Putin has thrown down the gauntlet to Zelensky

The chosen candidates for the top jobs in the EU have been decided, and have now to be ratified by the parliament of the EU.

As reported by the BBC,"

"The surprise choice of German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (left) to replace Jean-Claude Juncker came after the main front-runners were rejected." (BBC : 2 July 2019) (my emphasis)

Interestingly,

"French President Emmanuel Macron said the nominations were "the fruit of a deep Franco-German entente"." (ibid BBC) (my emphasis)

Let us recall what Ursula said in 2018 regarding the Nord Stream2 pipeline..

"If you look at the gas pipeline ...Germany is an independent country where energy supplies is concerned.." (CNBC : Aug 20 2018) (my emphasis)

And when confronted by the reporter asking,

"... And you don't think this pipeline would compromise security ..." (ibid CNBC),

Ursula von der Leyen  responded,

"No. In our own German interests we have to make sure that this is not the case ... But there are many other things to worry about" (ibid CNBC)

Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen are both hell bent on ensuring that Nord Stream 2 goes ahead, irrespective of the real security concerns of Ukraine, together with other EU member states.

And whilst the EU has appointed Ursula von der Leyen, a Putinversteher, as its head, Konstantin Skorkin (right) reports that,

"Zelensky’s first move regarding the Donbas prompted fierce debate in Ukrainian society: he appointed former president Leonid Kuchma the country’s representative in the Trilateral Contact Group aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
...
.. Kuchma is the living embodiment of the oligarchic clan system that formed during his rule." (Carnegie Moscow Centre : 3 July, 2019) (my emphasis)

Skorkin goes on to further report that,

"At the same time, the head of his administration, Andriy Bohdan, has shown willingness to compromise. In an interview with RBC Ukraine, he proposed giving the Russian language the status of a regional, second language in the Donbas—which would contravene a new law giving Ukrainian special status that Poroshenko signed off on shortly before leaving office—on condition that the breakaway regions go back to being Ukrainian territory." (ibid Skorkin) (my emphasis)

This is the same Andriy Bohdan who is in bed with Kolomoisky.

As reported by Diane Francis (left),

 "Americans and Europeans became worried about Kolomoisky’s power after Zelenskiy appointed the oligarch’s long-time lawyer, Andriy Bohdan, to head the government’s administration.

“Nobody’s happy with his appointment so openly which looks like he needs to comfort Kolomoisky,” said Zahoor. “He has a conflict of interest because Kolomoisky is fighting the government to get back his bank or to get billions in compensation. And here his lawyer is in the government.” (Atlantic Council : 28 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Bogdan            Zelensky            Kolomoiski

So much for Zelensky's platform about ridding Ukraine of the influence of its oligarchs." (blog entry 15 June 2019)

And whilst Zelensky is eager to get the old Ukrainian oligarchs to,

" ...  take part in restoring the part of Donbas controlled by Ukraine by financing infrastructure and humanitarian projects ..." (ibid Skorkin) (my emphasis), Paul McLeary reports that,

"As tensions rise between Russia and Ukraine on the Black Sea, the US is upgrading several Ukrainian naval bases to give American and NATO warships the ability to dock just miles from Russia-controlled Crimea. " (Breaking Defense : 3 July 2019) (my emphasis)

No wonder that Putin is becoming very jittery as the Sea Breeze Military Exercise gets underway.

"About 3,000 troops from 19 countries are taking part in military drills in the Black Sea, an exercise that has raised concerns in Russia.

The 12-day Sea Breeze 2019 exercise, involving Ukraine, the U.S., a dozen other NATO allies and a few other nations, began Monday in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. It will involve 32 warships and 24 aircraft." (Navy Times (AP) : 3 July 2019) (my emphasis)

Added to which, as reported by News24 (AFP),

"Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau promised on Tuesday to support Ukraine in the wake of Russian "aggression", after a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Toronto.

"In the wake of Russian aggression and attempts to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, including the illegal annexation of Crimea, it's all the more important for countries like Canada to stand alongside its partner," said Trudeau during a press conference with the newly-inducted Ukrainian president.

"Russia's actions are not only a threat to Ukraine but to international law," Trudeau said." (News 24 (AFP): 3 July 2019) (my emphasis)

 News24 (AFP)

And whilst Zelensky is meeting with Trudeau in Canada, Philip Pullella reports that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with Pope Francis on Thursday, a day before Ukraine’s Catholic leaders meet at the Vatican to discuss the crisis in their country, and amid speculation that the visit could be a prelude to the first trip by a pope to Russia." (Reuters : 3 July 2019) (my emphasis)

So whilst Putin is hobnobbing with Pope Francis ironically, the very next day,

"Ukraine, which remains a difficult issue in relations between the Vatican and Russia, is expected to be a main topic of discussions in the official papal library in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace." (ibid Pullela) (my emphasis)

Given the swing of the EU towards Putin, as evidenced by :-

• Five years after Russia had its voting rights removed because of the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly has voted to restore them
•  The surprise choice of the Putinversteher German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen  (Nord Stream 2) to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as Head of the EU
• French President Emmanuel Macron commenting that the new EU Heads were "the fruit of a deep Franco-German entente" 
• Edouard Philippe, the French Prime Minister, stressing that French enterprises are interested in the Russian market, and businesses from France rank first among foreign employers in Russia.(UNIAN : 24 June 2019) (my emphasis) (cf also: TASS (24 June 2019))
• Putin, once again, meeting with Pope Francis,

can the current Sea Breeze exercises, or the total support of Zelensky by the Canadian Prime Minster, Justin Trudeau, act as a counterweight against this swing towards Putin by the EU?

Putin is fast stacking the EU political chips against Zelensky.

In the words of Ukraine's current Foreign Minister, Pavlo Klimkin (left),

"The worst thing will be if Russia and Europe decide that they can come to terms behind our back and try to impose a different strategy and tactics on us," he said." (UNIAN : 30 June 2019) (my emphasis)

 And now Putin has thrown down the gauntlet to Zelensky.

As reported by UNIAN,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv are possible if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky starts "carrying out his election promises."
...
"Yes, it is possible if Mr. Zelensky starts carrying out his election promises, including if he engages in direct contact with his compatriots in Donbas and stops labeling them 'separatists,' if the Ukrainian authorities implement the Minsk Agreements rather than ignore them," (UNIAN : 4 July 2019) (my emphasis)

Putin, it would seem, now has the upper-hand over Zelensky.

(to be continued)