Teetering at a political precipice, will Zelensky fall into the arms of Putin?

In my blog entry of (19/7/2016) I wrote that,

And at last week’s Republican National Security Committee platform meeting in Cleveland, Josh Rogin (left) reports that,

"The Trump campaign worked behind the scenes last week to make sure the new Republican platform won’t call for giving weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian and rebel forces, contradicting the view of almost all Republican foreign policy leaders in Washington." (Washington Post : July 18, 2016) (my emphasis)

He further reported that,

Diana Denman (right), a platform committee member from Texas, had proposed at the Republican National Security Committee platform meeting in Cleveland,

".... a platform amendment that would call for maintaining or increasing sanctions against Russia, increasing aid for Ukraine and “providing lethal defensive weapons” to the Ukrainian military.

“Today, the post-Cold War ideal of a ‘Europe whole and free’ is being severely tested by Russia’s ongoing military aggression in Ukraine,” the amendment read. “The Ukrainian people deserve our admiration and support in their struggle.” (ibid Josh Rogan) ( my emphasis)

The backdrop to the Diana Denman amendment was Putin's illegal invasion and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, and his invasion of the Donbas, that immediately followed the 2014 Maidan Revolution of Dignity and that led to the downfall of the then president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich, and his escape to Putin's Russia, where he still resides under Putin's protection.

By placing his Kremlin oligarchs and 'siloviki' resources behind getting Trump into the White House, Putin thought that he had the perfect "Manchurian Candidate" in getting lifted those US sanctions hanging around his neck because of his illegal invasion and annexation of Crimea, and his ongoing war in the Donbas.

Today, as Richard Engel (right) explains, that fateful call between Trump and Zelensky on the 25 July 2019 that is now leading to the impeachment of Trump has its roots in the Maidan Revolution of Dignity of 2014.

"To understand Ukraine’s role in the [current] impeachment crisis, you have to go back to 2014. That’s when Ukrainians ousted their corrupt, Russian-backed president, Viktor Yanukovych. Unnerved by the country's tilt to the West, Vladimir Putin invaded." (MSNBC : 14 October 2019) (my emphasis)

MSNBC : Richard Engel (14/10/2019)

Just as Putin employed members of his 'siloviki' to get Trump elected in 2016, Trump is now employing his version of the 'US siloviki' (Secretary of State Pompeo, US Attorney General William Barr,  U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker and US EU Ambassador Sondland) and Rudy Giuliani to help get him re-elected in 2020.

                  Pompeo             Barr              Volker           Sondland        Giuliani

And Zelensky is a central actor in the conspiracy theory against Joe Biden, Trump's most formidable opponent in the 2020 US presidential elections; a conspiracy theory that is being assiduously pushed by Trump's 'US 'siloviki', and Rudi Giuliani in particular.

Richard Engel : MSNBC : (14/10/2019)

Zelensky cannot extricate himself from from his pivotal role in the now unfolding saga of Trump's impending impeachment.

Just as the scarlet thread of the Maidan Revolution of Dignity has inextricably woven Trump and Putin together into a tight embrace, it has now woven Trump and Zelensky together into a deadly embrace.

That Normandy Four meeting so hastily proposed by Zelensky, and with the full support of Merkel and Macron, continues to be postponed.

The "mythical Steinmeier formula" for holding elections in the Donbas is morphing into just that, a "mythical Steinmeier formula".

Zelensky now finds himself teetering at a political precipice.

MSNBC :  (14/10/2019)

Will Zelensky now fall into the arms of Putin?

(to be continued)