Trump's belligerent stand at his recent meeting with NATO members, when viewed together with the recent visit to Putin's Russia by a group of US Republican Senators, should give us pause for concern.
The visit to Putin's Russia, headed by Senator Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), was said by accompanying Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to have,
" ... sent a very strong message and a direct message to the Russian government,” he said, ticking off four items he said they pressed while there: Don’t interfere in U.S. elections, respect the sovereignty of Ukraine, work with us toward peace in Syria, and uphold obligations under nuclear arms treaties.
That message did not appear to have much impact, though." (Karoun Demirjian : Washington Post : 5 July, 2018) (my emphasis)
This is best exemplified by the fact that, as reported by Joel Gehrke (right),
"President Trump and U.S. lawmakers should consider revising sanctions targeting Russia so they focus more on Russian oligarchs, a senior Republican lawmaker [ Senator Johnson] suggested after participating in a congressional delegation visit to Moscow.
....
“You do something and nobody ever sits back and analyzes, 'Well, is it working?’” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told the Washington Examiner. “And I think you'd be hard-pressed to say that sanctions against Russia are really working all that well.” (Washington Examiner : July 7, 2018) (my emphasis)
Let us now remind ourselves that Senator Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), the Republican leader of this recent Republican delegation to Putin's Russia, also stated that,
"We have an upcoming meeting between President Putin and President Trump in Helsinki .... I think our meetings in St Petersberg ... especially here ... will lay the groundwork for some of that ..." (cf. first video)
The $64 question is this ...
"Have this Republican delegation to Putin's Russia laid the groundwork for the lifting of US sanctions against Russia since, in the words of one of those Republican delegates, "U.S. lawmakers should consider revising sanctions targeting Russia so they focus more on Russian oligarchs"?
In other words, should US sanctions against many important Russian industries, including Russian banking, now be excluded from US sanctions?
This approach towards US sanctions against Russia, as now expounded by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis, dovetails with Trump's own views about US sanctions against Putin's Russia.
As reported by Brett Forrest and Peter Nicholas ,
"Any meeting between the two presidents would be expected to include discussions on Syria, Ukraine and nuclear-arms control. The summit’s purpose would be to resolve longstanding differences, people familiar with the matter said.
....
[Trump] added: “There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy.” He went on to suggest that a more collaborative relationship with Russia could curb the arms race." (Wall Street Journal : June 1, 2018) (my emphasis)" (blog : 9/6/2018)
At the recent breakfast of NATO members, Trump lambasted Merkel by complaining that,
“I think it’s very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia, where you’re supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia,” Trump said in his opening remarks at the breakfast, which were broadcast live on television." (David M. Herszenhorn (left): Politico :July 11, 2018) (my emphasis)
Was this 'undiplomatic' rant of Trump a further laying of the foundation for his total revising of US sanctions against Putin's Russia, as outlined by Senator Ron Johnson, at the upcoming Trump-Putin Helsinki meeting?
Has Trump laid the foundation at the NATO summit for lifting sanctions against Putin's Russia, sanctions that were put is place because of Putin's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, and his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas?
(to be continued)
The visit to Putin's Russia, headed by Senator Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), was said by accompanying Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to have," ... sent a very strong message and a direct message to the Russian government,” he said, ticking off four items he said they pressed while there: Don’t interfere in U.S. elections, respect the sovereignty of Ukraine, work with us toward peace in Syria, and uphold obligations under nuclear arms treaties.
That message did not appear to have much impact, though." (Karoun Demirjian : Washington Post : 5 July, 2018) (my emphasis)
This is best exemplified by the fact that, as reported by Joel Gehrke (right),
"President Trump and U.S. lawmakers should consider revising sanctions targeting Russia so they focus more on Russian oligarchs, a senior Republican lawmaker [ Senator Johnson] suggested after participating in a congressional delegation visit to Moscow.
....
“You do something and nobody ever sits back and analyzes, 'Well, is it working?’” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told the Washington Examiner. “And I think you'd be hard-pressed to say that sanctions against Russia are really working all that well.” (Washington Examiner : July 7, 2018) (my emphasis)
Let us now remind ourselves that Senator Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), the Republican leader of this recent Republican delegation to Putin's Russia, also stated that,
"We have an upcoming meeting between President Putin and President Trump in Helsinki .... I think our meetings in St Petersberg ... especially here ... will lay the groundwork for some of that ..." (cf. first video)
The $64 question is this ...
"Have this Republican delegation to Putin's Russia laid the groundwork for the lifting of US sanctions against Russia since, in the words of one of those Republican delegates, "U.S. lawmakers should consider revising sanctions targeting Russia so they focus more on Russian oligarchs"?
In other words, should US sanctions against many important Russian industries, including Russian banking, now be excluded from US sanctions?
This approach towards US sanctions against Russia, as now expounded by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis, dovetails with Trump's own views about US sanctions against Putin's Russia.
As reported by Brett Forrest and Peter Nicholas ,
"Any meeting between the two presidents would be expected to include discussions on Syria, Ukraine and nuclear-arms control. The summit’s purpose would be to resolve longstanding differences, people familiar with the matter said.
....
[Trump] added: “There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy.” He went on to suggest that a more collaborative relationship with Russia could curb the arms race." (Wall Street Journal : June 1, 2018) (my emphasis)" (blog : 9/6/2018)
At the recent breakfast of NATO members, Trump lambasted Merkel by complaining that,
“I think it’s very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia, where you’re supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia,” Trump said in his opening remarks at the breakfast, which were broadcast live on television." (David M. Herszenhorn (left): Politico :July 11, 2018) (my emphasis)Was this 'undiplomatic' rant of Trump a further laying of the foundation for his total revising of US sanctions against Putin's Russia, as outlined by Senator Ron Johnson, at the upcoming Trump-Putin Helsinki meeting?
Has Trump laid the foundation at the NATO summit for lifting sanctions against Putin's Russia, sanctions that were put is place because of Putin's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, and his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas?
No comments:
Post a Comment