As reported by Oleksiy Haran (left),
"The major thing about May 2 Sochi meeting
of Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin was its substantial component.
Importantly for Kyiv, the German Chancellor voiced a statement that
Ukraine must regain access the Ukrainian-Russian border, the part which
is now beyond Kyiv’s control." (UNIAN : 03 May 2017) (my emphasis)
As also reported by Silvia Amaro, Putin once again paid lip-service to the implementation of the Minsk2 agreements, which includes the regaining of the currently Russian controlled border in the Putin-controlled Donetsk region as called for by Angela Merkel.
"Merkel and Putin also discussed the conflict in Ukraine which has
dragged on for several years, after Russia's annexation of Crimea. Putin
said that such a conflict is a concern and confirmed the need for an
implementation of the Minsk agreement by all sides." (CNBC : Tuesday, 2 May 2017) (my emphasis)
Putin's emphasis on how much Germany gets out of its economic ties with Russia is, no doubt, a rather veiled threat towards Merkel since,
"Berlin has been the driving force behind keeping Europe united on sanctions so Russia's only hope of sanctions being lifted, is with German support." (BBC News : 2 May 2017) (my emphasis)
Meanwhile, on the same day as Putin and Merkel met in Sochi, US President Trump had a phone call with Putin.
As Julia Ioffe (left) explains,
"On Tuesday afternoon, after President Donald Trump and Russian
President Vladimir Putin had their third phone call in about as many
months, news emerged that the two leaders would finally meet this
summer. For those tracking the Trump-Putin dance, it might seem just
another date in a long love affair.
The reality, however, looks far bleaker for Putin." (The Atlantic :
She goes on to explain, however, that,
"But it’s not necessarily evidence of [Russian] desperation, as much as it is a canny understanding of Trump’s psychology. By his own admission, Trump responds well to Putin’s compliments, so perhaps if the Russian leader called Trump “colorful” in person, Trump would be moved to unilaterally lift sanctions. The idea to set up a Trump-Putin meeting in order to warm up the American president’s feelings and drive pro-Russia policy was actually quite prescient" (ibid Julia Ioffe) (my emphasis)
The significant difference between the Putin-Merkel and Putin-Trump discussions is that, unlike Merkel, President Trump 'did not mention Ukraine' during their telephone chat.
Putin is, however, desperate to influence Trump since, as
The Russian people, however, are still in dire straits. In 2016,
one-quarter of Russian companies cut salaries. Overall, the average
Russian wage dropped 8 percent last year and 9.5 percent the year
before. International sanctions imposed on Russia continue to cause
problems, and energy prices have not recovered to previous highs.
...
Worsening the economic downturn is the Kremlin’s spending to modernize and expand its military capabilities amidst declining revenue and depleted reserves.
...
Even the Ukrainian conflict, once a source of popularity among the Russian people, has begun to hurt morale and highlights the economic malaise at home." (Newsweek : 14 April, 2017) (my emphasis)
Perhaps another indication of Putin's desperation to get the US-EU imposed sanctions against Russia because of Putin's invasion and annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas, is given by the report that,
"The frontrunner in the race for the French presidency, Emmanuel Macron,
has filed a lawsuit over online rumours that he has a secret bank
account in the Caribbean.
...
The allegations about a secret bank account spread online on right-wing websites and on social media.
Speaking on French radio on Thursday, Mr Macron called the allegations "fake news and lies" and said some of the sites spreading them were "linked to Russian interests". (BBC News : 4 May 2017) (my emphasis)
The 'political' romance between Marine Le Pen and Putin is already public knowledge. Marine Le Pen has already vowed to get rid of France's sanctions against Putin should she be elected President of France.
That Marine Le Pen could surprise the political pundits in France who are, with one voice, predicting that Macron will win the French presidential race, should not be discounted.
These same political pundits predicted that Britain would remain in the EU, and that Hillary Clinton would win handsomely over Donald Trump.
Putin is praying for a Marine Le Pen victory in the French presidential race this coming Sunday and, as in the case of the US presidential race, Putin will stop at nothing to help her enter the Élysée Palace.
And as a bonus, such a victory for Marine Le Pen would be a green light for US President Trump to similarly get rid of the US sanctions against Putin.
(to be continued)
"The major thing about May 2 Sochi meeting
of Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin was its substantial component.
Importantly for Kyiv, the German Chancellor voiced a statement that
Ukraine must regain access the Ukrainian-Russian border, the part which
is now beyond Kyiv’s control." (UNIAN : 03 May 2017) (my emphasis)As also reported by Silvia Amaro, Putin once again paid lip-service to the implementation of the Minsk2 agreements, which includes the regaining of the currently Russian controlled border in the Putin-controlled Donetsk region as called for by Angela Merkel.
"Merkel and Putin also discussed the conflict in Ukraine which has
dragged on for several years, after Russia's annexation of Crimea. Putin
said that such a conflict is a concern and confirmed the need for an
implementation of the Minsk agreement by all sides." (CNBC : Tuesday, 2 May 2017) (my emphasis)
In their joint press report after their tête–à–tête in Sochi, Putin emphasised the strong economic ties between Russia and Germany, 'and how much Germany gets out of it'!
Putin's emphasis on how much Germany gets out of its economic ties with Russia is, no doubt, a rather veiled threat towards Merkel since,
"Berlin has been the driving force behind keeping Europe united on sanctions so Russia's only hope of sanctions being lifted, is with German support." (BBC News : 2 May 2017) (my emphasis)
Meanwhile, on the same day as Putin and Merkel met in Sochi, US President Trump had a phone call with Putin.
As Julia Ioffe (left) explains,
"On Tuesday afternoon, after President Donald Trump and Russian
President Vladimir Putin had their third phone call in about as many
months, news emerged that the two leaders would finally meet this
summer. For those tracking the Trump-Putin dance, it might seem just
another date in a long love affair.The reality, however, looks far bleaker for Putin." (The Atlantic :
She goes on to explain, however, that,
"But it’s not necessarily evidence of [Russian] desperation, as much as it is a canny understanding of Trump’s psychology. By his own admission, Trump responds well to Putin’s compliments, so perhaps if the Russian leader called Trump “colorful” in person, Trump would be moved to unilaterally lift sanctions. The idea to set up a Trump-Putin meeting in order to warm up the American president’s feelings and drive pro-Russia policy was actually quite prescient" (ibid Julia Ioffe) (my emphasis)
The significant difference between the Putin-Merkel and Putin-Trump discussions is that, unlike Merkel, President Trump 'did not mention Ukraine' during their telephone chat.
Putin is, however, desperate to influence Trump since, as
The Russian people, however, are still in dire straits. In 2016,
one-quarter of Russian companies cut salaries. Overall, the average
Russian wage dropped 8 percent last year and 9.5 percent the year
before. International sanctions imposed on Russia continue to cause
problems, and energy prices have not recovered to previous highs....
Worsening the economic downturn is the Kremlin’s spending to modernize and expand its military capabilities amidst declining revenue and depleted reserves.
...
Even the Ukrainian conflict, once a source of popularity among the Russian people, has begun to hurt morale and highlights the economic malaise at home." (Newsweek : 14 April, 2017) (my emphasis)
Perhaps another indication of Putin's desperation to get the US-EU imposed sanctions against Russia because of Putin's invasion and annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas, is given by the report that,
"The frontrunner in the race for the French presidency, Emmanuel Macron,
has filed a lawsuit over online rumours that he has a secret bank
account in the Caribbean....
The allegations about a secret bank account spread online on right-wing websites and on social media.
Speaking on French radio on Thursday, Mr Macron called the allegations "fake news and lies" and said some of the sites spreading them were "linked to Russian interests". (BBC News : 4 May 2017) (my emphasis)
The 'political' romance between Marine Le Pen and Putin is already public knowledge. Marine Le Pen has already vowed to get rid of France's sanctions against Putin should she be elected President of France. That Marine Le Pen could surprise the political pundits in France who are, with one voice, predicting that Macron will win the French presidential race, should not be discounted.
These same political pundits predicted that Britain would remain in the EU, and that Hillary Clinton would win handsomely over Donald Trump.
Putin is praying for a Marine Le Pen victory in the French presidential race this coming Sunday and, as in the case of the US presidential race, Putin will stop at nothing to help her enter the Élysée Palace.
And as a bonus, such a victory for Marine Le Pen would be a green light for US President Trump to similarly get rid of the US sanctions against Putin.
(to be continued)
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