Brexit is a phyrric victory for Putin.

As the Brexit referendum results continue to reverberate around the world, UNIAN reports that,

"Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (left) said Australia was concerned that a weakened EU would not have any impact on how the Middle East and Ukraine situations are being handled, according to News.com.au." (UNIAN : 26 June 2016) (my emphasis)

At the same time, as reported by Laurence Norman and Zeke Turner,
 
"German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed Tuesday night that the European Union would extend economic sanctions against Russia.
...
 Citing an agreed cease-fire in Ukraine that has never gotten off the ground, Ms. Merkel said that she and French President Francois Hollande made clear to EU leaders in Brussels "that the extension of the sanctions...is sadly necessary," (Wall Street Journal : June 28, 2016) (my emphasis)

Whilst Poroshenko must be sighing with relief that sanctions against Putin's Russia will continue for another 6 months, nonetheless "the knives are out for Merkel".

As reported by Ben Nimmo (left),

"The U.K. has consistently been one of the Kremlin's most vocal critics and a vital ally for Merkel in her efforts to maintain the EU's wavering unity on sanctions against Russia.

In the short term, last Thursday's vote [in Britain] does not change that, since the U.K. will remain a member until its departure negotiations are concluded over the next two years.

However, in the long term its decision to quit robs Merkel of her largest supporter, rendering her more vulnerable toward Russia." (Newsweek : 28/6/2016) (my emphasis)

And whilst Merkel is rather sad that the EU sanctions against Putin's Russia have to be renewed,

"Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (right) asked European Union leaders on Tuesday for "legally binding" assurances to address his country's concerns over a trade and association deal with Ukraine and said 

The Hague would block it otherwise." (Gabriela Baczynska and Robert-Jan Bartunek : Reuters : Tue Jun 28, 2016) (my emphasis) 

Let us for a moment cast our minds back to 6 April 2016, when the Dutch held a referendum on "the approval of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine" by the Dutch government.

As reported by Reuters,

"Dutch voters have overwhelmingly rejected a Ukraine-European Union treaty on closer political and economic ties, in a rebuke to their government and to the EU establishment.

The broad political, trade and defence treaty – which had already been signed by the Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte’s government and approved by all other EU nations, and Ukraine – provisionally took effect in January." (The Guardian : Thursday 7 April 2016) (my emphasis)

Yet less that two weeks after the results of the Dutch referendum, Dutch M.P.'s,

" .... voted not to ditch the EU-Ukraine association agreement Tuesday, despite a referendum earlier this month at which more than 60 percent of voters opposed the deal.
...
On Tuesday, Dutch opposition MPs wanted to overturn an earlier parliamentary vote to back the association agreement, but were outvoted 75-71." (Meg Hilling (left) and Hanne Cokelaere : Politico : 19/4/2016) (my emphasis) 

Has the sudden panic about Brexit forced Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, to now threaten that unless the EU takes into account the result of the April 6 Dutch referendum, his government would block the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine AFTER his government simply over-ruled this referendum result by voting NOT to ditch the EU-Ukraine association agreement?

And whilst Mark Rutte suddenly does this political U-turn, Pierre Vaux informs us that,

"The Ukrainian military reports a dramatic escalation in fighting yesterday, claiming 71 attacks were conducted by Russian-backed forces in the Donbass. For comparison, the highest daily figures in recent days have been around 50, with 36 reported over Sunday." (The Interpreter : 28 June, 2016) 

At the same time,

"Nearly 2,000 troops from the United States and allies launched a massive military exercise in Ukraine Monday, the latest in a series of war games that NATO officials say would simulate counterattacks against "Russian aggression." (Fox News : June 27, 2016) (my emphasis)

And behind the scenes,

"Last week, Ukrainian Vice-Prime Minister on European Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said that the next meeting of the Normandy Four countries, comprising Russia, Germany, Ukraine and France, is likely to happen after the July 8-9 NATO summit in Warsaw" (Sputnik International : 29 June, 2016)

has now proven to be 'wishful thinking'.

 
As also reported by Sputnik International,

"A new Normandy Four leaders meeting to discuss the Ukrainian peace settlement is not expected to be held in the near future, a source in the Kremlin told RIA Novosti."

Could this be due to the fact that the US wished to be included in these talks?

"The United States could join Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine at the next high-level meeting, the spokesman told reporters following the French Cabinet session." (Sputnik International : 22.06.2016) (my emphasis)

What the the fallout of Brexit and the scrapping of a Normany Four talks to include the US seem to indicate is that Putin and his Kremlin siloviki have been caught off guard.

They simply do not know just how to handle the political tsunami in the EU that has been caused by Brexit.

Putin may be viewed as a Brexit winner, as argued by Ben Nimmo. 

Brexit has, however, thrown uncertainty into the economic recovery of the Eurozone, a Eurozone that includes Putin's biggest EU customers of Germany, France, and Italy,

whilst Britain does a significantly small amount of trade with Russia.

For another 6 months, as sad as it may seem for Angela Merkel, (cf above), Putin will not be able to easily extricate Russia from the turmoil of the economic recession that is affecting every single Russian family.

(to be continued)

26 June 2016

Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/politics/1387737-australian-fm-brexit-could-weaken-eus-impact-on-situation-in-ukraine.html

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia was concerned that a weakened EU would not have any impact on how the Middle East and Ukraine situations are being handled, according to News.com.au.

Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/politics/1387737-australian-fm-brexit-could-weaken-eus-impact-on-situation-in-ukraine.html

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia was concerned that a weakened EU would not have any impact on how the Middle East and Ukraine situations are being handled, according to News.com.au.

Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/politics/1387737-australian-fm-brexit-could-weaken-eus-impact-on-situation-in-ukraine.html

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia was concerned that a weakened EU would not have any impact on how the Middle East and Ukraine situations are being handled, according to News.com.au.

Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/politics/1387737-australian-fm-brexit-could-weaken-eus-impact-on-situation-in-ukraine.html

Putin escalating the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the consequences of Brexit for Ukraine.

The British public have cast their votes, and Britain will be leaving the EU, to the utter delight of Putin.

The leading Conservative duo of the Brexit movement viz. Boris Johnson, the Donald Trump of the UK and an admirer of Putin, and  Michael Gove, the Dmitry Medvedev to Boris Johnson, will be gearing up to take over the political reigns from David Cameron.

 Top: Boris, Gove, Farage. Bottom: Trump, Medvedev, Le Pen

Like the Putin admirer Marine Le Pen, whose party is financially supported by Putin, Nigel Farage, another admirer of Putin, could not contain his glee at the outcome of this referendum.

And news just in,

"Prime Minister David Cameron is to step down by October after the UK voted to leave the European Union.

Mr Cameron made the announcement in a statement outside Downing Street after the final result was announced.

He said he would attempt to "steady the ship" over the coming weeks and months but that "fresh leadership" was needed." (BBC News : Friday, 24 June) (my emphasis)

A week ago,  Pavel Polityuk wrote about the concerns of Kiev should Britain vote to leave the EU.

"Politicians in Kiev worry that a vote by Britain to leave the European Union would weaken the EU's support for Ukraine and undermine its resolve to stand up to Russia.
.....

Britain has pushed for the EU to renew sanctions on Russia imposed after the Crimea annexation, but other EU countries want them lifted, so if the country leaves the bloc, that could soften the EU stance, Ukrainian politicians say.

"Brexit will seriously compromise the unity of the EU on the issue of sanctions," [Serhiy] Leshchenko (right) said. "The EU will lose one of the main lobbyists for sanctions against Russia." (Reuters : Fri Jun 17, 2016) (my emphasis)

These concerns of Serhiy Leshchenko are further amplified by the fact that Putinversteher Walter Steinmeir, and Italian PM Matteo Renzi, have recently increased the call for sanctions against Putin's Russia to be, if not completely rescinded, then alleviated. 

Let us remind ourselves that,

"Italian companies have signed deals worth more than 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) with Russian firms at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Friday.
 ...
"These are deals which are all legitimate within the context of the sanctions regime because we respect all the rules," Renzi told reporters. He said the accords "potentially open the way to deals worth between 4 and 5 billion euros". (Reuters : Mail Online : 17 June 2016) (my emphasis)

Renzi further repeated that,

"....sanctions against Russia should not be renewed automatically." (ibid Reuters : Mail Online)

Let us also remind ourselves that,

"last month it was Steinmeier who suggested that,

"I hope that by the end of June there will be progress and then we can see if we can reduce the sanctions step by step, or if we stay with the measures we have right now," Steinmeier told reporters on a visit to Tallinn on May 27." (Turkish Weekly : June 19, 2016) (my emphasis)

Both Steinmeier and Renzi, together with Putin's French and Greek supporters in the EU, will now be in the driving seat over the renewal of the EU sanctions against Putin's Russia.

As also reported by the Moscow Times,

"The mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Twitter that “Without the U.K., there will be nobody in the EU to defend sanctions against Russia so zealously.” (Moscow Times : Jun. 24 2016) (my emphasis)

As for the Minsk2 proposals; as I stated in my blog entry of Sunday, 19 June 2016, upon a Brexit,

"..Putin's 'friends' in the EU will be in the driving seat when the EU's sanctions against him come up for renewal in July of this year. 

"We can then also expect the Minsk2 protocols to be thrown into the dustbin of history."

The best indicator that this is about to happen lies in the fact that, 

"Militants mount[ed] more than 260 attacks over past week.

Combined Russian-separatists forces increasingly use unmanned aerial vehicles to spy on Ukrainian army and adjust fire in the combat zone. 

"25 flights of drones were spotted over the past week, with five of them conducted reconnaissance operations from the territory of Russian federation," the chief of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine's Defence Ministry Vadym Skibytskiy stated." (UT : Jun. 22, 2016) 

Expect this escalation by Putin's Russian soldiers and rebel proxies in eastern Ukraine to increase in ferocity. 

(to be continued)

Putin's war with Ukraine ... The British referendum to-morrow

In 2014 an interesting poll indicated just which of the EU and NATO countries were willing to risk conflict with Putin's Russia as Putin ripped up the rulebook of International Law with his invasion of, and annexation of, Ukrainian Crimea, and with Russian armaments and thousands of Russian soldiers pouring over the Russia/Ukrainian border to support his rebel Russian proxies in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Furthermore, at the NATO summit in Wales in 2014, David Cameron, British Prime Minister, stated that,

"....What President Putin is doing is indefensible and wrong. While we meet here in Newport, a package of sanctions is being finalised in Brussels that will further increase the economic cost to Russia for its behaviour.

We stand firmly behind Ukraine's right to make its own decisions, not to have them dictated by Russian tanks rolling over the border " (Video : Raf Sanchez, Harriet Alexander and Andrew Marszal : The Telegraph : 05 Sep 2014) (my emphasis)

Also on Sept. 5- 2014, we had the,

" Minsk [1] Protocol, an agreement to halt the war in the Donbass region of Ukraine, on 5 September 2014. It was signed after extensive talks in Minsk, Belarus, under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The agreement, which followed multiple previous attempts to stop fighting in the Donbass, implemented an immediate ceasefire. 

It failed to stop fighting in Donbass." (Wikipedia) (my emphasis)

Move foreward to June of 2016 and we have :

• UN Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani says that her organization has got credible reports on troops and heavy weapons arriving from Russia to eastern Ukraine.. (UNIAN : 05 June 2016) (my emphasis)
• In Donetsk region, the SMM observed more ceasefire violations on 18 June compared to the previous day, but fewer on 19 June compared to each 17 and 18 June. (OSCE : 19 June 2016)
• Germany's Putinversteher Foreign Minister, Walter Steinmeier, Italy's Premier Matteo Renzi, and the French Senate, amongst other EU politicians, are now calling for sanctions against Putin's Russia to be removed bit by bit ... irrespective of the call for the Minsk2 protocols to be fully observed before such sanctions are removed ...
•  US prospective Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has just hired Paul Manafort to head his campaign, the Paul Manafort who, "In the 2000s, [ ] decided to try the forces not only in the other party, but in another country, and worked in the Ukraine with the head of “Party of regions”, and subsequently Prime Minister and President Viktor Yanukovych." (The Newspapers :21.06.2016) (my emphasis)

What has changed since 2014, when Putin invaded and annexed Ukrainian Crimea, and now has more than 10,000 active Russian soldiers in the Donbas?

On Sunday, 19 June 2016 I wrote that,

Andrius Sytas also reported that,

"Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary and Bulgaria are among EU states skeptical that sanctions should be extended, diplomats said, facing off against Britain, Sweden, Poland and the Baltic states. ( Reuters : Thu May 26, 2016) (my emphasis)

If, during the upcoming Brexit referendum in Britain, the British public vote to leave the EU, this will not only undermine Angela Merkel, who is less conciliatory towards Putin than Steinmeier, but will also mean that Putin's 'friends' in the EU will be in the driving seat when the EU's sanctions against him come up for renewal in July of this year."

Since David Cameron declared in 2014 that,

"We stand firmly behind Ukraine's right to make its own decisions, not to have them dictated by Russian tanks rolling over the border",

NATO members Poland and the Baltic states, in particular, are concerned by Putin's military build-up on the Ukrainian and Baltic borders, as well as within the Donbas territory of eastern Ukraine, where there are more than 10,000 active Russian soldiers.

The British referendum vote to-morrow is a critical juncture in the possible outcome of the war between Ukraine and Putin's Russia.

Putin himself is anxiously praying that the vote goes the way of those in Britain who wish to leave the EU.

Such a result will open the door to Putin and his EU 'comrades' to have the EU sanctions against him stealthily lifted.

Will it also embolden him to test the nerve of NATO by invading one of the Baltic states?

As reported by Patrick Christys,

"RUSSIA “is mobilising for war” and could demolish the Baltic states “within 60 hours”, according to a terrifying new security report.

Hundreds more troops could be pumped into Eastern Europe to bolster NATO forces amid fears that Russia is gearing-up for a large-scale attack."

The shocking report, published by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), warns the Kremlin is not simply “modernising its military”, it is preparing for war." (Daily Express: Thu, Jun 16, 2016)

 Will Putin step into the abyss on a Brexit success?

(to be continued)

Putin, Steinmeier, and Renzi. Comrades in arms.

The Putinversteher German Foreign Minister Walter Steinmeier, and Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, have respectively thrown a bombshell under NATO's increasing preparedness against Putin's military build-up of Russian troops on the Ukrainain and Baltic states borders, as well as under the EU sanctions against Putin.
 

At the 2016 Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF),

"Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi shared the stage with Putin on Friday, in a move that was criticized by some EU countries – typically those on Russia's border – that strike a hard line on Moscow." (Katy Barnato : CNBC : Friday, 17 Jun 2016)(my emphasis)

This 'cameraderie' between Putin and Renzi is further reflected in the fact that,

"Italian companies have signed deals worth more than 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) with Russian firms at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Friday.
 ...
"These are deals which are all legitimate within the context of the sanctions regime because we respect all the rules," Renzi told reporters. He said the accords "potentially open the way to deals worth between 4 and 5 billion euros". (Reuters : Mail Online : 17 June 2016) (my emphasis)

Renzi further repeated that,

"....sanctions against Russia should not be renewed automatically." (ibid Reuters : Mail Online)

Meanwhile Steinmeier, who under former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder was responsible for co-ordinating Germany's intelligence services, (Wikipedia), (right: Steinmeier and Schröder)

"...has criticized NATO's decision to stage military maneuvers in eastern Europe, warning such moves could worsen tensions with Russia. 

Steinmeier's Social Democrats (SPD) generally back a more conciliatory stance toward Russia than Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc." (Michael Nienaber : Reuters : Sat Jun 18, 2016)
 
Let us remind ourselves that Gerhard Schröder now works for Putin's Gazprom!

Let us also remind ourselves that last month it was Steinmeier who suggested that,

""I hope that by the end of June there will be progress and then we can see if we can reduce the sanctions step by step, or if we stay with the measures we have right now," Steinmeier told reporters on a visit to Tallinn on May 27." (Turkish Weekly : June 19, 2016) (my emphasis)

Andrius Sytas (right) also reported that,

"Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary and Bulgaria are among EU states skeptical that sanctions should be extended, diplomats said, facing off against Britain, Sweden, Poland and the Baltic states. ( Reuters : Thu May 26, 2016) (my emphasis)

If, during the upcoming Brexit referendum in Britain, the British public vote to leave the EU, this will not only undermine Angela Merkel, who is less conciliatory towards Putin than Steinmeier, but will also mean that Putin's 'friends' in the EU will be in the driving seat when the EU's sanctions against him come up for renewal in July of this year.

 We can then also expect the Minsk2 protocols to be thrown into the dustbin of history.

Putin's glee at a Brexit is best illustrated by the fact that he laughingly stated,

"The fighting between Russian fans with the English, that is a disgrace," he said at the country's annual economic forum in Saint Petersburg on Friday.

"But I truly don't understand how 200 of our fans could beat up several thousand English," he added to laughs and applause from the audience." (Sky News : Friday 17 June 2016) (my emphasis)

Yet as reported by Jon Coates,

"Russian thugs face attempted murder charges for attacking England football supporters with iron bars in Marseilles last week.

Up to 200 hardcore [Russian] hooligans, known as Ultras, ambushed England fans before the Euro 2016 match in the French city on June 11, leaving several lying unconscious in pools of blood.

(Video footage filmed by Russian Ultras)

Yesterday a spokesman for Marseilles prosecutors said: “Such facts have led to us investigating an attack on two England fans as attempted murder. We are interviewing witnesses and looking through some 200 hours of video footage to find all those responsible.” (Express : Sun, Jun 19, 2016) (my emphasis)

 

Yet Walter Steinmeier and Matteo Renzi are leading the charge not to renew sanctions against Putin, just as,

"More Russian military hardware and fuel materials are reported to have been deployed to the militant-occupied city of Khartsyzk in the Donetsk region." (UT : Jun. 12, 2016)

Let us also remind ourselves of what U.N. Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani recently said.

“There have been strongly credible reports of servicemen from across the border from Russia coming into and out of Ukrainian territory," she said. "And, the same goes for heavy weaponry as well. There have been very credible reports.” (Lisa Schlein : VOA : June 03, 2016) (my emphasis)

Is it any wonder that NATO members Poland and the Baltic states, in particular, are concerned by Putin's military build-up on the Ukrainian and Baltic borders, as well as within the Donbas territory of eastern Ukraine, where there are more than 10,000 active Russian soldiers?

(to be continued)

Putin's UN supporter, Ban Ki-Moon.

Are we at all surprised that Ban Ki-Moon, the retiring Secretary General of the UN,  should, at the Kremlin sponsored St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, say that Russia,

"has a critical role to play ... in addressing other pressing global issues, from ending the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, to safeguarding human rights and controlling the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." (Louis Charbonneau : Reuters : Thu Jun 16, 2016) (my emphasis),

and then have his reference to Ukraine removed from a UN circulation of his speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia?

As reported by Edith M. Lederer (right),

"... The United Nations later circulated the speech the secretary-general actually delivered which made no mention of Ukraine." (AP : Yahoo News : 16 June 2016) (my emphasis)

Yet whilst Ban Ki-Moon is soft-peddaling on Putin's war with Ukraine,

"More Russian military hardware and fuel materials are reported to have been deployed to the militant-occupied city of Khartsyzk in the Donetsk region." (UT : Jun. 12, 2016)

Let us also remind ourselves of what U.N. Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani (right) recently said.

“There have been strongly credible reports of servicemen from across the border from Russia coming into and out of Ukrainian territory," she said. "And, the same goes for heavy weaponry as well. There have been very credible reports.” (Lisa Schlein : VOA : June 03, 2016) (my emphasis)

It is therefore no wonder that,

"Ukrainian Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko (left) told reporters he was incensed by Ban's remarks which came across as praise of Moscow, which the Kiev government and Western powers accuse of supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. (ibid Louis Charbonneau) (my emphasis)

 Andriy Vasyliev (right) is of the opinion that,

"There will be no UN peacekeeping operation in Donbas - it is completely clear now, although six months ago, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry still fostered this hope." (UNIAN : Friday, 17 June 2016) (my emphasis)

This conclusion of his derives from the fact that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressing the UN Security Council stated that,

"The United Nations is determined to work collectively to support Governments to protect their people, and to persuade parties to conflict to abide by their obligations. But, even the most effective peacekeeping can never protect every civilian from harm.” (ibid Andriy Vasyliev) (my emphasis)

But, as Andriy Vasyliev further reports,

" ... against the backdrop of the UNSC’s  (UN Security Council) inaction many UN member states back a Franco-Mexican initiative to cancel the right to veto in the Security Council when it comes to mass casualties in conflict areas. Then the UN Security will be able to pass decisions by simple majority. Under these conditions, the deployment of "blue helmets" in Donbas is actually a question solved."

Ban Ki-Moon recognises that parties involved in conflicts have to "abide by their obligations".

When, however, Putin continues to simply walk all over the Minsk2 protocols by continuing to ferry armaments and Russian soldiers into the Donbas, and ensuring that the 'ceasefire' is trampled upon by his rebel proxies and soldiers in Donbas, a strange 'blindness' seems to befall Ban Ki-Moon.

As Robin Emmott reports,

"Russia is violating an internationally-agreed ceasefire in Ukraine "again and again", NATO's chief [Jens Stoltenberg (right)] said on Wednesday, accusing Moscow of continuing to arm separatists in the conflict at the center of East-West tensions." (Reuters : Wed Jun 15, 2016) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, Chairman of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy (left) has stated that,

"Russia may step up military action in Ukraine at any time," he said at a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Council of the NATO-Ukraine in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Ukraine should be prepared to repel one of the largest armies on the continent." (UNIAN : 14 June 2016) (my emphasis)

Putin's continuing military buildup in the Donbas has precipitated,

"NATO defense ministers [agreeing] on Wednesday to boost NATO's support for Ukraine with a Comprehensive Package of Assistance. The Package aims to help Ukraine strengthen its defenses by building stronger security structures.
...
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained that the Comprehensive Package brings together all the strands of NATO's support, and will "help Ukraine establish more effective and efficient defence and security structures, and to strengthen civilian control over them." (China Economic Net : 16-06-2016) (my emphasis) 

Is it this NATO support for Ukraine that is now giving Putin sleepless nights?

As reported by Marc Bennetts,

"President Putin’s strongman mask has slipped after he was caught complaining about his lack of sleep.

“I don’t sleep much,” a tired-looking Mr Putin told Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, during small talk in advance of a joint press conference in Minsk this week.
“The day before yesterday I slept four hours. Last night, five hours. I get to bed at three and I wake up at eight.”

Mr Lukashenko nodded sympathetically. “That’s bad,” he said. (The Times : June 10 2016) (my emphasis) (cf. also Will Stewart)

(to be continued)

Is Putin being rescued from an economically failing Crimea?

It is quite amusing to hear the 'fragrant' Federica Mogherini (left), European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, yet again mouthing the political platitude at the UN that,

"The European Union will continue to stand for Ukraine's territorial integrity – and does not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. " (UT : Jun. 7, 2016) (my emphasis)

At the same time she follows this statement with,

"We are working closely with Kyiv to help them achieve the reforms the country so urgently needs." (ibid UT)

And what does this mean? Nothing more nor less than her call for Kiev to strictly carry out the Minsk2 agreements, agreements that have Putin's fingerprints all over them.

""The Minsk agreements have to be fully implemented in all their parts, if we want the situation in eastern Ukraine to calm down". (ibid UT) (pic. right: Mogherini with Lavrov and Putin)

This 'political grandstanding' of the 'fragrant' Mogherini has to be viewed against the backdrop of the increasingly vocal call of Putin's sympathisers in the EU for the EU sanctions against Russia to be dismantled piece-by-piece, as suggested by those Putinversteher, Walter Steinmeier and his SDP 'buddy', German Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel.                                Sigmar Gabriel and Walter Steinmeier

What, exactly, is the 'real' motive behind this call for the EU sanctions against Putin's Russia to be dismantled piecemeal?

Maybe Putin's glove-puppet, Dmitri Medvedev, gives us a clue.

As reported by UT,

"During his visit to Russia-occupied [Ukrainian Crimea] peninsula Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting with frustrated local citizens.

"We don't have money now. But you hold on, I wish you all the best, good mood and good health", Medvedev said in response to the complaints.
...
Medvedev explained, similar problems existed in every region of the Russian Federation. So the government couldn't raise pensions just in Crimea. He promised to increase the payments when Moscow finds money." (UT : May. 24, 2016) (my emphasis) (cf. also: UT Jun. 7, 2016 "Money's Running Out in Crimea") 

As I reported in my last blog entry,

".... Roland Oliphant of the Telegraph reports that,

".. a few hours ago regional deputies [in Putin's annexed Ukrainian Crimea] voted overwhelmingly for Crimea to join Russia as another region of the Russian federation" (Telegraph video : 9 June 2016)

This puts into perspective Medvedev explaining that,

"....similar [economic] problems existed in every region of the Russian Federation ..."

 And now Putin's hand-picked deputies in illegally annexed Ukrainian Crimea are calling for it to become a de facto region of the Russian Federation? 

Yet the 'fragrant' Mogherini can stand up in the UN and 'un-blushingly' pronounce that,

"The European Union will continue to stand for Ukraine's territorial integrity – and does not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. " (ibid UT : Jun. 7, 2016)

whilst at the SAME time there is a call for,

"... EU sanctions against Russia to be dismantled piece-by-piece, as suggested by those Putinversteher, Walter Steinmeier and his SDP 'buddy', German Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel." 

Furthermore, as reported by William Courtney and Michael Haltzel (left),

"To seek relief from Western sanctions, the Kremlin is waging a campaign of public distortion and intimidation aimed at splitting Europe from America, and Europeans from each other." (Newsweek : 11 June, 2016) (my emphasis)

Is it not ironic that, amongst others, leading German Social Democrats, the French Senate, and Hungary’s right-wing government will give Putin this relief from Western sanctions and, in so doing, aid and abet him in being able to financially afford to de facto annex Ukrainian Crimea?  

As I wrote in my blog entry (Sunday, 5 June 2016),

"Let us not forget that,"...Angela Merkel has a portrait on her desk of Russian empress Catherine the Great, the Prussian-born princess who went on to expand Russia’s territory to the west and the south, including Crimea." (Patrick Donahue and Tino Andresen : Bloomberg : March 4, 2014) 

 

Let us also remind ourselves that, 

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" (George Santayana)

Where, now, is the outrage of Germany and Putin's other cohorts in the EU against this sneakily Putin-inspired vote by his hand-picked deputies in annexed Ukrainian Crimea? 
 

 (to be continued)

Is Putin being 'bribed' with Ukrainian Crimea by his EU supporters?

Agence France Press reported on 27th May 2016 that,

"Steinmeier on Friday floated the possibility of a "step by step" reduction of sanctions but only if there is progress on ending the conflict in Ukraine." (AFP : 27 May, 2016) (my emphasis)

 It can be no co-incidence that the Putinversteher Steinmeier choose the SAME day that Putin arrived in Greece to make this pronouncement.

Since then, Putin's friends in the EU have rallied around Steinmeier's call for the "step by step" reduction of sanctions aginst Putin's Russia. These include Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi,  Austrian Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, and French Economics Minister Emmanuel Macron, including Alexis Tsipras of Greece and officials of Spain and Portugal.

And on Monday, Lydia Tomkiw (left) reported that,

"In another sign of crumbling European resolve over Ukraine, the French Senate voted [by a 302-16 vote] Wednesday to urge its government to gradually dismantle economic sanctions on Russia, a move welcomed by the Kremlin. The vote came as politicians across the European Union have hinted at wanting to reduce sanctions ahead of renewal talks this month." (International Business Times : 06/09/16) (my emphasis)

Even more disconcerting, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel (left) said in an interview published on Thursday that,

"Russia is an important global player and not a regional power," Gabriel told the Russlandkontrovers.de website.

"That is why I am calling for Russia to rejoin the group, and turn the G7 back into the G8."

Russlandkontrovers.de is the website of the established German-Russian Forum, which was founded in 1993 and includes over 400 leaders from industry, politics and academia." (Andrea Shalal : Reuters : Thu Jun 9, 2016) (my emphasis)

And whilst Putin's 'supporters' in the EU are rallying around him, Putin himself,

".. is building an army base near its border with Ukraine, the latest in a chain of new military sites along what the Kremlin sees as its frontline in a growing confrontation with NATO." (Anton Zverev : Reuters : Wed Jun 8, 2016) (my emphasis) (left: Putin's forces in the town of Klintsy in Bryansk region, Russia)

 

It is thus no wonder that,

"Senior officials from Georgia and Ukraine on Wednesday exhorted Nato members to bring the two nations into the alliance in order to protect them from Russia and cement ties with the West." (Associated Press : The Telegraph : 9 June 2016) (my emphasis)

And, hot off the press, Roland Oliphant of the Telegraph reports that,

".. a few hours ago regional deputies [in Putin's annexed Ukrainian Crimea] voted overwhelmingly for Crimea to join Russia as another region of the Russian federation" (Telegraph video : 9 June 2016)

 

As I wrote in my blog entry (Sunday, 5 June 2016),

 

"Let us not forget that,"...Angela Merkel has a portrait on her desk of Russian empress Catherine the Great, the Prussian-born princess who went on to expand Russia’s territory to the west and the south, including Crimea." (Patrick Donahue and Tino Andresen : Bloomberg : March 4, 2014) 

 

Let us remind ourselves that, 

 

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" (George Santayana)

Where, now, is the outrage of Germany and Putin's other cohorts in the EU against this sneakily Putin-inspired vote by his hand-picked deputies in annexed Ukrainian Crimea? 

Their silence is positively deafening!

Yet they continue to scream that Ukraine should pave the way for holding elections in a Donbas over-run by 10,000 active Russian soldiers whilst,

 
" ....  Members of the Russian-backed militant forces in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk region are reportedly abandoning the idea of fighting for the Kremlin due to unpaid wages." (UT : Jun. 8, 2016) (my emphasis)

Is this why that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, recently announced that,

"[There are] no plans to recognize self-proclaimed Donbas republics

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that Moscow's move to recognize the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics would be counterproductive, according to Russian news agency TASS." (UNIAN : 31 May 2016) (my emphasis)

Was Putin's invasion of the Donbas a 'maskirovka' strategy to FULLY incorporate Ukrainian Crimea into the Russian Federation behind the scenes, WITHOUT a whimper from the West? That vote in Ukrainian Crimea seems to support this contention.

And whilst Putin's rebel-proxies and Russian soldiers in the Donbas are complaining about the non-payment of their wages,


Putin's glove-puppet, Dmitri Medvedev was,

"... confronted by a pensioner who complained about the government's failure to index pensions. The prime minister replied: "There is no money. But be strong. All the best. Have a good day, and good health," he added. Then he turned round and left. (BBC News : 9 June 2016)

(to be continued)