian prosecutors to question Manafort on his role in the Yanukovich regime just prior to the Maidan revolution.

As reported by Juliette Kayyem (right),

"On Monday, the House Intelligence Committee will hold its first, much-anticipated public hearing on Russia's involvement in the 2016 election. The hearing is significant because it will determine whether all the noise regarding Russia, Trump and the relationship between the two is grounds for further investigation.

There is quite a bit to look out for. But five key players will determine how much bigger this story gets. (James Comey, Sally Yates, David Nunes, Adam Schiff, Michael Flynn, and Donald Trump himself)" (CNN : March 20, 2017) (my emphasis)

And whilst the un-ravelling of the Trump White House clan's connections to Putin and the Kremlin continues apace,

 

"The Russian occupation forces mounted 26 attacks on the Ukrainian positions in the Mariupol sector. The village of Vodiane came under fire from heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and anti-aircraft guns. Moreover, at about 18:00 Kyiv time, the enemy started shelling there, using 122mm artillery systems.
Heavy machine guns were used to fire on Ukrainian positions near the villages of Pavlopil, Shyrokyne and Hnutove, while grenade launchers were used near the village of Lebedynske. The towns of Maryinka and Krasnohorivka came under mortar fire." (UNIAN : 20 March 2017) (my emphasis)

Both Trump and Putin have the Sword of Damocles dangling above their heads.

(to be continued)

Will the upcoming Merkel-Trump meeting throw Ukraine under the bus?

Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland (left) report that,

"President Donald Trump will ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her views on how the United States can help resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine when they meet next week, senior Trump administration officials said on Friday.

Trump is also interesting in hearing Merkel's view on how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the officials said. (Business Insider UK (Reuters) : Mar. 10, 2017) (cf also: Reuters, VOA, CNBC, New York Times) (my emphasis)

Let us for a moment recall that just before Trump's inauguration as President of the US there was a bit of a 'spat' between Trump and Merkel.

"U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had made a "catastrophic mistake" with a policy that let a wave of more than one million migrants into her country." (Reuters : Sun Jan 15, 2017) (my emphasis)

to which Merkel had replied,

“We Europeans have our fate in our own hands.” Speaking during a press conference with New Zealand’s prime minister, Bill English, she said: “He has presented his positions once more. They have been known for a while. My positions are also known.” (Philip Oltermann and Alec Luhn : The Guardian : Monday 16 January 2017) (my emphasis)

So what, exactly, has precipitated this sudden change in Trump's attitude towards Angela Merkel? 

Why, suddenly, is Ukraine to be high on their agenda?

Recall that in her maiden speech at the UN, Trump's UN ambassador Nikki Hayley (left) stated that,

"The United States continues to condemn and call for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea," said Nikki Haley, President Donald Trump's envoy to the world body. "Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine." (Nicole Gaouette and Richard Roth : CNN : February 3, 2017) (my emphasis)

Since her speech at the UN nothing has been forthcoming from Donald Trump about Putin's annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, nor about Putin's continuing war in eastern Ukraine (Donbas) until now, that is.

In light of the impending investigations in the US about the links between Putin's meddling in the US Presidential elections and key members of  Trump's election officials, Trump himself now has to begin to distance himself from what these investigations may bring to light.

More importantly, is this the beginning of Trump distancing himself from Putin?

Is this why he is now wanting to cozy up to Merkel for her knowledge about 'how to deal with Putin'? 

(March 8th, 2017)

And where, oh! where, is Trump's Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson (left)?

It would be interesting to see whether Tillerson, a long-time-friend of Putin, will also be part of Trump's conversations with Merkel, especially on 'how to deal with Putin' and, more importantly, what to do about eastern Ukraine (Donbas) and Ukrainian Crimea.

 
Anders Åslund (right) writes that,

"The Kremlin is utilizing the absence of foreign policy leadership in Washington to advance quickly on Ukraine’s eastern front. If Washington does not wake up fast, Russia may have moved the facts on the ground too far. Ukraine is all too likely to be the first big Western cost of the Trump administration." (The Hill : 09/03/17) (my emphasis)  

 Underscoring what Anders Åslund wrote is the fact that,

"Russia-backed rebels have killed two soldiers and wounded more than a dozen others, according to Ukraine's army, in a new uptick in violence across eastern Ukraine despite the latest ceasefire.

Andriy Lysenko (left), a Ukrainian military spokesman, said on Saturday that two servicemen were killed and 16 more injured in the past 24 hours, accusing separatists of using heavy weapons against government troops." (AlJazeera : 11 March, 2017) (my emphasis)

Will the Merkel-Trump meeting next Friday uphold the opinion of Anders Åslund that "Ukraine is all too likely to be the first big Western cost of the Trump administration."?

We can but wait and see. 

(to be continued)

The scarlet thread of Maidan continues to tighten around Putin and Trump

The scarlet thread of Maidan continues to weave itself into the current political upheavals in the US.

Putin's gamble that getting Trump elected President of the US would finally unshackle himself from the US-EU sanctions imposed upon himself, his 'siloviki' clan in the Kremlin, and the failing Russian economy, following Putin's invasion and annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his invasion of eastern Ukraine (Donbas), is beginning to unravel very fast.

Following hot on the heels of the resignation of Michael Flynn, Trump's National Security Adviser who promised Putin's ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak, that those sanctions would soon disappear, we now have US Attorney General Jeff Sessions being forced to recuse himself from a Senate and House of Congress investigation into the connections between Trump's White House appointees and Putin himself. (above: Flynn, Kislyak, and Sessions)

Questioned about his meetings with Kislyak both during the US election campaign, and after Trump was elected, Sessions responded,

"He said he had spoken with the Russian ambassador as a US senator and not as Mr Trump's "surrogate".
...
He said: "I never had meetings with Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries about the Trump campaign."

Mr Sessions said that during his meeting with Mr Kislyak they talked about terrorism and then "somehow the subject of Ukraine came up". (BBC News : 3 March 2017) (my emphasis)

As this direct link between Putin's Kremlin and US President Donal Trump continues to unravel, Germany, France, and Holland anxiously approach critical elections.

The call by Putin's 'friends' in the EU for sanctions against Russia to be lifted grows ever more strident.

As reported by Andrew J Barden, Boris Groendahl , and Jonathan Tirone,

"Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern called for a rethink on sanctions imposed on Russia, saying that the regime of penalties over Kremlin-backed incursions in Ukraine has failed to yield enough progress." (Bloomberg : 23 February 2017) (my emphasis)

Even Merkel's optimism about reaching even a modicum of success in getting Minsk2 off the ground seems to be fading.

"“We cannot give up on the principle of territorial integrity,” Merkel told the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday. “We owe that not only to Ukraine, but to many other countries and to ourselves.” A political solution is needed “and I’m ready to devote a lot of time and energy to this, and to keep working at it even in the face of disappointments,” she said." (Alan Crawford : Bloomberg : 19 February 2017) (my emphasis)

Political storm clouds are descending not only upon Donald Trump, but also upon the EU.

Putin's initial euphoria when he invaded and annexed Ukrainian Crimea, started his war with Ukraine in the Donbas, and got Donald Trump elected President of the US, is also fading fast.

His 'bromance' with Trump is heading for a rather speedy divorce.

And throughout all of this, the scarlet thread of Maidan continues to weave itself.

(to be continued)