Are we now heading for a Trump-Putin "Black Swan Event" over China?

In my blog entry of 28 March 2025 I wrote that,

"In the White House, discussions about a ceasefire in Ukraine and, more importantly, about Putin dragging his feet over any ceasefire by constantly moving the goalposts in favour of Russia, at the expense of Ukraine, can only be described as, "a dog's dinner" i.e. White House 'ceasefire' discussions that are "messy or bungled". 

 Since then, a mere two weeks ago, 'A Convicted Criminal And Rapist' (ACCAR), and President of the US, Donald Trump, unleashed a GLOBAL tariff war against the rest of the world that has caused international political and economic mayhem.

And in the background, overshadowed by the global economic mayhem that ACCAR Trump set in motion, Putin and Lavrov are jumping for joy as ACCAR Trump's chosen negotiators dealing with Putin's war against Ukraine demand Ukraine's FULL capitulation to Putin's demands.

As reported by  Benedict Smith (left), ACCAR Trump's United States Special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg (right), has proposed that,

"Ukraine could be divided like Berlin after the Second World War, Donald Trump’s envoy to the war-torn nation has said.

Keith Kellogg suggested that Ukraine could be partitioned with a British

and French-controlled zone in the west and Russian forces stationed in the east as part of a peace deal to bring the war to an end.

...

The proposal would require Ukraine to cede control of its eastern territories, which are currently under Russian control." (Daily Telegraph: 11 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 

 LBC: 12 April 2025: YouTube

Let us recall that, on the initiative of the UK and France, and as reported by Deborah Haynes (right),

"Vladimir Putin will break any peace agreement with Ukraine that is not "defended" by an international coalition of forces, the British prime minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer was talking on Thursday as he visited a UK base to meet a group of senior military officers from more than 30 nations tasked with turning a political desire to support Kyiv into an actionable plan to help protect the country from land, sea and air in the event of a ceasefire."(Sky News: 20 March 2025) (my emphasis)

 

DW News: 16 March 2025: YouTube

Yet we now also have Keith Kellogg warning that,

"Lt Gen Kellogg warned Britain and France that they could not count on Mr Trump’s support for their coalition, advising them to “plan for the worst case”. (ibid Benedict Smith)

This 'worst case' for Ukraine is now emerging.

As reported by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar (left),

"As part of Donald Trump’s sweeping new demands for US control over all of Ukraine’s mineral and energy assets, Washington has proposed that its International Development Finance Corporation should take control of a natural gas pipeline running from the town of Sudzha in western Russia to the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.

Senior economist Volodymyr Landa told The Guardian that Washington's bullying, “colonial-type” demands had little chance of being accepted by Kyiv." (The Independent: 13 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 Added to which,

"US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg for talks aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine. The meeting took place at the city’s presidential library on Friday.

The Kremlin confirmed after the meeting that the focus was "aspects of a Ukrainian settlement." Russian media reported that the talks continued for more than four hours.

Witkoff, one of the key players in efforts to strengthen ties between Moscow and Washington, was spotted earlier today with Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's investment envoy. Dmitriev later concluded the meeting as "productive," the TASS state news agency reported." (India Today: 12 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 

CBS News: 12 April 2025: YouTube

And whilst ACCAR Trump's accolytes viz. Steve Witkoff (American billionaire real estate investor, and Trump's US Special Envoy to the Middle East), Keith Kellogg, and former Fox News presenter, (and now Trump's Secretary of Defence) Peter Hegseth, are scrambling to hand over the entire Ukraine territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to Putin, it has emerged that,

"The Ukrainian military has captured two Chinese citizens who fought with the Russian army, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday.

The Chinese nationals were captured in the eastern Donetsk region and were being held by Ukraine’s security service, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram, without providing evidence. He added that intelligence indicated that there were “significantly more Chinese citizens in the units of the occupier than two.”. (Chantal Da Silva (left): NBC News: 8 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Kyiv Independent: 11 April 2025: YouTube

Furhermore, as reported by John T Psaropoulos (left),

"Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine are slowing down dramatically, two analyses have found, continuing a pattern from 2024 at a time when both nations are trying to project strength in the face of United States-mediated negotiations aimed at ending the war.
...
Russia’s diminishing returns have come even as it has greatly expanded the size of its forces from an estimated 150,000 soldiers who carried out its initial invasion in February to May 2022." (Al Jazeera: 10 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Significantly, Psaropoulos goes on to report that,

"Despite this, almost all of the Ukrainian territory Russia occupies, about a fifth of the country, was the result of the seizure of Crimea in 2014 and its initial, full-scale invasion in 2022." (ibid John T Psaropoulos)

How ACCAR Trump will deal with Chinese soldiers fighting for Putin in Ukraine, and his current tariff war with China, now remains to be seen.

Not only have Putin and Trump boxed themselves in, they have now also painted themselves together into a political corner from which there is practically no escape.

Are we now heading for a Trump-Putin "Black Swan Event" over China? 

UPDATE: 14 April 2025: 07.05 GMT 

It has just been reported by Patrick Jackson (left) that,

"A Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which killed 34 people - including two children - and injured 117 others, has been strongly condemned by Kyiv's Western allies.
…
Asked about the attack, the US president said it was "terrible" and that he had been "told they made a mistake", but did not elaborate.
…
Merz, who is expected to take over as Germany's new chancellor next month, told German public broadcaster ARD that the attack on Sumy constituted a "serious war crime".

"It was a perfidious act.. and it is a serious war crime, deliberate and intended," the conservative politician said." (BBC News: 14 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

That ACCAR Trump believes Putin that this heinous crime that he committed was, "a mistake", and Trump actually believes him, simply beggars belief.

                                                                                

        

 

(to be continued)

Putin and Trump are now boxed in by their own rhetoric.

In my last blog entry I wrote that

"Putin and Trump are now, together, raising an Iron Curtain against Europe and the UK." (blog entry: 28 March 2025)

Yesterday, in Trump's announcement about his TARIFFS imposed upon countries exporting goods and services to the USA, he conspicuously excluded Putin's Russia from ANY tarrif restictions on its imports into the USA.

As Arpan Rai and Alex Croft report,

 "Donald Trump has not included Russia on its expansive list of countries that will face major new tariffs starting today as Vladimir Putin’s top negotiator held meetings in Washington.

At the same time, war-hit Ukraine is facing 10 per cent tariffs from the US administration.

The White House has not explained why Russia will not face tariffs." (The Independent: 3 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, as Trump wields a tariff sledgehammer against the economy of the world, excepting Putin's Russia but also slapping tarrifs on Ukraine, Anna Chernova and Rob Picheta (right) report that,

"One of the largest rounds of conscription to Russia’s military for several years is underway, as President Vladimir Putin pushes ahead with an expansion of the country’s military at a crucial moment in the war in Ukraine.
...
It will see 160,000 men between 18 and 30 join Russia’s armed forces – an increase of 10,000 on last year’s spring drive, and a rise of more than 15,000 compared to three years ago, according to Russian state media outlet TASS." (CNN: 2 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

This increase in Putin's military consciption underscores the fact that, as reported by DW,

"Russia cannot accept a proposal from US President Donald Trump's administration for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, according to comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov (left).
...
Ryabkov added that the US proposals, in Moscow's view, do not address Russian concerns about the cause of the war. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and illegally annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2014. (DW: 4 April 2025) (my emphasis)

CNN: 2 April 2025: YouTube

In other words, the US peace proposals do not address Putin's military intention of realising his "Novorossiya" dream i.e.,

" ...  when Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in an interview on 17 April 2014 that the territories of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa were part of what was called Novorossiya. In May 2014, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic proclaimed the confederation of Novorossiya and its desire to extend its control towards all of southeastern Ukraine. (Wikipedia) (my emphasis)

Further underscoring Putin's delusions of his "Novorossiya" dream, and as reported by Robert Greenall and James Landale,

"Vladimir Putin has suggested that Ukraine should temporarily be placed under UN control to elect what he called a more "competent" government.

It is the latest attempt by the Russian president to challenge the legitimacy of the Kyiv government.

Ukraine accused Putin of proposing "crazy" ideas to delay further movement towards a peace deal - being championed by US President Donald Trump." (BBC: 28 March 2025) (my emphasis)

But calling Putin's bluff, James Landale (left) reports that,

"A poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) in March suggested the number of Ukrainians who trusted Zelensky was up a couple of points on the previous month at 69%.

Diplomats say the president might think now was his best chance of winning a second term rather than wait until political divisions emerge after the war.
…
Perhaps the strongest argument against elections is that Ukrainians themselves do not want [elections]. That same March poll by the KIIS found about 78% of people opposed holding elections even after a complete settlement of the war." ( BBC News: 1 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

Even with his distraction of the eyes of the world from Ukraine with his tariffs announcement to the world, US president Donald Trump still has to contend with the fact that,

"Russia cannot accept a proposal from US President Donald Trump's administration for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, according to comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov" (ibid DW)

Exempting Putin's Russia from his tariff assault against the economies of all other countries in the world once again exposes Putin and Trump, together, raising an Iron Curtain against the UK and the EU.

But as Andy Bounds (left) reports,

"The EU has given itself a four-week window to convince Donald Trump to drop his 20 per cent tariffs on the bloc, with retaliation ruled out before late April.

Brussels would prepare measures to hit back, but hold off for the time being in the hope that it could negotiate a solution, two officials told the FT.
...
Ursula von der Leyen (right), president of the European Commission, said on Thursday the bloc was “prepared to respond” to the US levies but emphasised it preferred to negotiate to “remove any remaining barriers to transatlantic trade”. (Financial Times: 3 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

 Bloomberg: 1 April 2025: YouTube

Putin and Trump are now boxed in by their own rhetoric.

                                                                    

        

 

(to be continued)

Putin and Trump are now, together, raising an Iron Curtain against Europe and the UK.

In the White House, discussions about a ceasefire in Ukraine and, more importantly, about Putin dragging his feet over any ceasefire by constantly moving the goalposts in favour of Russia, at the expense of Ukraine, can only be described as, "a dog's dinner" i.e. White House 'ceasefire' discussions that are "messy or bungled". 

 

Sky News: 26 March 2025: YouTube

On the one hand US president Trump says that,

Interviewer: "Would Putin accept European peacekeeper troops in peace deal?"

Trump: "Yeah, he would accept that. I've asked him that question .... Because he's not ... Look, if we do this deal he's not looking for more war. He [Putin] does'nt mind .... " (Trump on video clip: Matt Watts: Evening Standard on MSN: 27 March 2025) (my emphasis)

Hindustan Times: 27 March 2025: YouTube

Whilst on the other hand, skipping from 25 Feb. 2025 to 28 March 2025, Ed Holt (left) reports that,

"Donald Trump's proposed minerals deal [as an integral part of a 'ceasefire with Putin in Ukraine] with Ukraine has been laid out by insiders - and compared to holding a gun to Volodymyr Zelensky's head.

The deal will see the United States handed control of Ukraine's mineral wealth and infrastructure linked to natural resources in an agreement which would be unparalleled in the history of modern diplomacy.
...
Despite the massive economic control handed over to the US it would come with no security guarantee in light of a future Russian invasion. " (Mail Online: 28 March 2025) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, Matt Watts (right) reports that,

"French President Emmanuel Macron has said a European peacekeeping force installed in Ukraine could "respond" if Russia launched an attack.

He spoke after talks with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky and ahead of a summit in Paris of 30 nations on Thursday that will discuss the proposed force that could be set up in Ukraine if a peace deal is reached.

"If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then it's our usual framework of engagement," Mr Macron said." (Evening Standard on MSN: 27 March 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

"Europe is mobilising on a scale "not seen for decades" to be ready to sustain a peace deal in Ukraine, Keir Starmer says at a summit of Kyiv's allies in Paris
...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls on the US to be stronger against Russia and to react to Moscow's violations of agreements

Leaders at the Paris summit agree that now is not the time to lift sanctions on Russia (BBC News: 27 March 2025) (my emphasis) (cf, also: James Gregory and Laura Gozzi: BBC News: 27 March 2025)

 

CBS News: 27 March 2025: YouTube

 

BBC News: 27 March 2025: YouTube

And against the backdrop of Europe and the UK seeking to defend Ukraine, Putin's mouthpiece, Dmitry Peskov, (left) has revealed that,

"Russia and the United States have a desire to move towards resolving the Ukrainian crisis. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov.

"Apparently, we are talking about the desire and willingness of countries to move towards a peaceful settlement — there really is a common understanding here," Peskov said, answering the question whether Russia and the United States really agreed on common parameters for a Ukrainian settlement or whether US President Donald Trump's assessments are too optimistic." (Pravda: 24 March 2025) (my emphasis) 

As I wrote in my blog entry of 1 March 2025,

"It is without a doubt that the political world, and the people of the world, have now heard how Trump and his sidekick Vance are raising an IRON CURTAIN between the US and Europe."

As Trump's 'Tarrif Strategy' is on the cusp of coming into full force, this Iron Curtain is now also rapidly taking shape between Trump and the UK.

Putin and Trump now occupy one side of this Iron Curtain, whilst Europe and the UK occupy the other side.

Putin and Trump are now, together, raising an Iron Curtain against Europe and the UK.

                                                                    

        

 

(to be continued)

The UK and EU re-armament program has now become Putin's nightmare

Towards the end of last month (blog entry 24/02/2025) I wrote that,

"The autocratic leanings of US President Trump has now reached the stage of wishing to overturn the democratic Constitution of the US.

 Putin and his 'siloviki' are practically jumping for joy, but with one cautious eye on the re-awakening of the European giant." (blog entry 24/2/2025)

Earlier, I wtote that,

"Is Tump's embrace of Putin about 'peace' or 'about crude' economics." (blog entry: 19/02/2025)

We now learn from Reuters that, under the guise of  trying to breathe life into a 30-day ceasefire in Putin's war with Ukraine, US president Donald Trump is suggesting that,

"The Trump administration is seeking new terms for U.S. access to critical minerals and energy assets in Ukraine, widening its economic demands on Kyiv as it pushes for a peace deal with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing two Ukrainian officials." (Reuters: 21 March 2025) (my emphasis)

Let us remind ourselves that in 2016,

"On June 18, 2013, Donald Trump had some exciting news: He would soon be whisking dozens of the world’s most beautiful women to Russia.

“The Miss Universe Pageant will be broadcast live from MOSCOW, RUSSIA on November 9th,” ....

And maybe not just the countries, Trump said: “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant,” he tweeted later that day. “[I]f so, will he become my new best friend?” (Michael Crowley: Politico: 15/05/2016) (my emphasis)

Still mindfull of US president Trump's wish for Putin to become his new "best friend" all those years ago, Putin is now enticing US president Trump's mediocre "property development" background with the lure of greater "property development" riches than Ukraine can ever afford.

As reported in The Moscow Times,

"Russia and the U.S. have been discussing resuming their economic cooperation, with Moscow touting potential joint projects in metals, rare earth mining and Arctic development." (Moscow Times: 6 March 2025) (my emphasis)

Underscoring this lure of Trump by Putin, Maximilian Hess comments that,

Proposals like Putin’s rare earths offer are “all for show,” said Maximilian Hess, founder of Enmetena Advisory and a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute." (ibid The Moscow Times)

Yet it would seem that this "lure" of Putin to 'bathe' US president Trump in "potential joint projects in metals, rare earth mining and Arctic development" was in the forefront of Trump's mind during that recent call he had with Putin about a 'ceasefire' in his war with Ukraine. (cf: Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller and Vladimir Isachenkov: AP News: 18 March 2025) 

It is no wonder, as Kathryn Watson (right) reported, that,

"President Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to an "immediate ceasefire on all energy and infrastructure" in Ukraine when the two spoke Tuesday in a lengthy phone call, but Russia has not agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire like Ukraine has.
…
A Russian readout of the call from the Kremlin said a key condition for working toward a resolution to the conflict "should be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv." The White House readout did not contain that information, or Mr. Trump's response." (CBS News: 18 March 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

 Global News: 19 March 2025: YouTube

This rejection of Zelensky's "ceasefire"proposals by Putin was as inevitable as day follows night.

As Zelensky has, on numerous ocassions, re-iterated,

"Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is trying to drag out talks on a Ukraine ceasefire because it wants diplomacy to break down and the war to continue" (BBC News: 13 March 2025) (my emphasis)

This is evidenced by the continous and near 'frantic' bombardment by Putin of Ukraine's civilian population and its infrastructure, notwithstanding his 'ostensible' partial ceasefire proposals. 

 The Telegraph reports that:-

• Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up its own gas pipeline in order to pin the blame on Kyiv and undermine the proposed energy ceasefire.
•  Ukraine’s air defences shot down 114 out of 214 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on Friday, the air force said.
•  Petr Pavel, the Czech President, was in Ukraine’s Odesa as Russia pounded the city with several waves of drones in an overnight attack, Ukrainian officials said this morning. (The Telegraph: 21 March 2025) (my emphasis) (cf. also: BBC News)
  

No doubt this 'frenzy' of bombings by Putin's army against Ukraine stems from, in part, the awakened giant of Great Britain, the EU, and those countries willing to defend Ukraine.

As reported by Deborah Haynes (right),

"Vladimir Putin will break any peace agreement with Ukraine that is not "defended" by an international coalition of forces, the British prime minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer was talking on Thursday as he visited a UK base to meet a group of senior military officers from more than 30 nations tasked with turning a political desire to support Kyiv into an actionable plan to help protect the country from land, sea and air in the event of a ceasefire."(Sky News: 20 March 2025) (my emphasis)

 

DW News: 16 March 2025: YouTube

 

The London Standard: 21 March 2025: YouTube

Both Putin and Trump now find themselves confronted by Starmer's "coalition of the willing", a "coalition of the willing" drawing up an actionable plan to help protect the country from land, sea and air in the event of a ceasefire.

The re-armament of Great Britain and the EU has now become Putin's greatest nightmare.  

UPDATE: 23 March 2025: 05:26 GMT 

It would seem that Sir Keith Starmer's plan for an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine has 'ruffled the feathers' of Steve Witkoff, US president Trump's "main channel of communication between the Trump administration and the Russian presidency" (Wikipedia)

As Michelle L. Price and Aamer Madhani report,

"Witkoff, who runs a real estate development and investment firm, is a longtime friend and golf partner of Trump. (right: Trump and Witkoff)

Witkoff first met Trump in the 1980s, when he worked for a real estate law firm that handled a deal for Trump, himself a real estate developer, according to testimony Witkoff gave in the president’s civil fraud trial in 2023." (AP: 13 March 2025) (my emphasis)

Like Trump, this same Witkoff,

"... leading the US ceasefire negotiations with both Russia and Ukraine but he was unable to name the five regions of Ukraine either annexed or partially occupied by Russian forces. (James Landale (left): BBC News: 23 March 2025) (my emphasis)

As James Landale further reports,

"In an interview with pro-Trump journalist Tucker Carlson, Witkoff praised Vladimir Putin, saying he "liked" the Russian president.

"I don't regard Putin as a bad guy," he said. "He's super smart."
…
Witkoff made several assertions that are either not true or disputed:

• He said Ukrainian troops in Kursk were surrounded, something denied by Ukraine's government and uncorroborated by any open-source data
•  He said the four partially occupied regions of Ukraine had held "referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule". There were referendums only in some of the occupied parts of Ukraine at different times and the methodology and results were widely discredited and disputed
•  He said the four partially occupied oblasts were Russian-speaking. There are many Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine but this has never indicated support for Russia." (ibid James Landale)

Is it therefore any wonder that Witkoff,

" ... gave details of how Trump wanted to co-operate with Russia after relations had been normalised. "Who doesn't want to have a world where Russia and the US are doing collaboratively good things together, thinking about how to integrate their energy polices in the Arctic, share sea lines maybe, send LNG gas into Europe together, maybe collaborate on AI together?" (ibid James Landale)

The re-armament of Great Britain and the EU has not only become Putin's greatest nightmare but, it would seem, also that of Trump and Witkoff.

The "coalition of the willing" drawing up an actionable plan to help protect Ukraine from land, sea and air in the event of a ceasefire has ruffled feathers in the White House.

                                                                    

        

 

(to be continued)

Something seems "Rotten in the 'cosy' relationship between Trump and Putin"

Four days ago John Bolton, who became the 26th United States National Security Advisor during Trump's first presidency, stated that,

That Trump is, "... considering placing large-scale banking sanctions and tariffs" is, in the words of John Bolton (left),

 

"Because I think he [Trump] knew that the so-called 'threat' about placing large scale banking sanctions and tarrifs on Russia] this morning was totally hollow,  as did Vladimir Putin.. He did it simply to show some kind of balance given the things he had said about Zelensky and the Ukrainians .... " (CNN : 7 March 2025: YouTube)

 

We now hear from Samuel Osborne that,

"The Russian president thanked Donald Trump for "paying so much attention to regulating the conflict in Ukraine" and said he needs to speak with his American counterpart.[i.e. Donald Trump]" (Sky News on MSN: 13 March 2025) (my emphasis),

 

 BBC News: 13 March 2025: YouTube

 

following on from Ukraine agreeing to a 'ceasefire' in its war with Putin, a war that Putin set in motion 3 years ago.

 

As the BBC also reports,

 

"Vladimir Putin says fighting must end in Ukraine, but adds a ceasefire should lead to "enduring peace and remove underlying causes of this crisis"

The Russian president was speaking as Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow ahead of US-Russia talks on a 30-day ceasefire proposal" (BBC: 13 March 2025) (my emphasis)

In laying out HIS conditions for a 'ceasefire', Putin stated in his press conference with Lukashenko of Belarus that,

"Mr Putin was speaking alongside Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko and the pair said in a joint statement that NATO's actions regarding the war in Ukraine were fraught with the risk of nuclear conflict." (ibid Samuel Osborne)

It is interesting to note that, as reported by David Hughes,

"Vladimir Putin has said he agrees in principle to a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine as Downing Street warned that if the war continued sanctions would “cripple” the Russian economy.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) said a peace deal in Ukraine is needed to ensure the Russian president’s war does not maintain a “choke hold” on Europe.

Downing Street made clear the UK supported Donald Trump’s warnings of “very bad” financial consequences for Moscow if Mr Putin failed to co-operate with peace talks." (The Standard: 13 March 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Yet, as John Bolton has said  few days ago,

 

"Because I think he [Trump] knew that the so-called 'threat' about placing large scale banking sanctions and tarrifs on Russia] this morning was totally hollow,  as did Vladimir Putin.. He did it simply to show some kind of balance given the things he had said about Zelensky and the Ukrainians" (ibid John Bolton)

 

These conflicting views of Keith Starmer and John Bolton about Trump willing to place large scale banking sanctions and tarrifs on Russia if Putin rejects a 'ceasefire' or 'peace talks' raises the question of the 'veracity' of Trumps' seriousness about a 'ceasefire' in Putin's war with Ukraine.

 

The situation in Kursk, following Trump halting US intelligence sharing with Ukraine, on top of the halting of US military assistance to Ukraine has, even for those few days, allowed Putin's forces to gain an upper hand against Ukraine's forces in Kursk.

 

Something seems, "Rotten in the relationship between Trump and Putin". 

 

UPDATE: 14 March 2025: 08:31 GMT 

 

As if on cue, we now learn that,

 

"Russia may have to accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine while Kyiv could be forced to cede territory and abandon hopes of NATO membership, U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz (left) indicates." (Zoya Sheftalovich : Politico: 14 March 2025: 8:30 CET) (my emphasis)

 

Needless to say, Putin has his "Novorosiyya" dream coming true, the very dream that led to the invasion of, and annexation of, Ukraine's Crimea in 2014.

 

Zoya Sheftalovich (right) goes on to report that,

 

"[In an interview with Sean Hannity],  Hannity probed Waltz for details of what a “negotiated settlement” could entail, listing a range of potential terms: a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, the potential for European troops on the ground to secure peace, Kyiv giving up its ambition to join NATO and Ukraine ceding parts of the Donbas region as well as “areas that are heavily populated by people from Russia.”

Asked whether that was close to what was being discussed, Waltz said: “You’re not wrong in any of that … we’re discussing all of those things with both sides." (ibid Zoya Sheftalovich)

 

As I say, "Something seems, "Rotten in the relationship between Trump and Putin"." 

 

Does Trump really want a 'ceasefire', or does he simply want Ukraine's mineral wealth due to the fact that,

 

"China accounts for 60 percent of global rare earth production but processes nearly 90 percent - [it] is dominant on this stage," says Gracelin Baskaran, director of the critical minerals security program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C." (Esme Stallard (left): BBC News: 14 March 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Is this really why Mike Waltz admits to, "a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal" as a "critical" detail of Trump's conditions imposed upon Ukraine for a "ceasefire" in Putin's war with Ukraine?

 

Is this why Waltz is also:-

• giving in to Putin's demand of a Non-NATO Ukraine, 
• as well as Ukraine ceding parts of the Donbas region as well as “areas that are heavily populated by people from Russia.” ?

Could it also be due to the fact that,

 

"Trump's right-hand man understands more than most the importance of critical minerals in the green transition. Space X and Tesla – the companies Elon Musk leads - rely heavily on critical minerals like graphite (in electric vehicles), lithium (in batteries) and nickel (in rockets)." (ibid Esme Stallard)

                                                                                 

        

 

(to be continued)

Trump's pronouncements has the fingerprints of Putin all over it.

Is it mere coincidence that :-

• 
  Trump halts military aid to Ukraine, as reported by Kevin Liptak, Samantha Waldenberg and Oren Liebermann . "President Donald Trump is ordering a pause on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine after his heated Oval Office argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, a White House official told CNN Monday. (CNN: 3 March 2025) (my emphasis)

• Trump halts 'intelligence' aid to Ukraine. As the BBC reported, "US officials have confirmed that President Trump has suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine on top of the pause in military assistance
  
  "We have taken a step back, and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship," National Security Adviser Mike Waltz says" (BBC News: 5 March 2025) (my emphasis) 
  
  
• Putin then rains bombs on Ukraine,

• Trump sudddenly follows on by ".. [issueing] a surprising threat to Moscow on Friday, saying “based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine,” he is considering placing large-scale banking sanctions and tariffs on Russia until it agrees to a ceasefire and final peace settlement."(Daria Tarasova-Markina and Christian Edwards: CNN on MSN: 8 March 2025) (my emphasis)

• Trump then, once again, shifts the blame onto Zelensky for Putin's continuing near 'manic' bombing of Ukraine by stating that, "We're doing very well with Russia .... I think he's [Putin] doing what anybody else would do [i.e. raining bombs on Ukraine]. I think he wants to get it stopped and settled, and he's hitting them harder than he's been hitting them." (Ian Aikman and Tom Bateman: BBC News: 8  March 2025) (my emphasis)

• Trump continues, "He added that he believes Putin wants to end the war but he cannot say the same of Ukraine.
  
  "I want to know they [Ukraine] want to settle and I don't know they want to settle," Trump said, when asked why he had cut off aid to Kyiv." (ibid Ian Aikman and Tom Bateman)
  

CNN: 7 March 2025: YouTube

When looking at:-

• the timing of Trump's 'announcements', 

• Putin's 'manic' bombing of Ukraine's civilians, and Trump's shifting of the blame of Putin's bombings onto Zelensky (cf. he's [Putin] doing what anybody else would do [i.e. raining bombs on Ukraine]. I think he wants to get it stopped and settled, and he's hitting them harder than he's been hitting them." (ibid Ian Aikman and Tom Bateman) )
  

• Trump using Putin's bombings of Ukraine's civilians to repeat his 'cracked record' mantra of simply wanting 'peace'.  As  Ian Aikman and Tom Bateman report, Trump stated that "The US is "doing very well with Russia", and "it may be easier dealing with" Moscow than Kyiv, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday." ( BBC News: 8  March 2025) (my emphasis)

one could almost conclude that Trump's  pronouncements has the fingerprints of Putin all over it. 

 

UPDATE : 8 March 2025: 14:59 GMT 

 

That Trump is, "... considering placing large-scale banking sanctions and tariffs" is, in the words of John Bolton (left),

 

"Because I think he [Trump] knew that the so-called 'threat' about placing large scale banking sanctions and tarrifs on Russia] this morning was totally hollow,  as did Vladimir Putin.. He did it simply to show some kind of balance given the things he had said about Zelensky and the Ukrainians .... " (CNN : 7 March 2025: YouTube)

 

Which rather says it all!  

 

CNN : 7 March 2025: YouTube 

                                                                                

        

 

(to be continued)