In my last blog entry I stated that,
"Angela Merkel's political wings have been clipped to the degree that we can safely assume the complete tearing up of the Minsk2 protocols which she has so assiduously championed since they were first drawn up." (blog entry : 2 October, 2017)
This is best illustrated by the fact that, as reported by Ukrinform,
"Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Federal Chancellor Angela
Merkel coordinate approaches for implementing an initiative to deploy a
UN peacekeeping operation in Donbas." (Ukrinform : 05 October, Thursday, 2017) (my emphasis)
Recall, however, as reported by Sabine Siebold and Paul Carrel,
"Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday that UN
peacekeepers might be deployed not only on the Donbass contact line
separating the sides of the conflict but in other parts where inspectors
of the international OSCE monitoring group operate." (Reuters : September 14, 2017) (my emphasis)
Putin specifically ruled out UN peacekeepers patrolling the border between the Ukrainian Donbas and Russia.
Given, therefore, that Putin has agreed to deploying UN peacekeepers in the Donbas why, as reported by Unian, will the
"United States special envoy for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker
(left) [be holding] a meeting with Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov in
Belgrade on October 7 to discuss ways to catalyze the implementation of
Minsk agreements on Donbas settlement and restore Ukraine's territorial
integrity.?" (Unian : 05 October 2017) (my emphasis)
Are we to assume that Ukrainian Crimea is included in the "restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity", even though Putin is forging ahead with building his Kerch Strait bridge, with the help of 2 Dutch companies, that will link Ukrainian Crimea with Russia?
There is another aspect of this impending meeting between Surkov and Volker that should not be ignored.
As reported by Patricia Zengerle,
"Two months after signing it, President Donald Trump
has not begun enforcing a law imposing new sanctions on Russia, Iran
and North Korea, Senators John McCain (left) and Ben Cardin said in a letter
seen by Reuters on Friday
(to be continued)
"Angela Merkel's political wings have been clipped to the degree that we can safely assume the complete tearing up of the Minsk2 protocols which she has so assiduously championed since they were first drawn up." (blog entry : 2 October, 2017)
This is best illustrated by the fact that, as reported by Ukrinform,
"Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Federal Chancellor Angela
Merkel coordinate approaches for implementing an initiative to deploy a
UN peacekeeping operation in Donbas." (Ukrinform : 05 October, Thursday, 2017) (my emphasis)Recall, however, as reported by Sabine Siebold and Paul Carrel,
"Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday that UN
peacekeepers might be deployed not only on the Donbass contact line
separating the sides of the conflict but in other parts where inspectors
of the international OSCE monitoring group operate." (Reuters : September 14, 2017) (my emphasis)Putin specifically ruled out UN peacekeepers patrolling the border between the Ukrainian Donbas and Russia.
Given, therefore, that Putin has agreed to deploying UN peacekeepers in the Donbas why, as reported by Unian, will the
"United States special envoy for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker
(left) [be holding] a meeting with Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov in
Belgrade on October 7 to discuss ways to catalyze the implementation of
Minsk agreements on Donbas settlement and restore Ukraine's territorial
integrity.?" (Unian : 05 October 2017) (my emphasis)
This is the Vladislav Surkov, Putin's 'Grey Cardinal', who runs the Donbas for Putin.
More significantly, why is the public mention of Ukrainian Crimea being left out of this statement about this impending political meeting between Volker and Surkov in Belgrade?
Are we to assume that Ukrainian Crimea is included in the "restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity", even though Putin is forging ahead with building his Kerch Strait bridge, with the help of 2 Dutch companies, that will link Ukrainian Crimea with Russia?There is another aspect of this impending meeting between Surkov and Volker that should not be ignored.
As reported by Patricia Zengerle,
"Two months after signing it, President Donald Trump
has not begun enforcing a law imposing new sanctions on Russia, Iran
and North Korea, Senators John McCain (left) and Ben Cardin said in a letter
seen by Reuters on Friday
Also, with just two
days to go, his administration has not provided information related to
Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors required under the measure by
Sunday, they said." (Reuters :September 29, 2017) (my emphasis)
Surkov and Volker's impending meeting could be due to Putin's awarness that the net of impeachment is now fast falling upon Trump.
Once Trump becomes fully ensnared in this net of impeachment, then those new US sanctions will rapidly be implemented.
And so Putin suggests UN peacekeepers in the Ukrainian Donbas that he now controls, whilst his 'Grey Cardinal', Vladislav Surkov, will have a tête-à-tête with Volker in Belgrade about "the implementation of
Minsk agreements on Donbas settlement, and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial
integrity".
The whirlwind of recent political events in Germany and, potentially, Austria, upon which Putin is banking to lift that millstone of EU sanctions around his neck, may yet prove for him to be but an empty wish.
Even the the fact that,
"Gerhard Schroeder, the man who Angela Merkel succeeded as Chancellor of
Germany, has just been appointed to the chairman’s job at oil company
Rosneft." (Geoffrey Smith
: Fortune:
Sep 29th, 2017) (my emphasis),
will not be able to give Putin the succour that he needs in light of the imminent denouement of Trump.
Will Trump's downfall also signal the downfall of Putin?
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