Putin is presenting Trump with the 'rabbit that he can pull out of his crumbling political hat'

Andrew Osborn and Natalia Zinets report that,

"The pro-Russian rebel leader of a breakaway region in eastern Ukraine proposed on Tuesday replacing Ukraine with a new federal state, in comments that could further undermine a 2015 peace deal that is already faltering. (Reuters : July 18, 2017) (my emphasis)

To which, as reported by Henry Foy (left),

"Dmitry Peskov (right), Kremlin spokesman, said the suggestion was a “personal initiative” and that Moscow “remains committed to the Minsk agreements”. He had earlier said the proposal “should be subject to reflection and analysis” (Financial Times : July 18, 2017) (my emphasis)

 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko,

" ...  rejected the idea, describing Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), as part of "a puppet show", with Russia pulling his strings in order to relay a message."(ibid Andrew Osborn and Natalia Zinets) (my emphasis)

 What seems to underline Poroshenko's contention that, "Russia pulling his [Zakharchenko's] strings in order to relay a message " is the fact that,

"A senior official from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, also held by pro-Russia rebels, said it had not agreed to support the proposal." (ibid Henry Foy). (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

"Yevhen Marchuk (left), a former prime minister representing Ukraine in the Minsk talks, warned that the proclamation could block the negotiating process. “This announcement is done before tomorrow’s meeting in Minsk and it could turn out that we will have nothing to discuss,” he said." (ibid Henry Foy) (my emphasis)

Which rather puts into perspective the fanfare with which Tillerson announced that,

"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tapped former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker to be special representative to Ukraine, as the Trump administration grapples with how to end conflict in the war-shattered country more than three years after Russia’s invasion." (Robbie Gramer : Foreign Policy : July 7, 2017) (above: Tillerson and Volker)

Nothwithstanding Tillerson's 'special representative' to Ukraine, as Yevhen Marchuk contends, it could turn out that to-morrow's meeting in Minsk about an implementation strategy for the Minsk2 protocols will really have nothing to discuss in light of the pro-Russian rebel leader of the Donetsk breakaway region in eastern Ukraine proposing on Tuesday to replace Ukraine with a new federal state.

This raises the question about exactly what Trump and Putin discussed privately for an hour at that G20 dinner, a discussion that broke all protocol and, more significantly, only involved Putin, Trump, and Putin's translator. 

As reported by Karen DeYoung and Philip Rucker,

"The second meeting, undisclosed at the time, took place at a dinner for G-20 leaders, a senior administration official said. At some point during the meal, Trump left his own seat to occupy a chair next to Putin. Trump approached alone, and Putin was attended only by his official interpreter." (Washington Post : July 18, 2017) (my emphasis)

And as the Putin-Trump G20 dinner tête-à-tête has come to light, it now also transpires that Ike Kaveladze (right), a known Russian 'money launderer', also attended the Trump Jnr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and Natalia Veselnitsyaya (amongst others) meeting in Trump Tower in June of last year.

 

 

As the collusion between Trump's inner circle and Putin during the 2016 US presidential elections continues to mount, and in light of  Trump's failure to have Obama Care "repealed and replaced" by a Republican Health Care Program, Trump now has to pull a huge rabbit out of the political hat.

 

What better than to be seen as the one brings to an end Putin's war with Ukraine.

 

It is therefore no co-incidence that, suddenly, Putin's Donetsk puppet, Zakharchenko, calls for what Putin initially called for when he went to war with Ukraine viz. the federalization of Ukraine! 

 

Poroshenko has correctly,

" ..rejected the idea, describing Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), as part of "a puppet show", with Russia pulling his strings in order to relay a message." (ibid Henry Foy)

And that message that Putin is relaying is to none other than Trump himself. 

Putin is presenting Trump with the 'rabbit that he can pull out of his crumbling political hat', and we now wait to see whether Tillerson and Volker will back Putin up at the Minsk meeting.

(to be continued)