Will Trump sign off on supplying Ukraine with more lethal weaponry

Fakhir Rizvi (left) reports that,

"Speaking in Hamburg, [Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki] said Russia could attack Ukraine after the launch of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.

He said "escalation of aggression" against Kiev might follow when the Ukrainian gas transportation system ceased to play such an important role for Moscow." (UrduPoint: 19th November,2018) (my emphasis)
 
To which Putin's mouthpiece in the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov (right), replied that,

"This is an unsuccessful statement. Nord Stream-2 is a commercially viable and economically feasible project. Moreover, it is economically attractive not only for the supplier, but also for the recipients of this gas in Europe, primarily in Germany." (ibid Fakhir Rizvi) (my emphasis)

Joshua Clarson neatly sums up the precarious political nature of Nord Stream2 for the EU. 

"The Nord Stream 2 project could be a tricky issue for Europe. Germany is a major partner in the project and, as such, the EU is unlikely to take action against it. However, this reluctance could hinder cooperation with the US, while a lack of economic deterrence from the West could also embolden Moscow in its ongoing conflict with Kiev." (Foreign Brief : 18 November, 2018) (my emphasis)

That Putin has already been emboldened by the near-completion of the Nord Stream2 pipeline is evidenced by the fact that the OSCE SMM report that, 

• Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of 18 tanks and three surface-to-air missile systems
•  Aerial imagery available to the SMM also revealed the presence on 14 November of 29 tanks (type undetermined) in a training area near Kruhlyk  and 22 tanks, nine pieces of self-propelled artillery, 18 pieces of towed artillery in a training area near Myrne 
• The same aerial imagery available to the SMM also revealed the presence of 76 armoured combat vehicles (ACV),23 ACVs  in the above-mentioned training area near Shymshynivka and 79 ACVs in the above-mentioned training area near Myrne.

Furthermore, Putin continues to attempt a stranglehold against Ukraine in the Sea of Azov.

As reported by UNIAN,

"Speaker for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Oleh Slobodyan (left) has said...

"The process of [Russia] increasing their military component in the Sea of Azov was gradual. Russia has increased its presence, but here we can rather talk about the regrouping of certain naval forces for possible action in the Sea of Azov, i.e. re-locating ships from the waters off coast the temporarily annexed peninsula to a new bridgehead, which is the Sea of Azov". (UNIAN : 16 November, 2018) (my emphasis)

Putin, however, is being rattled by the US Department of State which, it would seem, is acting independently of a beleaguered Trump. (MSNBC)

  
As reported by UNIAN,
 
"U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States and Ukraine will work together to stop the Nord Stream 2 project. ".... "We'll keep working together to stop the Nord Stream 2 project that undermines Ukraine's economic and strategic security and risks further compromising the sovereignty of European nations that depend on Russian gas," Pompeo said in remarks after a meeting with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Washington, D.C., on Friday, November 16." (UNIAN : 17 November, 2018) (my emphasis)

Ominously, however, Mike Pompeo seems to have taken over the mantle of Merkel in trying to use the 'dead horse' of Minsk2 as a bargaining chip with Putin.

This position of Pompeo should be viewed against the reporting of Joe Gould (left) that,

"The U.S. and Ukraine are in “close discussion” for Washington to supply another tranche of lethal weapons for Kiev’s fight in eastern Ukraine, where “Russians keep bringing new military technology,” Ukraine’s foreign minister said Saturday." (18 November, 2018) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, re-affirmed in Canada that,

" ...[Ukraine] is determined to take back the region of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 and remains under occupation.

“Occupied Crimea under Russia is going nowhere, so fundamentally we will be able to get Crimea back." (Jessica Vomiero : Global News : 18 November, 2018) (my emphasis)

If, indeed, the US Senate and Congress may be preparing to supply Ukraine with another tranche of lethal weaponry in their war with Putin, it should always be remembered that Trump will have to sign off on any such commitment.

The question is, "Will he or won't he sign off on supplying Ukraine with more lethal weaponry in their war with Putin."

Trump and Putin will be having  a 'private' meeting at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires on the 30th of this month.

We can be certain that whatever may emerge out of the Mueller investigation into the Putin-Trump collusion during the 2016 US presidential election will simply be compounding the negative impact of the Mueller investigation on Trump's frame of mind.

Which makes the question, "Will he or won't he sign off on supplying Ukraine with more lethal weaponry in their war with Putin" even more urgent.

 One can but wait and see.

(to be continued)