Putin's Angela Merkel and Walter Steinmeier have forgotten that their German "economic powerhouse" is built on "Marshall Aid".

David M. Herszenhorn (left), writing about the lingering concerns over corruption in the Ukraine, one year after the Maidan revolution that overthrew the corrupt regime of Yanukovich, informs us that Egor Sobolev has stated that,

"...Corruption investigations against other former officials and executives of state-owned companies have largely stalled.

............

“The biggest problem in the country is we do not have a real system of justice, we do not have judges, most of them are people from Yanukovych’s time, very corrupted,” he said. “The same situation with prosecutors.” (New York Times : May 17, 2015)

It is not, however, only the Ukrainian judiciary that needs to be cleaned up from the bottom to the top. 

"For Kiev, there is no greater problem, and no greater test, than the as-yet futile fight against corruption. Even officials on the forefront of the effort say it has so far largely gone nowhere." (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)

Everyone, it seems, is now clamouring for immediate results from the Ukrainian government to transform their economy, re-educate their bureaucracy, stamp out corruption, recover the billions of dollars believed to have been stolen by the former president, Mr. Yanukovych, his family and closest associates; in fact, magically transform the whole of Ukrainian society within the space of one year.

Thus we have Bruce P. Jackson, the president of the Project on Transitional Democracies (left), proclaiming on the one hand that,

“The Ukrainian government is so weak and fragile that it is too weak to do the necessary things to build a unified and independent state.”

whilst on the other stating that,

 

“Ukraine is now seen as not to be trusted. What the E.U. is saying is: Where is the decentralization? Where is the commitment? Where are the reforms?” (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)

What is even more disconcerting is that,

"Officials also now fret openly that more than $40 billion pledged by the International Monetary Fund and allies, including the United States and the European Union, will not be enough to keep the country afloat." (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)

But let us pause for a moment and cast out minds back to West Germany immediately after the war.

"Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology (Nazism). 

It was carried out specifically by removing from positions of power and influence those who had been Nazi Party members and by disbanding or rendering impotent the organizations associated with Nazism. The program of denazification was launched after the end of the Second World War" (Wikipedia)

To this end the Allies poured money into West Germany (approximately $20 billion in todays currency) and instituted a re-education program for the whole of the German populace, to expunge from their minds the Nazi ideology.

"The Germans autonomously restructured their system of society which was up to standard of the Western democracies in 1960's. "  (Saila Anttonen : European Conference on Educational Research : September 2002) (my emphasis)

In other words, it took West Germany 20+ years to do what many are now saying that the Ukrainians should have done in ONE year. 

Compared to the approximately $20 billion (at today's prices) poured into West Germany after WWII, 

"$40 billion [has been] pledged [to Ukraine] by the International Monetary Fund and allies, including the United States and the European Union" (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)

In other words, this money HAS NOT been poured into Ukraine. Ukraine has been pledged that it will receive this money only if it 'magically' fulfills ALL the conditions laid down by the IMF and the EU in particular about radically transforming its society, government, and economy not tomorrow, but now!

And yet, as Lawrence Summers (right), former US Treasury Secretary, rather concisely states,

 

"The moral, geopolitical, and economic case for the provision of strong support [for Ukraine] is compelling. The International Monetary Fund has done as much as can reasonably be asked with a programme totalling $17.5bn. While bilateral support from the US and Europe could be increased and the World Bank is missing a major opportunity, Ukraine’s viability ultimately depends on what happens to its debts." (FT : May 17, 2015) (my emphasis)

Given this feet-dragging over Ukraine by the US and the EU, is it any wonder, that Alexander Baunov (left) of the Carnegie Moscow Institute states that,

“Russia is just waiting for the internal problems of Ukraine to make it less attractive for the West,” said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Institute, a research group. “Putin’s hope is Russia doesn’t need to make Ukraine weak. Ukraine will be weak by itself, and he can just wait awhile and take advantage of its weakness sometime in the future.” (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)

 And clothing Putin's hope we have the Putinversteher Walter Steinmeir and Angela Merkel (right) still desperately,

"....clinging to a fraying peace deal in Ukraine and forcing Kiev to follow suit, even though Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no sign of wavering and NATO is warning that Moscow may be preparing for a new offensive." (Reuters : 17 May, 2015) (my emphasis)

"This offers little consolation to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (right) who, while under pressure at home over a steady loss of troops fighting pro-Moscow rebels in the east, has to keep in diplomatic step with the West whose political and financial help he needs." (ibid Reuters) (my emphasis) 

Only this morning do we learn that,

"Ukrainian forces claimed to have captured two Russian special forces officers fighting in eastern Ukraine, in what would be the first capture of Russian personnel – if confirmed – since a ceasefire deal signed in February." (Roland Oliphant : The Telegraph :17 May 2015) (my emphasis) (cf. also BBC News)

One of the soldiers identified himself as, "Aleksandr Aleksandrov - a sergeant in the third special forces brigade." (ibid BBC) (my emphasis)
 

Meanwhile, as reported by Sheren Khalel and Matthew Vickery,

"DONETSK, Ukraine — This once-booming industrial city of 1 million is now largely a lawless and lifeless center of eastern Ukraine's separatist movement, where residents live under constant threat from marauding militias.

.....

Most stores have shut down, and only a few restaurants remain open, filled mainly with young separatist militia fighters in dark green fatigues (above) who rampage through the city as if it were their own playground, civilian residents say. " (USA Today : May 17, 2015) (my emphasis)

And whilst those citizens in Donetsk have to live under Putin's proxies who, "are able to carry out criminal acts with impunity",

" .... the St Petersburg Cossack Society ... [unveiled] an astonishing bust of the president as an all-conquering Roman Caesar. Wearing plate armour and dressed in a flowing toga, the sycophantic statue has been created in the mould of those seen in ancient Rome and once reserved for powerful leaders." (Corey Charlton : MailOnline: 17 May 2015) (my emphasis)

As if to live up to the image of this bust of himself as an "all-conquering Roman Ceasar" we learn that Putin scored eight goals in an 18-6 win in an ice-hockey match in Sochi. 

 
 And ".... as man of the match, Shoigu (a member of his Kremlin 'siloviki' clan) was presented with a prize - a holiday in newly-annexed Crimea." (ibid Corey Charlton) (my emphasis)



 (to be continued)