How long can Rex Tillerson remain in the shadows of the accelerating Trump-Putin investigations?

"Power", Henry Kissinger once remarked, "is the ultimate aphrodisiac."

To which one might add, "It is also highly addictive."

No more is this being illustrated than in the tortuous manner in which Republican members of both the US Senate and US Congress are almost deperately trying to protect US President, Donald Trump, as yet another avalanche of his misdemenours descends upon their heads.

If the recent sudden, and suspicious, dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, nor the entertaining of Sergey Lavrov and Sergey Kislyak in the Oval office, and divulging to them top-secret information, was not enough cause Republican Senators and Congress members to pause in their daily fix of that powerful aphrodisiac, power, then surely yesterday's revelation that Donald Trump may be guilty of obstructing justice may make them realise that they are in the Senate and the House of Congress to represent the people that elected them, rather than simply to protect Donald Trump.

As I stated in my last blog entry,

"The victory that both Trump and Putin are now celebrating may yet turn out to be a Phyrric victory.

The scarlet thread of Maidan that binds them both is not so easily undone." (blog entry 11/5/2017)

The very foundation of Putin's meddling in the US presidential elections can be traced back to Putin's illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas, that led to the US-EU sanctions against him, and that is having devastating consequences on the Russian economy and, consequently, the growing impoverishment of the Russian people themselves.  

Emily Cashen (left) succinctly sums up the effect of the US-EU sanctions on the Russian economy.

" ... Since the sanctions came into place some three years ago, Russia’s economy has struggled. Between 2014 and 2015, the country’s GDP growth contracted by 3.8 percent (see Fig 1), while inflation accelerated to 15.5 percent. Now more isolated than at any point since the end of the Cold War, the nation has seen an increase in its budget deficit, wide-ranging budget cuts and even noticeable food shortages." (World Finance : April 20, 2017) (my emphasis)

And now, the scarlet thread of Maidan that indelibly binds both Trump and Putin together has once again raised its head into the headlines in the US. 

As Rachel Maddow of MSNBC reports,

Part 1

 

Part 2

The near inexplicable degree to which Trump will go in trying to protect Putin by attempting to shackle the Senate, Congress, and FBI (amongst others) investigations into Putin's assistance in getting him into the White House once again brings the "dossier" to the fore.

"On January 10, 2017, the media reported on the existence of a private intelligence dossier containing unverified allegations of misconduct and ties between Donald Trump, then President-elect, and the Russian government during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the period preceding the election. The dossier was written by a former British MI6 intelligence officer, Christopher Steele (left), who went into hiding after the release of the dossier, but reappeared on March 7, 2017" (Wikipedia)

Critical parts of this dossier have, since its release, been verified, to the utter consternation of Donald Trump himself.

And as reported by Robert Mendick and  Robert Verkaik (right),

"An ex-KGB chief suspected of helping the former MI6 spy Christopher Steele to compile his dossier on Donald Trump may have been murdered by the Kremlin and his death covered up. it has been claimed.

Oleg Erovinkin (left), a former general in the KGB and its successor the FSB, was found dead in the back of his car in Moscow on Boxing Day in mysterious circumstances.

Erovinkin was a key aide to Igor Sechin, a former deputy prime minister and now head of Rosneft, the state-owned oil company, who is repeatedly named in the dossier." (The Telegraph :27 January 2017) (my emphasis)

The $64 question is,

"Did Tillerson (right), former CEO of Exxon Mobil and now US Secretary of State, and who has had copious dealings with Igor Sechin in the past, know at the time about this 'mysterious' death of Oleg Erovinkin linked, as it is, to a dossier of Trump's misconduct in Russia and his ties to Putin, the very Trump who gave him his present job?"

Tillerson has hidden himself in the shadows as Intelligence Committees of  the Senate and Congress, as well as the FBI and sundry other financial investigations, continue to unravel the Trump-Putin connection.

How long can he continue to remain in the shadows before he also becomes embroiled in the unfolding of the Trump-Putin connection?

(to be continued)

Trump and Putin's euphoria over their current victory may yet turn out to be a Phyrric victory.

Yesterday I wrote that,

"If, earlier, I stated that, "Putin's room for diplomatic manouvering is rapidly diminishing", the dismissal of Comey by Trump has eased the tensions in the Kremlin and, no doubt, brought a thankful respite for Putin from his diplomatic anxieties about the easing of US-EU sanctions against himself and his 'siloviki' clique in the Kremlin." (blog : Tuesday, 9 May 2017)

And so it was. 

As Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC reported yesterday,

"Vladimir Putin was asked today about the firing of James Comey and he seemed as happy as we have ever seen him when asked about US-Russia relations" (MSNBC : 10/5/2017) (my emphasis)

Adding to Putin's euphoria is the warm welcoming by Donald Trump of that Soviet dyed-in-the-wool Sergey Lavrov and the Russian ambassdor to the US, Sergey Kislyak, into Oval Office of the White House yesterday. 

The 25 minute meeting was not documented by the US press because they were excluded whilst the Russian press was not.

Whilst Trump grandstanded about the Syrian question, what he did NOT mention was the fact that Lavrov and himself ALSO discussed Ukraine.

At the same time, as reported by RFERL,

"A White House statement said Pence met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin as President Donald Trump was meeting with Klimkin's Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

The statement said Pence stressed America's support for Ukraine's "territorial integrity" while urging Kyiv to "peacefully resolve the conflict" with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine." (RFERL (Associated Press) : May 11, 2017) (my emphasis) (my emphasis)

As US Vice-President Pence was urging Kyiv to peacefully resolve Putin's war with Ukraine, can we assume that Trump was "urging Lavrov to tell Putin to peacefully resolve his war with Ukraine"?  

 
As the old saying goes, "Pigs will fly"!

 
It is no co-incidence that these meetings took place a day after FBI Director James Comey was dismissed by Trump or, to put it in Trump's own words, "... You are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately .." (CNN : May 10, 2017)

 It is also no co-incidence that James Comey's dismissal came as he was ramping up his investigation into the indelible links between Putin and Trump during the US presidential election.
(cf Lawrence O'Donnell)

The very root of Putin's current euphoria over the dismissal of James Comey, and the entrance of Lavrov and Kislyak into the Oval Office, lies in the fact that the US sanctions imposed upon Putin and his Kremlin clique because of Putin's illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas, might now be removed.

Emily Cashen (left) succinctly sums up the effect of the US-EU sanctions on the Russian economy.

" ... Since the sanctions came into place some three years ago, Russia’s economy has struggled. Between 2014 and 2015, the country’s GDP growth contracted by 3.8 percent (see Fig 1), while inflation accelerated to 15.5 percent. Now more isolated than at any point since the end of the Cold War, the nation has seen an increase in its budget deficit, wide-ranging budget cuts and even noticeable food shortages." (World Finance : April 20, 2017) (my emphasis)

Whether the current euphoria in the Oval Office and in the Kremlin will last will now be entirely dependent on the Senate and Congressional Intelligence Hearings on Putin's collusion with Trump officials during the US presidential elections that ultimately led to Trump becoming President of the US.

The victory that both Trump and Putin are now celebrating may yet turn out to be a Phyrric victory.

The scarlet thread of Maidan that binds them both is not so easily undone.

(to be continued)

Will Emmanuel Macron finally put paid to Putin's hopes of US-EU sanctions against him being lifted?

When Donald Trump won the US presidential race Putin, his 'siloviki', and the members of the Russian Duma, celebrated.

Not so in the case of the victory of Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential elections last Sunday.

As reported by Angelique Chrisafis,

"Centrist independent wins by 66% to 34% margin, but Marine Le Pen’s defeat still marks historically high vote for France’s far right" (The Guardian :8 May, 2017)

Putin was desperate to have Marine Le Pen win the French presidential election, for the simple reason that, as reported by Putin's propaganda mouthpiece, Sputnik,

"Emmanuel Macron’s presidential election victory means France’s foreign policy will remain unchanged with sanctions retained against Russia..." (Sputnik : 09.05.2017) (my emphasis)

This contrasts with Marine Le Pen who, as recently as March of this year, whilst meeting Putin in the Kremlin, argued that,

"Ms Le Pen, the leader of France's National Front (FN) party, called during her visit to Moscow for the lifting of EU sanctions against Russia, arguing that they were "counterproductive".
...
Speaking at Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, she vowed to push for the so-called "blacklists" of targeted individuals to be abolished.
...
Ms Le Pen has previously stated her approval of Russia's annexation of of Crimea. (BBC News : 24 March 2017) (my emphasis)

What is even more significant in the defeat of Marine Le Pen by Emmanuel Macron is the fact that,

"The hackers behind a “massive and coordinated” attack on the campaign of France’s president-elect, Emmanuel Macron, have been linked by a number of cybersecurity research firms to the Russian-affiliated group blamed for attacking the Democratic party shortly before the US election." (Alex Hern :The Guardian : Monday 8 May 2017) (my emphasis)

And yesterday, Sally Yates (right), former US Acting Attorney General, testified before US Congress on Putin's interference in the US presidential elections. (full video)

What is significant about her testimony is that it exposed Trump National Security appointee, Michael Flynn, as possibly being an agent for Putin who, in collusion with Russian Ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak (left), 
 

" ... talked about sanctions against Russia with the country’s ambassador in December, The Washington Post reports.

The report, which cites current and former U.S. officials, contradicts Michael Flynn’s assertion on Wednesday that he never discussed the topic with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during a series of phone calls in the month before Trump took office. " (Max Greenwood : The Hill : 09/02/17) (my emphasis)

Putin is now confronted by both Emmanuel Macron and the fact that the ongoing US Senate and Congressional Intelligence Hearings have somewhat put paid to Donald Trump even considering lifting the US sanctions against him because of his illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his war with Ukraine in the Donbas.

As the US Senate and Congressional hearings into the direct links between Putin's Kremlin and US President Trump and his White House associates continues to unfold, Putin's room for diplomatic manouvering is rapidly diminishing.

(to be continued)

BREAKING NEWS 

Just as FBI Director James Comey's investigations into the links between Trump, his associates in the White House, and Putin, is gaining a critical head of steam, Trump has possibly set in motion a constitutional crisis by summarily dismissing Comey.

And all to protect himself from the public exposure of the indelible link between himself and Putin.

Putin himself must be wiping the sweat off his brow following the election of Emmanuel Macron, and the fading of his hopes that the EU sanctions against him would be lifted, as the news of Trump's dismissal of FBI Director Comey reached his ears.

If, earlier, I stated that, "Putin's room for diplomatic manouvering is rapidly diminishing", the dismissal of Comey by Trump has eased the tensions in the Kremlin and, no doubt, brought a thankful respite for Putin from his diplomatic anxieties about the easing of US-EU sanctions against himself and his 'siloviki' clique in the Kremlin.

We now await to see what the political repercussions of Comey's dismissal by Trump has on the body politic of the USA.

(to be continued)

Putin is praying for a Le Pen victory in the French presidential race this coming Sunday

As reported by Oleksiy Haran (left),

"The major thing about May 2 Sochi meeting of Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin was its substantial component. Importantly for Kyiv, the German Chancellor voiced a statement that Ukraine must regain access the Ukrainian-Russian border, the part which is now beyond Kyiv’s control." (UNIAN : 03 May 2017) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Silvia Amaro, Putin once again paid lip-service to the implementation of the Minsk2 agreements, which includes the regaining of the currently Russian controlled border in the Putin-controlled Donetsk region as called for by Angela Merkel.

"Merkel and Putin also discussed the conflict in Ukraine which has dragged on for several years, after Russia's annexation of Crimea. Putin said that such a conflict is a concern and confirmed the need for an implementation of the Minsk agreement by all sides." (CNBC : Tuesday, 2 May 2017) (my emphasis)

In their joint press report after their tête–à–tête in Sochi, Putin emphasised the strong economic ties between Russia and Germany, 'and how much Germany gets out of it'!

Putin's emphasis on how much Germany gets out of its economic ties with Russia is, no doubt, a rather veiled threat towards Merkel since,

"Berlin has been the driving force behind keeping Europe united on sanctions so Russia's only hope of sanctions being lifted, is with German support." (BBC News : 2 May 2017) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, on the same day as Putin and Merkel met in Sochi, US President Trump had a phone call with Putin.

As Julia Ioffe (left) explains,

"On Tuesday afternoon, after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had their third phone call in about as many months, news emerged that the two leaders would finally meet this summer. For those tracking the Trump-Putin dance, it might seem just another date in a long love affair.

The reality, however, looks far bleaker for Putin." (The Atlantic : May 2, 2017) (my emphasis)

She goes on to explain, however, that,

"But it’s not necessarily evidence of [Russian] desperation, as much as it is a canny understanding of Trump’s psychology. By his own admission, Trump responds well to Putin’s compliments, so perhaps if the Russian leader called Trump “colorful” in person, Trump would be moved to unilaterally lift sanctions. The idea to set up a Trump-Putin meeting in order to warm up the American president’s feelings and drive pro-Russia policy was actually quite prescient" (ibid Julia Ioffe) (my emphasis)

The significant difference between the Putin-Merkel and Putin-Trump discussions is that, unlike Merkel, President Trump 'did not mention Ukraine' during their telephone chat.

 
Putin is, however, desperate to influence Trump since, as Jacob Sharpe (right) reports,

"The Russian people, however, are still in dire straits. In 2016, one-quarter of Russian companies cut salaries. Overall, the average Russian wage dropped 8 percent last year and 9.5 percent the year before. International sanctions imposed on Russia continue to cause problems, and energy prices have not recovered to previous highs.
...
Worsening the economic downturn is the Kremlin’s spending to modernize and expand its military capabilities amidst declining revenue and depleted reserves.
...
Even the Ukrainian conflict, once a source of popularity among the Russian people, has begun to hurt morale and highlights the economic malaise at home." (Newsweek : 14 April, 2017) (my emphasis)

Perhaps another indication of Putin's desperation to get the US-EU imposed sanctions against Russia because of Putin's invasion and annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas, is given by the report that,

"The frontrunner in the race for the French presidency, Emmanuel Macron, has filed a lawsuit over online rumours that he has a secret bank account in the Caribbean.
...
The allegations about a secret bank account spread online on right-wing websites and on social media.
Speaking on French radio on Thursday, Mr Macron called the allegations "fake news and lies" and said some of the sites spreading them were "linked to Russian interests". (BBC News : 4 May 2017) (my emphasis)

The 'political' romance between Marine Le Pen and Putin is already public knowledge. Marine Le Pen has already vowed to get rid of France's sanctions against Putin should she be elected President of France. 

That Marine Le Pen could surprise the political pundits in France who are, with one voice, predicting that Macron will win the French presidential race, should not be discounted.

These same political pundits predicted that Britain would remain in the EU, and that Hillary Clinton would win handsomely over Donald Trump.

Putin is praying for a  Marine Le Pen victory in the French presidential race this coming Sunday and, as in the case of the US presidential race, Putin will stop at nothing to help her enter the Élysée Palace.

And as a bonus, such a victory for Marine Le Pen would be a green light for US President Trump to similarly get rid of the US sanctions against Putin.

 (to be continued)

Neither Putin nor Trump can stop the unravelling of their political "bromance"

On Monday 24 April Joe Sheppard reported that,

"An American paramedic working with a security watchdog in eastern Ukraine has been killed after the vehicle he was in drove over a mine.

The US citizen, who has not been named, was part of a patrol involved in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Special Monitoring mission in the country.

Two other monitors, a German and a Czech, were injured in the blast, near Luhansk. It has led US officials to call for a 'full, transparent investigation'." (Mail Online : 24 April, 2017) (my emphasis)

Sergei Ryabkov, Lavrov's second-in-command at Putin's Foreign Ministry,

" ...said the incident would be discussed at a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday between Lamberto Zannier, the secretary general of the OSCE, and Sergei Lavrov (left), the Russian foreign minister.
.......
The Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday the circumstances pointed to likely provocation aimed at undermining the peace process. " (ibid Joe Sheppard) (my emphasis)

Is Lavrov implying that this OSCE patrol deliberately drove over over a mine so that they could be killed, thus undermining the implementation of the Minsk2 protocols?

 And what was US Secretay of State, Rex Tillerson's, response?

"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accepted condolences from Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and said Moscow's actions in eastern Ukraine "remain an obstacle" to improved relations between the US and the Kremlin." (Sky News : Monday 24 April 2017) (my emphasis)

 In other words, Tillerson's prime concern seems to be re-invigorating the 'bromance' between Trump and Putin whilst paying lip-service to the full implementation of the Minsk2 protocols, as expressed by US State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

'This tragic incident makes clear the need for all sides - and particularly the Russian-led separatist forces - to implement their commitments under the Minsk agreements immediately,' Toner said." (ibid Joe Sheppard)

Now recall that, as reported by Nick Wadhams and John Follain,

" .. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson left European diplomats befuddled at a gathering in Italy.

“Why should U.S. taxpayers be interested in Ukraine?” Tillerson asked foreign ministers discussing Russia’s intervention there at a Group of Seven gathering Tuesday in Lucca, Italy." (Bloomberg Politics : 11 April 2017) (my emphasis)

Anne Applebaum (below right) amongst many others, responded to Tillerson's question by stating that,

"Tillerson’s question, rhetorical or otherwise, therefore deserves a response. For the answer is yes: U.S. taxpayers should be interested in Ukraine. But not necessarily for reasons that would make sense to an oil company’s CEO.

• The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea in 2014 were an open attack on the principle of border security in Europe
• Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an aggressive, emboldened Russia increasingly threatens European security and prosperity, as well as Europe’s alliance with the United States. Russia supports anti-American, anti-NATO and indeed anti-democratic political candidates all across the continent
• Over the long term, these policies threaten U.S. business interests and U.S. political interests all across the continent and around the world. (Washington POst : 14 April, 2017) (my emphasis) (cf. also: Richard Haass)

Recall that in my blog entry (Thursday 20 April, 2017) I wrote that,

"The indelible links between the Kremlin and Trump and his associates, both during and after the US presidential elections, continues to emerge into the light of day.

We are therefore left with two possible intriguing questions.

• Is Donald Trump's recent bombing in Syria, and his current dangerous stand-off with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, his way of attempting to deflect the eyes of the American people away from the active involvement of Putin and his Kremlin 'siloviki' in helping him gain the White House?

• And is the current attempt by Exxon Mobil to obtain  a waiver from sanctions on Russia in an effort to restart its joint venture with state oil company PAO Rosneft a hint that Putin is now demanding 'payback' for getting Trump into the White House?"

It would now seem that Trump, his White House associates, Senate Republicans, and Congressional Republicans, are now trying to stymie the Senate and House Intelligence investigations into how Putin helped him gain the US presidency.

 24 April, 2017

More recently (25 April, 2017),

This stymieing by Republicans of the Senate and House Intelligence investigations into how Putin helped Donald Trump gain the US presidency dovetails with Tillerson's prime concern that the death of an American OSCE paramedic in the Donbas (ibid Joe Sheppard) is merely "an obstacle" to improved relations between the US and the Kremlin ".

That Tillerson is being guided by both Donald Trump and Putin to "improve relations between the US and Russia" is exemplified by both the fact that he regards the death of an American OSCE paramedic in the Donbas as merely an obstacle to be overcome, as well as by the fact that, as Elena Holodny and Natasha Bertrand (left) have recently informed us,

"Exxon Mobil Corp. applied to the Treasury Department for a waiver from sanctions on Russia in an effort to restart its joint venture with state oil company PAO Rosneft, according to the Wall Street Journal's Jay Solomon and Bradley Olson." (Business Insider UK : Apr. 19, 2017) (my emphasis)".

But, as Anne Applebaum states,

"U.S. taxpayers should be interested in Ukraine. But not necessarily for reasons that would make sense to an oil company’s CEO."

And the interest of US taxpayers in the war between Putin and Ukraine in the Donbas, and Putin's illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, will continue to increase as the political pressures to completely unravel just how Putin helped Trump gain the White House continues to build up.

(to be continued)

Is Putin now demanding 'payback' for getting Trump into the White House?

In yesterday's blog I wrote that,

"Now, however, Trump is staring into the abyss of precipitating World War III.

But in so doing Trump has, unwittingly, deflected the gaze of the world from the fact that Putin propelled him into the White House in the hope that the EU-US sanctions against him, precipitated by his annexation of Crimea and his war with Ukraine in the Donbas, will be lifted." (blog entry : 18th April, 2017)

Today, Elena Holodny and Natasha Bertrand (left) inform us that,

"Exxon Mobil Corp. applied to the Treasury Department for a waiver from sanctions on Russia in an effort to restart its joint venture with state oil company PAO Rosneft, according to the Wall Street Journal's Jay Solomon and Bradley Olson." (Business Insider UK : Apr. 19, 2017) (my emphasis)

Let us remind ourselves that,

"... US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is the former CEO of Exxon. He has close personal ties with Russia, has struck several major deals with Rosneft in the past, and received the Order of Friendship award from President Vladimir Putin in 2013." (ibid Holodny and Betrand) (my emphasis)

At the end of Rachel Maddow's report on Eric Prince acting as a Trump envoy in Russian meetings, she also describes the links between US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil, Russia's 'Rosneft' oil company, Putin, and the instigation of US sanctions by Obama against Putin because  of Putin's annexation on Ukrainian Crimea and his war with Ukraine in the Donbas. (MSNBC : 19 April, 2017)

Obama's sanctions against Putin put paid to a possible $500 billion investment in oil exploration in the Kara Sea AND in the Black Sea bordering Crimea.

It is therefore no co-incidence that yesterday,

"Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday called for Western sanctions on Russia to be maintained in order to keep the Kremlin in line and to ensure the success of Ukraine's own economic reform program.

"We need firm support for Ukraine reform... To proceed, sanctions should stay firm on Russia - this is the only mechanism to keep Russia at the negotiating table," Poroshenko told a conference in London." (Reuters : 19th April, 2017) (my emphasis)

Poroshenko also met with UK Prime Minister Teresa May who,

" .... vowed to support Ukraine in the face of the “threat” from Moscow as she welcomes Petro Poroshenko to Downing Street.

She told the Ukrainian president the UK stood “ready to support” his country.

Mrs May said she would continue to press for sanctions to remain in place against Russia until the Minsk agreement on a political settlement was fully implemented." (Mail Online (Press Association): 19 April 2017) (my emphasis)

And whilst Exxon Mobil seeks a waiver from sanctions on Russia in an effort to restart its joint venture with state oil company PAO Rosneft, and the UK Prime Minister continues to press for sanctions to remain in place against Russia until the Minsk agreement on a political settlement was fully implemented, it is now coming to light that Eric Prince, the brother of the current Trump-appointed Secretary for Education, Betsy DeVos, acted as a Trump envoy in Russian meetings.

As reported by Keri Geiger and Michael Riley,

"In the very public, post-election parade of dignitaries, confidantes and job-seekers filing in and out of Donald Trump’s marquee Manhattan tower, Blackwater founder Erik Prince (right) was largely out of sight. And yet Prince was very much a presence, providing advice to Trump’s inner circle, including his top national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, according to people familiar with his activities." (Bloomberg : 18 April,2017) (my emphasis)

The indelible links between the Kremlin and Trump and his associates, both during and after the US presidential elections, continues to emerge into the light of day.

We are therefore left with two possible intriguing questions.

• Is Donald Trump's recent bombing in Syria, and his current dangerous stand-off with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, his way of attempting to deflect the eyes of the American people away from the active involvement of Putin and his Kremlin 'siloviki' in helping him gain the White House?

• And is the current attempt by Exxon Mobil to obtain  a waiver from sanctions on Russia in an effort to restart its joint venture with state oil company PAO Rosneft a hint that Putin is now demanding 'payback' for getting Trump into the White House?

(to be continued)

The scarlet thread of Maidan is having unforseen consequences that no-one could have ever predicted.

In 1999, a month after being appointed by Yeltsin as Prime Minister of Russia, Putin rose from being an unknown politician likely to loose the upcoming Russian presidential election, to becoming the most popular politician in Russia and, subsequently, President of Russia

Putin's rise to power was on the back of the second Chechen war that was precipitated by the Moscow bombings in 1999 that many, up to today, believe have Putin's FSB fingerprints all over it.(full video)

Fast forward to 2017, and a lowly rated President Trump suddenly finds his Presidential ratings moving up as he confronts North Korean's Kim Jong-un. (full video)

Separated by almost two decades, and having totally different precipitating circumstances, these two events, nonetheless, bear some rather striking similarities.

In the first instance it propelled Putin into the Kremlin, just as the second instance now seem to be suddenly increasing the 'presidential stature' of Donald Trump.

In the second instance, Putin unleashed a horrific war against the Chechen people, just as Trump's actions may precipitate Kim Jong-un unleashing a horrific war against the people of South Korea.

Putin, in the recent past, brought the world to the brink of World War III.

Now, however, Trump is staring into the abyss of precipitating World War III.

But in so doing Trump has, unwittingly, deflected the gaze of the world from the fact that Putin propelled him into the White House in the hope that the EU-US sanctions against him, precipitated by his annexation of Crimea and his war with Ukraine in the Donbas, will be lifted.

The investigations of the Senate and Congressional Intelligence Committees in the US continue to unearth the indelible links between the Kremlin and Trump and his associates during the US presidential elections.

The Rachel Maddow Show 13/04/17

So, in helping Donald Trump reach the US White House Putin, expecting 'payback' in the form of Trump undoing US sanctions against Russia, has put a man in the US White House who now stands on the verge of precipitating World War III.

The scarlet thread of Maidan is having unforseen consequences that no-one could have ever predicted. 

(to be continued)

The scarlet thread of Maidan continues to entangle Trump and Putin.

On Tuesday, 21 March 2017 I wrote that,

"Tillerson's scurrying off to the Kremlin next month, and foregoing his first meeting with all NATO members,  just as the Congressional and Senate investigations into Putin's direct intervention in the US presidential elections are set in motion, signals that both Putin and Trump are beginning to panic." (blog entry : Tuesday, 21 March 2017)

Since then, the Syrian crises caused by Bashar Al Assad 'gassing' his people, and North Korea,

" ...  threatening "tough counteraction" after a U.S. Navy strike group was routed toward the Korean Peninsula following the rogue nation's continued ballistic missile and nuclear testing" (NPR : April 11, 2017),

has only served to compound the disarray that now grips Trump's White House. 

And then, just as he is about to leave for Moscow, Rex Tillerson (right) sparks off consternation at the G7 gathering yesterday in Lucca, Italy by remarking that,

“Why should U.S. taxpayers be interested in Ukraine?” Tillerson asked foreign ministers discussing Russia’s intervention there ... " (Nick Wadhams and John Follain : Bloomberg : 11 April 2017) (my emphasis)

To which Jean-Marc Ayrault (left), the French Foreign Minister, had responded that,

"... American taxpayers ought to want a European Union that’s “strong politically, strong from a security point of view, and strong economically." (ibid Wadhams & Follain) (my emphasis)

It should also be noted that Tillerson,

"...  flew to Russia immediately after the gathering and was not immediately available for comment." (Crispian Balmer (right): Business Insider UK (Reuters) : Apr. 11, 2017) (my emphasis) 

John McLaughlin, former CIA Deputy Director, in an interview with MSNBC's Lawrence O' Donnell, clearly explains the importance of Ukraine to the US as outlined to him by a Member of the Ukrainian Rada.

Now we should bear in mind that Tillerson himself only recently,

".. has argued that the U.S. and Europe should not lift its sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine and annexing Crimea.

“The reason the sanctions were put in place continue to exist,” Tillerson said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

“There’s been no change of the status of the situation in Ukraine or Crimea. And those sanctions will remain in place until those issues are addressed.” (Olivia Beavers (left): The Hill :  11/04/17) (my emphasis)

It is true that the 'reason' the sanctions were put in place viz. the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea by Putin, and his continuing war with Ukraine in the Donbas, does, indeed, continue to exist.

As UNIAN reports,

"Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 45 times in the past 24 hours with five Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action (WIA), according to the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters" (UNIAN : 12 April 2017) (my emphasis)

What is rather disconcerting about Tillerson's remark “Why should U.S. taxpayers be interested in Ukraine?” is that it calls into question his earlier assertion that, "“There’s been no change of the status of the situation in Ukraine or Crimea. And those sanctions will remain in place until those issues are addressed.”.

The key phrase is, " ...  those sanctions will remain in place until those issues are addressed.”.

 Tillerson gives no hint whatsoever whether 'addressing those issues" refers to the full institution of the Minsk2 protocols, or to some 'other' form of addressing Putin's war with Ukraine and his illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea. 

Tillerson NEVER mentions the Minsk2 protocols!

Which, once again, brings us back to the mounting evidence of the possible collusion between Trump and his associates, and Putin, in getting Trump elected into the White House.

 

 Yesterday's (11 April, 2017) breaking news on this front continues to unveil the close links between Trump's election associates and Putin.

The US Congressional Intelligence Committee is once again on track in their investigations into the extent to which Putin assisted in the election of Trump into the White House.

As Bashar al Assad's use of chemical bombs against Syrian civilians begins to recede into the background, so are the direct links between Trump and Putin during the US presidential elections once again moving to the forefront.

Neither Trump nor Putin can escape from the scarlet thread of Maidan that continues to entangle them.

 

(to be continued)

Putin praying for a Marine Le Pen victory in French Presidential elections

Since the 'Putin-aided' election of Donald Trump to the US White House, we all seem to be now living in an almost "Alice In Wonderland" world of US politics.


Trump, it would seem, has embraced the "THREE D's" that underpins the Presidency of Putin viz.

Spread seeds of DOUBT,

Wear the cloak of DENIAL and, finally,

Create an interlocking web of DECEPTION.

And whilst many Trump-friendly political commentators are running down false rabbit holes being dug by Trump and his White House acolytes, UNIAN reported that,

"The Trilateral Contact Group has welcomed the determination demonstrated by all the participants in the Minsk process to ensure a full ceasefire prior to Easter holidays, which will enter into force on April 1, 2017" (UNIAN : 29 March 2017) (my emphasis)

However yesterday (4 April, 2017), as UNIAN now reports,

"There were two killed in action (KIA) and another five wounded in action (WIA)," Defense Ministry speaker for Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) issues Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, April 4, an UNIAN correspondent reported. 

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 48 times in the past 24 hours." (UNIAN : 04 April 2017) (my emphasis)

Overwhelmed not only by Putin's meddling in the US Presidential elections, but also by reports now identifying his meddling in the upcoming French presidential elections, as well as the German Chancellorship elections later this year, Putin's war with Ukraine has now been pushed off the front page of political news.

Yet all this meddling by Putin in the elections of the US, France, and Germany is to achieve, among other objectives, to get the millstone of US-EU sanctions off his neck.

In this endeavor, his 'blossoming romance' with Marine Le Pen is beginning to pay dividends.

As reported by Pauline Bock (right),

"The candidates most probable to reach the second round are currently Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Some polls put Macron leading the first round, but Le Pen has a stronger base: her voters are much less likely to change their minds." (New Statesman : 4 April, 2017)

However, the success of Brexit and Donald Trump is a 'cautionary tale' about poll predictions.  

In both of these cases the polls were hopelessly wrong. The predictions of the pollsters failed miserably.

Putin is now banking on these failures in the hope that Marine Le Pen will surprise everyone by being elected President of France.

Then that US-EU sanctions millstone around his neck will be finally lifted off.

(to be contoinued)