Putin, like Trump, now finds himself caught between a rock and a hard pace.

As the Trump presidency continues to implode, Putin's payback for helping Trump gain the keys to the White House has taken yet another nosedive.

There is an old Russian saying that a "fish rots from the head". And so it is that Trump, the Manchurian Candidate that Putin caught, is now beginning to 'rot from the head', and with it Putin's payback of the lifting of US sanctions against himself and his Kremlin 'siloviki' clique for giving Trump the keys to the White House.

We now learn that the attempted lifting of US sanctions against Putin and his clique have encountered a stumbling block since the Democrats gained control of the US Congress.

As Adam Schiff (right), the incoming Chairman of the US House of Congress 'Intelligence Committee' states,
 
"It certainly now is a consistent portrait that we are getting from Veselnitskaya that that meeting in Trump Tower, the work on the Magnistky Act,her effort to do away with the sanctions that we have imposed upon the Russians ... This is being done as a part of her work on the part of the Russian government, and of course, that raises the stakes for that meeting in Trump Tower." (MSNBC : 8 Jan., 2019)

MSNBC 

And as Rachel Maddow reports,

 "We got further word today that the Chairs of 7 major committees in Congress are now challenging Trump's Treasury Secretary over a Trump administration decision that was just announced before Congress to lift sanctions on companies associated with  ... Oleg Deripaska [a member of Putin's inner-circle]..."(MSNBC : 8 Jan., 2019)

MSNBC 

Which rather once again throws into sharp relief, the adamant German excuse that Nord Stream2 is merely an "economic" project that has NOTHING to do with Putin's war with Ukraine, a view simply not accepted by many members of the EU who want its construction DELAYED as part of the EU sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki' clique.

As I wrote in a recent blog entry (2/1/2019),


"The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman (left), is correct in stating that,

"... the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project a form of a disguised war against Europe and European consumers. “Nord Stream 2 is a form of disguised war against Europe. We know what it is to be dependent on Russia in energy. We know from our own experience how dangerous it is. Therefore, we are now considering the project as Russia's geopolitical weapon,” Groysman said, adding that Ukraine’s preservation of the status of a priority gas transit country is of great “significance in terms of security and politics" for all of Europe.” (UNIAN : 2nd January, 2019) (my emphasis)

One can now safely say that the Putinversteher Angela Merkel, together with the German business community is, and always has been, covering Putin's economic back, irrespective of Gazprom being a critical factor in Putin's war with Ukraine!"

The completion of the Nord Stream2 project is now more critical for Putin as the US House of Congress begins to block Trump's attempt to remove US sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki' clique.

Coupled with the fact that,

“Oil is flip-flopping on concerns of supply and demand,” said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. “It’s really a battle between the supply situation, which looks to be tightening, versus the possibility that demand will drop off.”
.....
Riyadh was expected to cut February prices for heavier crude grades sold to Asia due to weaker fuel oil margins while reducing prices for light grades to keep Saudi oil competitive against rising U.S. shale oil supplies, a Reuters survey showed on Thursday." (Alex Lawler (left): Reuters : 4 January, 2019) (my emphasis)",

Putin, like Trump, now finds himself caught between a rock and a hard pace.

(to be continued)

Will Putin now opt for the 'German blitzkrieg' strategy of Hitler and attack Mariupol?

In my last blog entry (2 January, 2019)I wrote that,

"Now that the Democratic Party is within a few hours short of taking full control of the US House of Congress, and with it full oversight over Trump's actions, Putin realizes that his 'Manchurian' hold over Trump is now counter-balanced by the incoming Democratic oversight over his 'Manchurian' Trump." (blog entry : 2 Jan., 2019)


And in an interview, the new Speaker of the US House of Congress, Nancy Pelosi, stated that the impeachment of Trump is now an open question. 

 MSNBC (3 January, 2019)

Even more significant, the 'Manchurian' hold that Putin has over Trump is now also bubbling to the surface.

Yesterday (3 January, 2019), Rachel Maddow reported 'strange' instances when Trump, since the start of his presidency, publicly mouthed Putin's pro-Russian propaganda.

And NOW it has just happened again!

 MSNBC (3 January, 2019)

This must be causing Putin some consternation since, as also reported by UNIAN,

"Leader of the People's Front Party Arseniy Yatsenyuk says Nancy Pelosi, the newly elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is "Ukraine's true friend."
...
 "At our last meeting in September 2018, we talked a lot about the prospects of Ukrainian-American cooperation. We are united by strong belief in the success of our partnership," he said. (UNIAN : 4 January, 2019) (my emphasis)

Added to which, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly (right), stated that,

"Ukraine expects arms supplies, including lethal weapons, from the United States in 2019.
...
"We are working together now. The Strategic Partnership Commission considers all issues, including military and technical cooperation, cooperation on security issues," he said. (UNIAN : 3 January,2019) (my emphasis)

These are not the only worries of Putin.

It is now being reported that,

"Russia has once again postponed the commissioning of the railway service via the Kerch Strait bridge over miscalculations in the blueprints of railway approaches to the bridge linking the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula with mainland Russia.
...
THERE WERE ROCK SHIFTS IN THE TUNNEL!" (UNIAN : 4 January, 2019) (my emphasis)

Added to which,

“Oil is flip-flopping on concerns of supply and demand,” said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. “It’s really a battle between the supply situation, which looks to be tightening, versus the possibility that demand will drop off.”
.....
Riyadh was expected to cut February prices for heavier crude grades sold to Asia due to weaker fuel oil margins while reducing prices for light grades to keep Saudi oil competitive against rising U.S. shale oil supplies, a Reuters survey showed on Thursday." (Alex Lawler (right): Reuters : 4 January, 2019) (my emphasis)

These developments underscore the reporting by Jamie Dettmer (left), that,


"Ukrainian officials are warning that Russia may be about to escalate its conflict with Ukraine, including possibly launching a breakout offensive from Crimea.
....
“Russia continues to build up and prepare its military forces for possible offensive operations against Ukraine from the Crimean peninsula and the East,” the institute has reported. It says Russia could conduct such operations on short notice." (VOA: ! January, 2019) (my emphasis).

Given that Putin has once again had to postpone the commissioning of the railway service via the Kerch Strait bridge, thus limiting the speed with which he can pour Russian troops and armaments into Ukraine's Crimea, will Putin now opt for the 'German blitzkrieg' strategy of Hitler and attack Mariupol?

(to be continued)

To regain his popularity in Russia, will Putin light the touchpaper of all-out war with Ukraine?

In the first two years of the 'Manchurian-Candidate' Trump presidency, Putin strutted the world stage as he flexed his 'nuclear' muscles and escalated his war with Ukraine, as evidenced by his Kerch strait attack on Ukrainian ships, the buildup of his nuclear weaponry in Ukraine's Crimea, and the further consolidation of his forces along Ukraine's border.

Now that the Democratic Party is within a few hours short of taking full control of the US House of Congress, and with it full oversight over Trump's actions, Putin realizes that his 'Manchurian' hold over Trump is now counter-balanced by the incoming Democratic oversight over his 'Manchurian' Trump.

So, as reported by Jamie Dettmer (left),

"Ukrainian officials are warning that Russia may be about to escalate its conflict with Ukraine, including possibly launching a breakout offensive from Crimea.
....
“Russia continues to build up and prepare its military forces for possible offensive operations against Ukraine from the Crimean peninsula and the East,” the institute has reported. It says Russia could conduct such operations on short notice." (VOA: ! January, 2019) (my emphasis)

UNIAN similarly reports that,

"The Russian-led occupation forces continue massing heavy weapons in the area near the Russian occupied city of Luhansk in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, and conduct live-fire exercises, preparing for active hostilities." (UNIAN : 30 Dec., 2018) (my emphasis) (cf also: OSCE report 29 Dec., 2018)

And whilst Putin is gearing up his naval and armed forces for an invasion of Ukraine, Paul Carrell (left) reports that,

"U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline is no reason to stop the project and any attempt to do so would be difficult now that it is being built, [Germany's] European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said.
...
Germany refuses to join opposition to the project from many EU states and - thus far - from the EU executive, describing it as a private enterprise." (Reuters : 28 December, 2018) (my emphasis)


The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman (left), is correct in stating that,

"... the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project a form of a disguised war against Europe and European consumers. “Nord Stream 2 is a form of disguised war against Europe. We know what it is to be dependent on Russia in energy. We know from our own experience how dangerous it is. Therefore, we are now considering the project as Russia's geopolitical weapon,” Groysman said, adding that Ukraine’s preservation of the status of a priority gas transit country is of great “significance in terms of security and politics" for all of Europe.” (UNIAN : 2nd January, 2019) (my emphasis)

One can now safely say that the Putinversteher Angela Merkel, together with the German business community is, and always has been, covering Putin's economic back, irrespective of Gazprom being a critical factor in Putin's war with Ukraine!

And whilst Putin continues to flex his Russian military and German political-economic muscles, ordinary Russia people are beginning to publicly express their growing dislike of his actions at home.

As reported by Echo msk., Putin's [2019] New Year address to the Russian people

 Дорогие россияне поставили президенту массу дизлайков в YouTube. На странице «России-1» новогоднее обращение получило около тысячи «лайков» и более 4 тысяч «дизлайков», то есть знаков одобрения и неодобрения соответственно.

У обращения на «Первом канале – 12 тысяч «лайков», а «дизлайков» — больше 66 тысяч. Это притом, что по декабрьским данным ВЦИОМа, деятельность президента одобряет почти 65% россиян, а количество «лайков» легко накрутить с помощью прокремлевских ботов.

" (Google Translate) ... have put a lot of dizlik on YouTube to the president. On the Russia-1 page, the New Year's appeal received about a thousand “likes” and more than 4 thousand “dislikes”, that is, signs of approval and disapproval, respectively.

The appeal on Channel One has 12 thousand likes, and the dislikes have more than 66 thousand. This is despite the fact that according to the December data of the VTsIOM, the president’s activities are approved by almost 65% of Russians, and the number of “likes” is easily crafted using pro-Kremlin bots." (Echo msk. : 1st January, 2019) (my emphasis) (cf also: Paul Goble: 1 January, 2019)

As the people of Russia continue to suffer the privations brought upon them by Putin placing his ego and the continued enrichment of his 'siloviki' clan above that of the daily deprivations that this has caused for the Russian people, what does 2019 have in store for the Russian people?

To regain his standing among the people of Russia, will he finally light the touchpaper of all-out war with Ukraine?

(to be continued)

Is Putin beginning to fall into the abyss of starting WW3?

Iryna Nazarchuk has reported that,

"British defense minister Gavin Williamson (left) visited Ukraine on Friday where he told his Ukrainian counterpart that the Black Sea did not belong to Russia and that Britain had sent a Royal Navy ship there to show Kiev did not stand alone." (Reuters : 21 Dec., 2018) (my emphasis)

Mail Online

At the same time, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, stated that,

"Last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told journalists in Brussels the North Atlantic alliance would be taking more of a “leadership” role in defending Ukraine. “We are also supporting Ukraine to improve its naval capabilities,” Stoltenberg said." (Anna Nemtsova : Daily Beast : 21 Dec., 2018) (my emphasis)

Earlier, during his four-hour press conference Thursday (20 Dec., 2018) Putin,

" .... showed no sign he’d be softening his position on the Kerch Strait or in the Sea of Azov to respect Ukrainian sovereignty. “We have a right and we will design our military policy the way we consider necessary,” he said. “If General Staff [of the Armed Forces], the border guard service, think we need to reinforce security on a certain territory, we are going to do it.” (ibid Anna Nemtsova) (my emphasis)

More disconcerting, however, at his marathon press conference last Thursday, Putin rather bluntly stated that,

" ... The danger of the situation escalating is being downplayed. It now seems to be impossible ... something not of crucial importance .. But at the same time if something like this would happen this might lead to the collapse of the entire civilization ... maybe our planet ..."

According to Russian opposition leader Dmitry Gudko (left),

“Putin’s popularity is now down to 45 percent, as low as it was before he annexed Crimea; so he needs a little victorious war again to boost his rating, or at least to keep it from fading away.” (ibid Anna Nemtsova) (my emphasis)

Would Putin start a nuclear war simply to boost his ratings?

As I wrote in my last blog entry (12/12/2018),

"Let us not forget the Moscow apartment bombings in 1999 that killed 293 innocent Russian civilians, and injured more than 1,000, and that pointed directly to Putin as the perpetrator of this massacre upon his own people. (cf. CBC : 8 January 2015, Wikipedia, David Satter ; National Review (17 Aug., 2017), Scott Anderson : GQ (March 30, 2017) )

These bombings catapulted Putin into his first term as president of Russia.

Let us now remind ourselves that,

"Moscow's persistence in claiming that Ukraine is plotting a chemical attack in the occupied Donbas raises serious concerns, says Ukrainian MP Dmytro Tymchuk, who is also a coordinator of the Information Resistance OSINT group.
...
On November 26, a statement was made by Russian ambassador to the OSCE, A. Lukashevich (left), that the Ukrainian Armed Forces "are preparing a provocation with the use of chemical weapons in Donbas."
...
[Furthermore], on December 5, at a briefing of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Zakharova (left) told the same thing, adding: “Such actions can lead to civilian casualties and contradict not only the Minsk Agreements, but also international agreements on the prohibition and restriction of weapons of mass destruction...” (UNIAN : 10 December, 2018) (my emphasis)

When viewed against Putin's recent statement about the "danger of the situation [at the Kerch Strait entrance into the Sea of Azov] escalating", we can discern a propaganda pattern that Putin is using as a prelude to legitimize a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

If, however, Putin thought that the current preoccupation of the US Senate and House of Congress with the increasing problems confronting Trump's hold on the US presidency will somehow divert their attentions away from his rapidly escalating move to invade Ukraine, he has sorely miscalculated.

In a press release by Senator Ron Johnson,

"U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) (left: Durbin and Johnson), and 39 of their colleagues introduced a resolution calling for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation operation in the Black Sea and the cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in response to Russia’s recent aggressive actions in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov. (my emphasis)


“The United States and our allies need to rapidly counter Russia’s military aggression in the Kerch Strait with strong and resolute action,” Sen. Johnson said. “Assembling a multinational freedom of navigation operation in the Black Sea to help ensure safe passage into the Sea of Azov, combined with cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is exactly the kind of response Putin needs to see.” (19 December, 2018) (their emphasis) (Full text of resolution)

 
As ships of NATO, the US, and Great Britain begin to assemble in the Black Sea and, possibly, head towards the Kerch Strait entrance into the Sea of Azov and towards Ukraine's port of Mariupol, will Putin stand in their way?

Should we take him at his word when he said that,

"... The danger of the situation escalating is being downplayed. It now seems to be impossible ... something not of crucial importance .. But at the same time if something like this would happen this might lead to the collapse of the entire civilization ... maybe our planet ..."?

 

Is Putin beginning to fall into the abyss of starting WW3?

(to be continued)

Is Putin throwing Maria Butina OR Donald Trump under the bus.

In August of 2014, the massacre of Ukrainian soldiers retreating from the city of Illovaisk, after being surrounded by Putin's Russian soldiers, took place.

This massacre committed by Putin's soldiers and his proxies in Illovaisk occurred AFTER Putin himself agreed that those encircled Ukrainian soldiers would be allowed to SAFELY retreat from Illovaisk. (cf: Wikipedia, Lucian Kim: Newsweek(Reuters): 4 November, 2014 , BBC : 20 August, 2014)

 

Fast forward to 2018 and we have Putin preparing another Illovaisk massacre.

As reported by UNIAN,

"Military columnist and expert with the Information Resistance OSINT community, Yuriy Karin, has said Russia, to destabilize the situation in Ukraine, may set up another "Ilovaisk pocket."" (UNIAN : Wednesday 12 December, 2018) (my emphasis)

What is more disturbing, as reported by UNIAN,

"Moscow's persistence in claiming that Ukraine is plotting a chemical attack in the occupied Donbas raises serious concerns, says Ukrainian MP Dmytro Tymchuk, who is also a coordinator of the Information Resistance OSINT group.
...
On November 26, a statement was made by Russian ambassador to the OSCE, A. Lukashevich (right), that the Ukrainian Armed Forces "are preparing a provocation with the use of chemical weapons in Donbas."
...
On December 5, at a briefing of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Zakharova (left) told the same thing, adding: “Such actions can lead to civilian casualties and contradict not only the Minsk Agreements, but also international agreements on the prohibition and restriction of weapons of mass destruction...”
(UNIAN : 10 December, 2018) (my emphasis)

Let us not forget the Moscow apartment bombings in 1999 that killed 293 innocent Russian civilians, and injured more than 1,000, and that pointed directly to Putin as the perpetrator of this massacre upon his own people. (cf. CBC : 8 January 2015, Wikipedia, David Satter ; National Review (17 Aug., 2017), Scott Anderson : GQ (March 30, 2017) )

Like Trump, who is now trapped in the evidence-vice of the Mueller investigation into his collusion with Putin during the 2016 US presidential elections, Putin realizes his mis-calculation in attacking Ukraine's ships at the mouth of the Sea of Azov.

No more is this evidenced than by the fact that,

"Today (11 Dec., 2018), the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 1162, which renews calls for Russia to end hostilities that violate Ukraine’s sovereignty, reaffirms the House’s commitment to Ukraine’s independence and security, and urges the president to hold Russia accountable for its aggressive behavior. Passage of the resolution comes in the wake of Russia’s seizure last month of Ukrainian ships and crew in the Azov Sea." (US Foreign Affairs Committee : 11 Dec., 2018) (my emphasis)

 As Paul Gregory (left) also notes,

"Germany has been a lonely supporter of NS2, a pipeline being built by Russia’s gas monopoly, Gazprom, and German/Austrian utility giants
under the Baltic Sea to deliver Russian natural gas directly to Germany.
.....
The election of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
(AKK) (right) to succeed Merkel as head of the Christian Democrats (CDU) has provided an
impetus to reconsider the NS2 project, which the influential German newspaper, Die Zeit, calls a “foreign policy disaster for Germany.”
.....
Putin himself, not Germany, reopened the NS2 debate with his blocking the Sea of Azov, seizing Ukrainian naval vessels and charging Ukrainian navy men with criminal acts.
.....
With such rogue behavior, it is increasingly difficult for Germany’s Putin Versteher to argue that NS2 is simply a normal commercial deal. It should be increasingly clear that Gazprom is not a commercial business but an arm of Russian geopolitical policy. (The Hill : 12 Dec., 2018) (my emphasis)

And now we also have Pete Madden, Katherine Faulders, and Matthew Mosk reporting that,

"Maria Butina (left), a 30-year-old Russian gun rights activist who stands accused developing a covert influence operation in the United States, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and cooperate with federal, state and local authorities in any ongoing investigations.
.....
Based on the description, the “Russian Official” appears to be Alexander Torshin, deputy governor of the Russian Central Bank and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Under his direction, the agreement said, she “sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics.” (ABC News: 10 Dec., 2018) (my emphasis)

ABC News 10 Dec., 2018

Putin's response to this development, was to feign complete ignorance of Butina, even though Alexander Torshin, Putin's deputy governor of his Central Bank, was her handler.

MSNBC (Dec 12, 2018)

Which rather raises the interesting question,

"In light of the international response to his recent rogue behaviour at the mouth of the Sea of Azov (seizing Ukrainian naval vessels and charging Ukrainian navy men with criminal acts), and given that Nord Stream2 may be "reconsidered" by Merkel's CDU successor, is Putin now throwing Maria Butina OR Donald Trump under the bus?

(to be continued)

Putin's finger is now hovering over his nuclear button.

Putin's recent attack on Ukraine's ships at the Kerch Strait entrance into the Sea of Azov has had an international response that he did not quite expect.

As reported by Ryan Browne,

"The US has begun making the necessary preparations to sail a warship into the Black Sea, a move that comes amid heightened tensions in the region following Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and detention of Ukrainian sailors.

The US military has requested that the State Department notify Turkey of its possible plans to sail a warship into the Black Sea, three US officials tell CNN, a move they said is a response to Russia's actions against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov." (CNN : 5 December, 2018) (my emphasis)

We now also have more NATO ships patrolling in the Black Sea.

As reported by Daniel McLaughlin,

"Mr Stoltenberg (left) [ Head of NATO] noted that ships under Nato command have spent 120 days in the Black Sea this year compared with 80 last year, as it continues to strengthen its presence in the region “in response to Russia’s aggressive actions” of recent years.

“So there is already a lot of Nato in the Black Sea. And we will continue to assess our presence in the region,” he added." (The Irish Times : 4 Dec., 2018) (my emphasis)

Added to which,

"A US Air Force OC-135 observation aircraft conducted an "extraordinary flight" Thursday under the Open Skies treaty "to reaffirm US commitment to Ukraine" amid Russia-Ukraine tensions, the Pentagon said.

The Defense Department said US, Canadian, German, French, United Kingdom, Romanian and Ukrainian observers were aboard the aircraft during the observation flight. This flight was requested by the Arms Control Directorate of the Ukrainian General Staff." (Ryan Browne : CNN : 6 December, 2018) (my emphasis)

In an ominous development, Matt Drake reports that,

"Deadly Russian submarine rushed to border as WW3 tensions reach BREAKING POINT

The Kilo-class submarine, dubbed the "Black Hole" due to its ability to disappear suddenly, has been snapped leaving the major Black Sea port of Sevastopol." (Daily Star : 7 December, 2018) (my emphasis)

This was followed by that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov,reacting negatively to a suggestion by German foreign minister, Heiko Mass, that the Osce monitoring mission should extend to the Sea of Azov.

As reported by Yuras Karmanau and Nataliya Vasilyeva,

"[Lavrov (right) retorted by] saying that Russia “has no need” for any intermediaries or monitors in the area." (Independent IE (Associated Press) : 7 December, 2018) (my emphasis)

This rapid escalation of events in the Black Sea has now been further compounded by the fact that,

"Ukraine’s defence ministry has warned Russia it will soon send navy ships through the Kerch Strait where Russia fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels two weeks ago.

The announcement sets up another possible flashpoint in the long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that erupted in 2014 with Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula ...." (Breaking News (Press Association) : 7 December,2018) (my emphasis)

Let us recall that just before he was elected president of Russia, Putin boasted about his nuclear arsenal.

In an interview (March, 2018) with Megyn Kelly, just before he was once more given the keys to the Kremlin, Putin stated that,

"We have two reasons that would force us to respond using our nuclear weapons.

• The first is a nuclear attack against us, or 
• An attack against the Russian Federation using conventional weapons, but in this case, if it's a very threat to the existence of the Russian State

YouTube March 2018

Does Putin now view the sending of NATO and US warships to the Black Sea, and the conducting of  an "extraordinary flight" Thursday under the Open Skies treaty "to reaffirm US commitment to Ukraine" amid Russia-Ukraine tensions, a very threat to the existence of the Russian State?

Putin's finger is now hovering over his nuclear button.

(to be continued)

Is the Kerch Strait incident the 'Black Swan' event that will lead to all-out war between Ukraine and Putin?

It was Harold Wilson (left), former British Prime Minister (1964-1976), who said that,

"A week is a long time in politics" (BritPolitics)

That was 50 years ago.

In to-day's digital age we can safely say that,

"A day is a long time in politics".

In my blog entry of 25th Nov., 2018 entry I posed the question,

"What will Trump offer Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Buenos Aires?"

That question has now been answered by Trump himself, as his tenuous hold on the position of the Presidency of the United States becomes even more tenuous as further revelations of his links with Putin during the 2016 US presidential elections bursts onto the international stage.

As reported by BBC News,

"US President Donald Trump has cancelled a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in protest at Russia's seizure of Ukrainian naval boats.
...
Mr Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow regretted the decision. But in his initial reaction to reports of the cancellation he said: "If this is so, the president will have a couple of extra hours in the programme for useful meetings on the sidelines of the summit."  " (BBC News : 30 Nov., 2018) (my emphasis)

 MSNBC 29 Nov., 2018

So why has Trump, suddenly (and out of character!), cancelled his meeting with Putin at the G20 in Buenos Aires?

As reported by Mark Mazzetti, Benjamin Weiser, Ben Protess and Maggie Haberman

"Donald J. Trump was more involved in discussions over a potential Russian business deal during the presidential campaign than previously known, his former lawyer Michael D. Cohen said Thursday in pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Mr. Trump’s associates pursued the project as the Kremlin was escalating its election sabotage effort meant to help him win the presidency." (New York Times : 29 Nov., 2018) (my emphasis)

MSNBC Nov. 29, 2018

"What", you may ask, "has this to do with Putin's invasion and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas and, more recently, the dangerous escalation of his war with Ukraine with his attack on Ukraine's ships at the Kerch Strait leading into the Sea of Azov?"

The Maidan Revolution in 2014, that has led to crippling US-EU sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki', and which Putin thought he could get rid of by helping Donald Trump gain the US presidency in 2016!

The Scarlet Thread of Maidan is inextricably woven into the the truths that are now surfacing about the direct collusion between Putin and Trump during the 2016 US presidential elections.

Let us recall that at the 2016 Republican convention, it was Diana Denman (right), a platform committee member from Texas, who 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.

As  Josh Rogin (left) then reported,

"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."
...
Throughout the campaign, Trump has been dismissive of calls for supporting the Ukraine government as it fights an ongoing Russian-led intervention. Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, worked as a lobbyist for the Russian-backed former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych for more than a decade." (Josh Rogin : Washington Post : July 18, 2018) (my emphasis) 

We now learn that Trump's fawning attitude towards Putin, besides being motivated by his desire for a 'Trump Tower' in Moscow, may also be due to his near pathological fear of the public exposure  of the 'kompromat' that Putin has on him, as revealed in the Steele Dossier.

Rachel Maddow: MSNBC 29/11/2018 (Full Analysis)

Now that the Putin-Trump meeting at the G20 has been cancelled, all eyes will be focused on the Merkel-Putin meeting that has been pre-arranged.

As reported by Duncan Ferris,

"Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had committed to meeting with Putin at the G20 summit in Argentina this weekend after she condemned Russia as “entirely” to blame for the naval incident in the Kerch Strait, accusing Moscow of restricting access to the Sea of Azov

Merkel said that Russia’s actions violated a 2003 agreement that guaranteed free movement in the area, but Putin insisted that the move was justified as the Ukrainian vessels had “trespassed” into Russian waters." (WebFG News : 30 Nov., 2018) (my emphasis)

How will 'Putinversteher' Merkel deal with Putin on this international stage?

One need look no further than the joint Russian-German Nord Stream2 venture, as well as the fact that Siemens equipment now lights up Putin's annexed Ukraine Crimea

It is very easy for Merkel to condemn Putin's recent attacks on Ukraine's ships at the Kerch Strait.

But how is the world to confront the fact that,

"Vadim Astafyev, a spokesman for Russia’s southern military district, was cited by Russian news agencies as saying that a new battalion of advanced S-400 surface-to-air missiles would be delivered to Crimea soon and become operational by year’s end." (Andrew Osborn, Anton Zverev : Reuters : 28 Nov., 2018) (my emphasis)

Is the international backlash against Putin for his attack on Ukraine's ships at the Kerch Strait the 'Black Swan' event that will lead to all-out war between Ukraine and Putin? 

(to be continued)

 STOP PRESS

On the Rachel Maddow Show last night (30 Nov., 2018) it was revealed that Putin's interference in the 2016 US presidential elections was focused exclusively on getting the US sanctions against Russia lifted. 

This was Putin's primary objective in handing Trump the keys to the White House.

As I wrote earlier yesterday (30 Nov., 2018) in this blog entry, 

"The Maidan Revolution in 2014, that has led to crippling US-EU sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki', and which Putin thought he could get rid of by helping Donald Trump gain the US presidency in 2016!" (cf. above)

Already the call for an extension of EU sanctions against Putin is meeting with LESS EU support than one may have anticipated, given Putin's preparation for a possible invasion of Ukraine as evidenced by his recent actions against Ukraine's ships at the Kerch Strait, and the delivery of a new battalion of advanced S-400 surface-to-air missiles to Crimea that will soon become operational by year’s end.

(to be continued)