Trump, it would seem, is taking a leaf out of Putin's past actions.

 Finally the scarlet thread of Maidan that has bound Trump and Putin tightly together since the start of the US presidential elections in 2016 has now become the pinnacle of the mountain of evidence that has been accumulated by Special Council Mueller about the Trump-Putin collusion that led Donald Trump into the White House. 

And indelibly etched into this scarlet thread is one word, "Sanctions ... Sanctions ... Sanctions"

In my blog post on 19 July, 2016, I wrote 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."

I further 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)

Manafort, who on May 19, 2016 was promoted to chairman of the Trump presidential campaign, was the primary instigator of the changes that were wrought on the amendment of Diana Denman.

Since then it has always been my contention that getting rid of the US sanctions against Putin and his cronies in the Kremlin because of Putin's illegal annexation of Crimea, and his ongoing war in the Donbas against Ukraine was, and still is, the primary reason for the collusion between Trump and Putin, and that finally got Trump into the White House.

And yesterday Rachel Maddow, of MSNBC, also concluded that getting rid of the US sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki' is the key to the Trump-Putin collusion during the 2016 US presidential elections, including the ongoing collusion between Trump's 'siloviki' at the White House and Putin and his Kremlin 'siloviki'.

As the call for the impeachment of Trump begins to gain momentum amongst Democrats in the US Congress, it is rather interesting that Trump deflects this call for impeachment by suddenly announcing that the US now recognises Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel, an annnouncement that has caused furore all over the world.

This announcement of Trump signifies that he realises that his presidency is about to come to an end and, like a drowning man clutching at straws, he is willing to unleash a possible wave of violence across the world, just as Putin unleashed a wave of support for himself when those Moscow bombings in September 1999 killed hundreds of innocent Muscovites, and which remains unsolved.

As Scott Anderson wrote,

"It is a riddle [the Moscow bombings] that lies at the very heart of the modern Russian state, one that remains unsolved to this day. In the awful events of September 1999, did Russia find its avenging angel in Vladimir Putin, the proverbial man of action who crushed his nation's attackers and led his people out of a time of crisis? Or was that crisis actually manufactured to benefit Putin, a scheme by Russia's secret police to bring one of their own to power" (GQ : March 30, 2017) (my emphasis)

Trump,  it would seem, is taking a leaf out of Putin's past actions.

(to be continued)

Are Trump and his lawyers taking a leaf out of Putin's past?

The scarlet thread of Maidan is once more emerging as a critical factor as the Trump-Putin collusion during the 2016 US presidential elections continues to emerge into the light of day.
 

And as much as members of the Republican Party in both the US Senate and the US Congress continue to bury their heads in the sand over the Trump-Putin collusion issue, and of Trump obstructing justice, in the hope that this will protect their re-election chances during the 2018 November elections Trump, in his infinite wisdom, continues to incriminate himself.

As McDonnell of MSNBC reports in the above video, even Trump's lawyers are 'digging his impeachment grave'.

As also reported by  Jack Holmes,

"The "President cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case,"Dowd (left) [Trump's lawyer] claims." ( Esquire : 4 December, 2017) (my emphasis)

The ludicrousness of Trump's lawyers' statement really signifies that they are beginning to invent 'legal fictions' to mollify Trump.

But it is not only Trump who is now banging his head against a wall.

Even as Putin continues to command his Russian soldiers and proxies in the Donbas to increase their attacks against Ukrainian forces, serious cracks are beginning to appear between Putin's proxy security forces in the Donbas and his Russian FSB.

As reported by UNIAN,

"Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 21 times in the past 24 hours, with three Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action (WIA), according to the press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters." (UNIAN : 5.12.2017) (my emphasis)

At the same time,

"Under the pretext of searching for and termination of the so-called members of a 'Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group' in Luhansk, Russia’s FSB operatives together with representatives of the so-called 'minister of state security of the LPR' are identifying and arresting people from the entourage of the “LPR”'s former leadership. Such arrests are also carried out among representatives of the 'LPR law enforcement bodies' and the leaders of the so-called '2nd Army Corps'," he told a Kyiv briefing November 29." (UNIAN : 5.12.2017) (my emphasis)

Does this conflict also signify a growing rift between Putin's Kremlin 'siloviki' and his FSB? (cf also: UK Business Insider)

112 UA now also reports that,

"The probability of the fail[ure] of the mission of Kurt Volker, the US Special Envoy to Ukraine is pretty high. (right: Surkov and Volker)

Aleksey Chesnakov, the Director of Russia Center for Political Environment that is close to Vladislav Surkov, the affiliate of Vladimir Putin reported to TASS.

The expert commented on the contradictions between Volker and Surkov. According to Chesnakov, they lie in the conditions of the deployment of the UN peacekeepers in Donbas." (112 UA : 4 December 2017) (my emphasis)

Putin was never going to allow UN forces to patrol throughout the Russian-occupied Donbas and, even more significantly, to allow UN forces to patrol the border between Ukraine and Russia that Putin's Russian soldiers and proxy forces now control.

We therefore have to ask,

"Of what real value would a fourth round of talks between Volker and Putin-surrogate Surkov really be?"

As reported by UNIAN,

"Noting that the parties will meet next week, [Ambassador to Russia, Jon] Huntsman (left) recalled that the previous three rounds of negotiations had been unproductive. 

However, according to the U.S. envoy [Volker], the very fact that the negotiation process is underway inspires confidence. Huntsman expressed hope that the fourth round of talks would yield some progress and that the U.S. and Russia would be moving away from the lowest point in their relations. 

The two countries still need to overcome the existing contradictions to this end, Huntsman believes." (UNIAN : 05.12.2017) (my emphasis)

The fact that Trump is now simply lashing out with his tweets as evidence of the collusion between himself and Putin during the 2016 US presidential elections rather undermines anything that either Volker or Huntsman may hope for in Volker's meeting next week with Putin-surrogate Surkov.

There is also a rather interesting $64 question. 

Are Trump and his lawyers taking a leaf out of Putin's past?

(to be continued)

Is Putin the emboldened, the political opportunist, getting ready to strike with his 'gas gambit'?

In my last blog entry I wrote that,

"In other words, Putin seems to be emboldened to continue his war against Ukraine by the fact that :-

• the German political scene has handcuffed Merkel in vigorously continuing to orchestrate the EU sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki', and
• Trump has not yet signed off on supplying Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles." (blog entry : 25 November 2017)

We now have Christopher Miller (left) reporting that,

"Ukrainian officials and politicians have reacted with alarm to reports that the Council of Europe is considering lifting sanctions imposed against Russia over its military intervention in Crimea out of fears that Moscow might otherwise leave the body." (RFE/RL : 27 November 2017) (my emphasis)

This alarm of Ukrainian officials and politicians stems from the fact the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland (right), is touring the capitals of the EU, warning that Moscow could withdraw or crash out of the 47-member body unless its demands are met.

“Nobody wants to give a signal that we accept the annexation of Crimea. It is not about undermining this position of principle. But . . . we have to keep in perspective: what is our mandate. Our mandate is to protect human rights in Russia and Crimea, or wherever people live on the continent.” ( Neil Buckley (right): Financial Times :November 26, 2017) (my emphasis) 

Neil Buckley further reports that,

“It would really be very, very bad if Russia was to leave . . . because the convention and court has been so important for Russian citizens,” Mr Jagland told the FT in an interview.

 “It will be a negative development for Europe, because we will have a Europe without Russia. It would be a big step back for Europe.” " (ibid Neil Buckley) (my emphasis)

Ukraine's ambassador to the Council of Europe, Dmytro Kuleba (right), argues that Putin's threats about leaving the Council of Europe are empty. (ibid Neil Buckley)

As further reported by Neil Buckley,

"Opponents of an unconditional deal with Russia say that it would set a precedent for others accused of backsliding on democracy, such as Hungary and Poland, and for Turkey and Azerbaijan, which have serious disputes with the council." (ibid Neil Buckley) (my emphasis)

Thorbjørn Jagland's arguments ring hollow when viewed against the failure of the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) in relation to Ukrainian cases submitted in 2014, the year of the Maidan revolution.

In 2014 the ECHR received a total of 14,198 applications that were allocated to a 'Judicial Formation'.( cf: The ECHR in facts & figures - 2014 - European Court of Human Rights ) 

Of these cases,

• 12,731 were declared INADMISSABLE, and only
• 1,073 received a Judicial Judgement

In other words, 89% of Ukrainian cases in 2014 were thrown out by the ECHR, cases that arose during the years when Victor Yanukovich (left) was President of Ukraine, and who fled with billions of dollars stolen from the people of Ukraine into the 'protective' arms of Putin in 2014.

What is extremely disconcerting about Thorbjørn Jagland traipsing across Europe and pushing Putin's blackmail about leaving the Council for Europe is that, as reported by Neil Buckley,

"Mr Jagland denied rumours that Moscow officials had threatened a pullout in private meetings with him.
...
“My understanding is that this may happen,” he said. “The big political question is do we want this political development." (my emphasis)

So whilst Putin has been somewhat subtle about blackmailing Trump to stop him from signing off on that $47 million grant package, that would include Javelin anti-tank missiles, with Thorbjørn Jagland, Putin has adopted an in-your-face threatening blackmail posture.

 Josh Rogin neatly sums up Putin's subtle approach in handling Trump and his 'White House siloviki'.

"After playing into Russia’s hands on Syria, the Trump administration now risks repeating the error in Ukraine, where diplomatic discussions over a Russian initiative are heating up. Moscow’s plan is to legitimize its invasion and control over parts of two eastern provinces [of Ukraine] by drawing President Trump into another bad deal." (Washington Post : November 26, 2017) (my emphasis)

As winter now begins to set in across Europe, will Putin use the 'gas gambit' to further pressure the EU to drop sanctions against himself and his Kremlin 'siloviki'?

Is Putin the emboldened, the political opportunist, getting ready to strike with his 'gas gambit'?

(to be continued)

Will Trump sign off on supplying Ukraine with anti-tank Javelin missiles?

"A week is a long time in politics". So said Harold Wilson, the late PM of Great Britain in the 1960's.

And so it is that after desperately trying to build up a coalition with some minor political parties, Angela Merkel has finally to concede that  ".. her efforts to form a three-way coalition government had failed, thrusting Germany into a political crisis and pushing Europe's largest economy closer to a possible new election." (CNBC (Reuters) : Sun, 19 Nov 2017) (my emphasis) 

Let us now also recall that in June of this year (2017), Constanze Stelzenmüller testified before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and stated that,

"...Germany remains a major power, and in some ways the fulcrum of power on the continent. For a Russia that is clearly bent on destabilizing Europe and the transatlantic alliance, Germany is the prize: Weaken Germany, and you diminish the EU and the European project and, conversely, because Germany has orchestrated the European consensus on sanctions against Russia, it [Germany] has become the main obstacle for Russia in pursuing its interests in Europe and, indeed, in Ukraine." (Brookings : Wednesday, June 28, 2017) (my emphasis)

To the delight of Putin, the turmoil in the German political scene has handcuffed Merkel in vigorously continuing to orchestrate the EU sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki' now that Germany seems to be heading towards new elections.

But Putin is not having it all his own way.

As Tara Palmeri (right) reports,

"The National Security Council decided during a meeting on Tuesday [November 14] to greenlight the presentation of a $47 million grant package to the Ukrainian government to purchase American defense arms, including the powerful Javelin anti-tank missiles." (ABC News : Nov 17, 2017) (my emphasis)

(cf also The Hill)

Which may have precipitated, as reported by Oliver Carroll that,

"Russian business should be prepared to switch to production to military needs at any time, said Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. The Russian president was speaking at a conference of military leaders in Sochi.

“The ability of our economy to increase military production and services at a given time is one of the most important aspects of military security,” Mr Putin said. “To this end, all strategic, and simply large-scale enterprise should be ready, regardless of ownership.” (The Independent : 22 November, 2017) (my emphasis)

 

Trying to prevent Trump from signing off on this $47 million grant package, that includes the purchasing of those Javelin anti-tank missiles, Putin stressed to Trump during their recent telephone conversation on Tuesday, 21st November, that the situation in Ukraine can only be solved through the full implementation of the Minsk2 agreement.

As reported by Alexander Mercouris,

"Regarding the crisis in southeast Ukraine, the President of Russia pointed to the lack of a real alternative to unconditional compliance with the Minsk agreements of February 12, 2015." (The Duran : November 22, 2017) (my emphasis)

Interestingly, the White House released statement about this meeting focussed primarily on Syria, with Ukraine thrown in almost as an afterthought by Trump at the end .

 Which raises the $64 question ...

"Will Trump sign off on supplying Ukraine with anti-tank Javelin missiles?"

Perhaps the hint of an answer lies in the fact that,

"The European Union on Friday blamed Russia for the deaths of at least five troops in eastern Ukraine in what appears to be the worst outburst of violence in months.

"The death of five Ukrainian servicemen yesterday [23 November 2017] is the just the latest proof of the tragic consequences of Russia's aggression in Ukraine," said EU Council President Donald Tusk (right) after a summit with six eastern European nations, including Ukraine." (Raf Casert, Associated Press ABC News : Nov 24, 2017) (my emphasis)

In other words, Putin seems to be emboldened to continue his war against Ukraine by the facts that :-

• the German political scene has handcuffed Merkel in vigorously continuing to orchestrate the EU sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki', and
• Trump has not yet signed off on supplying Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles.

The 'bromance' between Trump and Putin seems to be growing stronger.  

(to be continued)

Is Trump preparing to throw Ukraine under the bus as payback to Putin?

Just over a week ago I wrote that,

"Did Putin sanction this Bloomberg interview with Veselnitskaya, that potentially puts Trump Jnr. in the crosshairs of landing in prison, to add pressure on US President Trump to get the 'sanctions monkey' off his back?" (blog entry: 7 November, 2017)

We now learn from Andrew Higgins (right) that,

"Under a $2.8 million no-bid contract awarded by the Office of Acquisitions in Washington, security guards at the American Embassy in Moscow and at consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok will be provided by Elite Security Holdings, a company closely linked to the former top K.G.B. figure, Viktor G. Budanov, a retired general who rose through the ranks to become head of Soviet counterintelligence." (New York Times : Nov. 14, 2017) (my emphasis)

This contract was given the green light by none other than Rex Tillerson, current US Secretary of State, and recipient of 'Russia's Order of Friendship', by none other than Putin himself.

That news about this contract has emerged as Trump, during his Asian tour, has stated that Putin has been 'badly' lumbered with US sanctions against him, should not come as a surprise.

As the Mueller (right) investigation continues to add to the mountain of evidence that supports the charge of collusion in the 2016 US presidential elections between Putin and his 'siloviki', and Trump and his 'Russian-friendly' cohorts, Trump continues to try to find devious ways to get rid of those US sanctions to pay Putin back for getting him elected into the White House.

And covering Trump's back is none other than Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State!

The same Rex Tillerson who has decimated the US State Department, and shut down the US State Department Sanctions Office.

There is an urgency on the part of BOTH Trump and Tillerson to get the sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki' removed ASAP as the call for Trump's impeachment gains momentum.

Meanwhile, UNIAN reports that,

"Ukrainian Foreign Minister [of Ukraine] Pavlo Klimkin (right) in his exclusive comments to MailOnline has said the Russian Federation has sent in Donbas some 500 tanks, in addition to hundreds of other heavy weapons and thousands of Russian regular troops and mercenaries." (UNIAN : 16 November 2017) (my emphasis)

Which poses yet another $64 question viz.

"Is Trump preparing to throw Ukraine under the bus as payback to Putin for getting him elected into the White House?"

(to be continued)

The 'illusory' beliefs of Putin, Trump, and Zakharchenko.

"In 1929-1930, [Ukrainian] peasants were induced to transfer land and livestock to state-owned farms, in which they would work as day-labourers for payment in kind.
...
In the summer of 1930, [Stalin's] government instituted a program of food requisitioning, ostensibly to increase grain exports. Subsequently in 1932, food theft was made punishable by death or 10 years imprisonment.
...
By the end of 1933, millions of people had starved to death or had otherwise died unnaturally in Ukraine [the Ukrainian "Holodomor"] and the other Soviet republics. The total number of population losses (famine death and birth deficit) across the entire Soviet Union is estimated as 6–7 million." (Wikipedia) (my emphasis)

Today we learn that,

"The so-called head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic ("DPR"), Alexander Zakharchenko, (left) has reportedly ordered to seize all crops, namely vegetables, fruit, grapes, etc., grown by households on "unauthorized" plots of land, according to the "republic's" website....
...
The so-called "Revenue and Taxes Ministry" of the "DPR" has been granted unimpeded access to areas where these crops are harvested or stored, as well as given the right to seize yields.

"In the event of unauthorized disposal of the crops specified in paragraph 1 of the 'decree,' legal entities, individual entrepreneurs, and individuals are obliged to reimburse costs of the crops," reads the document." (UNIAN : 14.11.2017) (my emphasis)

And whilst Zakharchenko is trying to set up his 2017 version of a 'Holodomor' program in Ukraine's Donbas,

"Monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine have reported over 770 explosions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions on the weekend. " (UNIAN : 14.11.2017)

As these explosions rang in the ears of Zakharchenko, this obscene 'decree' of his could not have been drawn up without the blessing of Putin's Kremlin aide, Vladislav Surkov. This is the same Vladislav Surkov who [met with] US Special Representative Kurt Volker (appointed by US Secretary of state, Rex Tillerson) (left) "on November 13 to explore deploying United Nations peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine." (RFERL: November 13, 2017) (my emphasis)

It beggars belief that neither Volker nor Tillerson have denounced this Stalin-like decree of seizing food from the Ukrainian people in the Donbas, and issued by Zakharchenko.

Did Volker even raise this issue with Vladislav Surkov when they met yesterday?

Or, like Trump, did he prefer simply to turn a 'blind eye' to the obscenity of this "Zakharchenko" decree, just as Trump continuously turns a 'blind eye' to the growing mountain of evidence about him and his cohorts colluding with Putin during the 2016 US presidential elections. (MSNBC video 1)

Trump may be turning a 'blind eye' to Putin's strategy of weaponizing information to achieve his purposes, but not so Theresa May, Prime Minister of Great Britain.

At her Mansion House speech last night she,

" ... launched her strongest attack on Russia yet, accusing Moscow of meddling in elections and carrying out cyber espionage." (BBC News : 14 November, 2017) (my emphasis)

Underscoring what Theresa May said yesterday, Julia Ioffe (left) reports that,

"The transparency organization (Wikileaks) asked the president’s son (Donald Trump Jnr.) for his cooperation—in sharing its work, in contesting the results of the election, and in arranging for Julian Assange to be Australia’s ambassador to the United States.
...
The messages exchanged with WikiLeaks add a second instance in which Trump Jr. appears eager to obtain damaging information about Hillary Clinton, despite its provenance." (The Atlantic: Nov 13, 2017) (my emphasis)

We now have these illusory beliefs of Putin, Trump, and Zakharchenko.

• Trump said on the international stage in Manila,"What I said there is that [Putin] believes [that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 US presidential elections to favour Trump] ... and that's very important for somebody to believe. " (cf video 1 above)
• Just as it is also important for Trump to believe that himself and his cohorts did not collude with Putin during the 2016 US presidential election.
• Just as it is important for Zakharchenko to believe that he is head of a mythical country called the "DPR", and that he can issue 'decrees', like some potentate from a fairy tale.

The scarlet thread of Maidan weaves a complex pattern that tightly binds together Putin, Trump, and Zakharchenko.

(to be continued)

Why is Volker, Merkel, and Macron ready to "de-link" Putin's war in the Donbas from his illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea?

Laurence Norman and Julian E. Barnes (left) report that,

"U.S. officials are preparing to test Moscow’s willingness to end the Ukraine conflict by seeking Russia’s approval for 20,000 peacekeepers across Ukraine’s embattled east, U.S. and Western officials said.
...
The U.S. is expected to raise the proposal with Russian officials in coming days, these people said. It is driven by hopes in some Western capitals, including Paris and Belin, that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking a way out of Moscow's military support to Ukrainian separatists." (Wall Street Journal : Nov. 9, 2017) (my emphasis)

We also learn that,

"The [Canadian] Trudeau government is facing increasing pressure to take a leadership role in war-torn eastern Ukraine by spearheading a UN peacekeeping mission to help stabilize the conflict between Kyiv and Russian-backed belligerents" (Steven Chase (right): The Globe and Mail: 9 November 2017) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, Canadian Official Opposition Leader, Andrew Scheer (left) has also stated that,

"A UN peace support mission "would allow Ukraine to restore control over its eastern border with Russia, ensuring the Russian military stays within its own country, and out of Ukraine," Mr. Scheer says in remarks to be delivered Thursday.
...
[Scheer's Conservative Party] is calling for a peacekeeping mission that would be located at the Ukrainian-Russian border rather than at the front line itself in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine." (ibid Steven Chase) (my emphasis)

So whilst,

• US Special Representative to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, and Russia's Vladislav Surkov "...will meet later this month to explore deploying United Nations peacekeepers to the eastern part of the country in an effort to jump-start the stalled Minsk peace process." (Nick Wadhams: Bloomberg : 3 November 2017) (my emphasis), 
• and Macron and Merkel are, "driven by hopes ... that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking a way out of Moscow's military support to Ukrainian separatists" (ibid Norman and Barnes), 

Canadian politicians are more forthright that  ANY UN peacekeeping force in Ukraine MUST allow Ukraine to, " restore control over its eastern border with Russia, ensuring the Russian military stays within its own country, and out of Ukraine" (ibid Steven Chase)

Let us now recall that in a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on September 11, Putin suggested to Merkel,

"...[a] Russian initiative to set up a UN mission to facilitate the guarding of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM)," the Kremlin said. [This UN mission would be] "... the deployment of lightly armed peacekeepers to protect OSCE observers monitoring the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
.....
But he indicated that the peacekeepers would operate only along the front line separating Ukrainian government forces and separatists."(RFE/RL: September 11, 2017) (my emphasis)

 Which raises the question :

"Why is there a "de-linking" between Putin's war with Ukraine in the Donbas, and Putin's illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea?" 

As reported by Vladislav Gordeev,

Подробнее на РБК:
https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=http://www.rbc.ru/politics/04/11/2017/59fd57789a7947e0065cca5a&usg=ALkJrhj9BuBy95TBjc9OBt9M6vDhlkl8ig

Vladislav Gordeev

Подробнее на РБК:
https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=http://www.rbc.ru/politics/04/11/2017/59fd57789a7947e0065cca5a&usg=ALkJrhj9BuBy95TBjc9OBt9M6vDhlkl8ig

[Администрация США готова «забыть» о Крыме при переговорах по урегулированию в Донбассе, заявил спецпредставитель Курт Волкер. Он пояснил, что при этом Белый дом не собирается признавать присоединение Крыма к России]

"The US administration is ready to "forget" about the Crimea in the negotiations for a settlement in the Donbass, said special representative Kurt Volker (left). He explained that the White House is not going to recognize the annexation of Crimea to Russia" (RBC : 04/11/2017) (my emphasis) 

This "de-linking" of Ukrainian Crimea from Putin's war with Ukraine in the Donbass may have something to do with the fact that Putin desperately needs US-EU sanctions to be lifted so that the growing poverty of most Russians that have resulted from Putin's illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas, can be lifted.

As reported by Boris Vishnevsky (right), 

• In 2018, it is planned that Crimea will receive 130 billion rubles "free of charge, that is, for nothing". With own revenues of 38 billion rubles. "  [В 2018 году планируется, что Крыму «безвозмездно, то есть даром» пришлют 130 млрд. рублей. При собственных доходах в 38 млрд. рублей.] (echo.msk.ru/blog/boris_vis/2084924-echo/)

• "According to the figures of the Yabloko deputy in St. Petersburg’s Legislative Assembly , almost 2,000 rubles (32 US dollars) of each Russian’s taxes will go to occupied Crimea and an additional 700 rubles (11 US dollars) will go to cover the Chechnya of Ramzan Kadyrov." (Paul Goble : Window on Eurasia:Thursday, November 2, 2017) (my emphasis) 

As also reported by Tatyana Lomskaya (left),

"Low-income Russians have been unable to wait for an uptick in incomes and have turned to loans to meet their consumer needs. Experts, including the Central Bank, believe such borrowers are a danger to the economy." (The Russian Reader : 11 October, 2017) (my emphasis)

Putin's desperation to have that "sanctions monkey" off his back is becoming more apparent as the 2018 Russian presidential elections loom ever closer.

And whilst Volker is 'de-linking' Ukrainian Crimea from Putin's war with Ukraine in the Donbas,  Ken Dilanian reports that,

"After a business meeting before the Miss Universe Pageant in 2013, a Russian participant offered to "send five women" to Donald Trump's hotel room in Moscow, his longtime bodyguard told Congress this week, according to three sources who were present for the interview." (NBC News : Nov 9 2017) (my emphasis)

Yet again do we have more of the Steele dossier being exposed as, in all probability, factually correct.

After all, what happened in Trump's hotel room after his trusted bodyguard went to sleep in his own hotel room?

(to be continued)