Time is simply not on the side of either Trump nor Putin

The degree and extent to which the Trump-Putin connections continue to unravel on a dizzying path towards a growing chorus that is beginning to use the "impeachment" word must now be giving Putin himself sleepless nights.

As the Trump-Putin connection continues to unravel, more and more of Trump's close associates are being inexorably drawn towards the vortex of the legal case being built up against Trump as a "fit person to be President of the US".

The immediate names that come to mind are :- (full video here)

(1) Jared Kushner and  

(2) Rex Tillerson.
 

Against the backdrop of this continuing outpouring of revelations about Putin and his Kremlin clique's involvement in the election of Trump to the Presidency of the US we have the continuing and mounting problems that beset the Russian economy.

It should always be borne in mind that Putin's interference in the US presidential elections was not merely to show to the Russian people that Russia, as expemplified by himself, is a superpower but, more importantly, to deflect the gaze of the Russian population away from their deteriorating economic circumstances.

And according to Yevgeniya Goryunova,

“Russian euphoria about the annexation of Crimea has significantly weakened under the press of social and economic problems,” the Crimean political scientist says. “The Crimean theme is losing its importance,” and the only aspect of it that Moscow outlets now talk much about is the Kerch bridge (ru.krymr.com/a/28489804.html)." (Window On Eurasia:Thursday, May 18, 2017) (my emphasis) 

 Just as Trump cannot keep at bay the growing avalanche of  evidence not only about the Trump-Putin connection but, more importantly, that he tried to obstruct the FBI investigations into these connections so, too, Putin cannot simply wish away the EU-US sanctions against him that are having such a devastating economic effect on the people of Russia and on the Russian economy as a whole.

And now that US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, former CEO of Exxon Mobil, is beginning to find himself inexorably drawn into the investigations into Trump and his associates in, and outside, the White House, can we expect to see a sudden re-emergence of Exxon Mobil trying to free istelf from the US sanctions against Putin and his kleptocratic clique before Trump is indicted with 'obstruction of Justice'?

As has been reported by Elena Holodny and Natasha Bertrand  (left) last month,

"Exxon Mobil Corp. applied to the Treasury Department for a waiver from sanctions on Russia in an effort to restart its joint venture with state oil company PAO Rosneft, according to the Wall Street Journal's Jay Solomon and Bradley Olson." (Business Insider UK : Apr. 19, 2017) (my emphasis)

Time is simply not on the side of either Trump nor Putin.

Putin will be the victor in next year's Russian presidential elections but, unless he can pull an economic rabbit out of his crumpled economic hat, the growing groundswell of Russian public opinion against his mis-management of the Russian economy could yet prove to be his downfall.

(to be continued after a short break)