President Zelensky should be wary of the plaudits that Trump will shower upon him.

In my very first blog post (21 June, 2014) I wrote that,

"One of the hallmarks in the field of espionage is training in the ability of concealment. Indeed, the devious art of concealment can be said to be somewhat central to the persona of a spy. I might add that this art is also practiced by politicians, among others. It is the pivot upon which the world of diplomacy rotates." (my emphasis)

Having recently been dined and fêted by Merkel and Macron, President Zelensky  has rather been brought back down to earth with a political thud!

As reported by the BBC,

"Five years after Russia had its voting rights removed because of the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly has voted to restore them.

The assembly backed the proposal in the face of angry opposition from Ukraine, whose delegation later walked out.

Moscow described the vote as a "victory for common sense". (BBC: 25 June 2019) (my emphasis)

 It is also reported that,

" ... the UK opposed the decision along with Poland, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It is unclear how the UK delegation will vote on Monday. " (James Rothwell Roland Oliphant : The Telegraph : 23 June 2019) (my emphasis)

It is interesting to note that this EU wedge will now keep open the door to the further lifting of the EU sanctions against Putin for his invading and annexing Ukraine's Crimea, as well as for his ongoing war with Ukraine in the Donbas.

It is therefor no wonder that the French Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe (right), recently stated that

"We know that sanctions are not a permanent regime, this is a stage that can be cancelled at any time.
...
We know why these sanctions were imposed. I think Russia knows," Philippe said. He stressed that French enterprises are interested in the Russian market, and businesses from France rank first among foreign employers in Russia. (UNIAN : 24 June 2019) (my emphasis) (cf also: TASS (24 June 2019))

 And whilst the Council of Europe bends to the will of Putin,

"On June 23, Russian occupation forces 34 times violated the ceasefire, including eight times with the use of 152 mm artillery systems, 120 mm and 82 mm mortars, all proscribed by the Minsk Agreements, that's according to the Joint Forces Operation HQ press service. Invaders opened fire on Joint Forces' positions from grenade launchers of various types, weapons installed on infantry fighting vehicles, as well as large-caliber machine guns and small arms." (UNIAN : 24 June 2019) (my emphasis)

These actions of Putin's Russian soldiers and proxies in the Donbas may have something to do with the fact that,

"Ukraine-U.S. Sea Breeze drills will begin in Odesa, Ukraine, on July 1. The drills will include artillery firing, landing of inspection teams, as well as training to improve special units' interaction, the press service of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said.
...
 "This year we are offering a broader maritime security component." (UNIAN : 26 June, 2019) (my emphasis)

The possible upcoming meeting between Zelensky and Trump AFTER the 2019 G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, has to be viewed against the fact the Trump WILL meet with Putin at this summit.

How President Zelensky will approach this possible meeting between himself and Trump AFTER the G20 Summit remains to be seen.

Trump, himself, is now skating on the thin ice of impeachment as his attempts to muzzle those who can reveal his unlawful acts begins to crumble in the courts of the US.

 MSNBC (22 June 2019)

Just as Merkel and Macron stabbed Ukraine's President Zelensky in the back by supporting the restoration of the voting rights of Putin's mouthpieces in the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly, President Zelensky should be wary of the plaudits that Trump will shower upon him.

(to be continued)

Zelensky's baptism of fire into the real world of politics has begun.

In my very first blog post (21 June, 2014), I wrote that,

"Now Scythian women are really not to be messed with.  As Hippocrates warned, “They [Sarmatian (or Scythian) women] have no right breasts…for while they are yet babies their mothers make red-hot a bronze instrument constructed for this very purpose and apply it to the right breast and cauterize it, so that its growth is arrested, and all its strength and bulk are diverted to the right shoulder and right arm." (c.f. Hippocrates "Memories of Scythia")

Whether true or not, as reported by Anastasia Sakovska and Michael Scollon,

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy inserted foot firmly in mouth during his presidential tour of Europe this week when he said his nation's women were "beautiful" and served as a good tourism "brand" for the country.

He returned to a Twitter firestorm, after Ukrainian women made their disappointment with the comedian-turned-president clear with a raft of posts under the social-media hashtags #янетуристичнийбренд (#Iamnotyourtourismbrand) and #янебренд (#Iamnotyourbrand)." (RFERL : 20 June 2019) (my emphasis)

It is not only this "twitter storm" that met him on his return to Ukraine after his whirlwind tour around the EU but also some critical questions about, in particular, his tête-à-tête with Angela Merkel that resulted in Merkel proclaiming,

"At a joint press conference, Merkel backed Zelenskiy's remarks that sanctions against Russia — imposed for its illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and its role in an insurgency in eastern Ukraine — must remain in place.

"As long as there is no progress on this front [Minsk 2], the sanctions cannot be lifted, and the sanctions related to Crimea can only be lifted if Crimea returns to Ukraine," Merkel said." (DW : 18 June 2019) (my emphasis)

Let us remind ourselves, as Vladimir Frolov of 'The Moscow Times' reported, that,

"[Zelinsky believes that] talks with Moscow should take place in the presence of Western mediators, and the Normandy format should be remodeled to include the United States and Great Britain in a "Budapest style format" (The Moscow Times : 24 April, 2019) (my emphasis)

So how does this square with Macron's version of the Normandy format i.e. to be composed ONLY of Zelensky, Putin, Merkel, and himself? 

Furthermore, Merkel and Macron are now of the opinion that,

" .... the withdrawal of Russian forces, disarmament of local proxy forces and restoration of Ukrainian control along the border, are merely defined as aspirations, rather than indispensable preconditions to any “elections” in Donetsk-Luhansk (Vladimir Socor :Ukrinform, April 12, 13) (my emphasis)

But yesterday (20 June 2019), during his annual Q&A session broadcast by Russian media outlets, Putin stated that,

"What is happening now? While abroad in Paris, he [Zelensky] said that he was not going to talk to separatists. And how then to solve this problem?" Putin said.
...
Putin then accused the Ukrainian side of the fact that the economic blockade of the occupied territories of the Donbas has not been lifted. 
...
Putin also described Zelensky as a "talented man" and said that what he did during KVN humor TV shows in the 2000s was "talented and funny," but what Zelensky is doing now is "not funny." (Ukrinform : 21 June, 2019) (my emphasis)

Underlying Putin's not unsubtle threat may be the fact that,

• European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to prolong until the end of January 2020 economic sanctions against Russia over the turmoil in Ukraine, a spokesman for the bloc said.
  (UNIAN : 20 June 2019) (my emphasis) and that, 
• The U.S. Department of Defense says it plans to provide $250 million to enhance Ukraine’s military capabilities as the nation continues to battle Russia-backed separatists in its eastern regions. (RFERL : 18 June 2019) (my emphasis)

Zelensky is now confronted with the seething of Ukraine's women against his 'foot in mouth' remark about their being "a Ukrainian brand", as well as with Putin's 'unhappiness' [ read: anger!] at Zelensky's statements that he would NOT talk to Putin's rebels in the Donbas.

 

 In April of this year, Ivan Aparshin (right), his military adviser on security and defense issues warned, 

 

"I would not recommend the Ukrainian president to meet face to face with Putin," Aparshin told ZIK TV channel, noting that Zelensky’s talks with the Russian leader should involve representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom.
...

"We cannot be one-on-one with Russia because then we won’t solve this problem," he noted." (TASS : 24 April, 2019) (my emphasis)

 It would now seem, however, that Merkel and Macron have advised Zelensky otherwise.

 Zelensky's baptism of fire into the real world of politics has begun.

(to be continued)

Zelensky is being squeezed by Merkel and Macron.

In my blog entry of (27/12/2017) I wrote that,

"Putin's military build-up of tanks in the Donbas is a prelude to attack Mariupol, specifically to gain that land-bridge with Ukrainian Crimea that he so desperately needs to further consolidate his hold over Ukrainian Crimea.

The Javelin anti-tank missiles now heading for Ukraine has spiked this strategy of Putin's generals." (Blog)

Since then, Putin's bridge now straddles the Kerch Strait, and just recently UNIAN reported that,

"Russian occupation forces have built the first rail track on the illegally built Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Russia-occupied Crimea with Russia's Krasnodar Krai." (UNIAN : 14 June 2019) (my emphasis)

 As Mansur Mirovalev (right) also reports,

"These days, the average wait for Ukraine-bound freighters to get Russia's permission for passage [through the Kerch Strait] is 40 hours, according to the Maidan of Foreign Affairs, a Ukrainian-think tank." (Aljazeera : 17 June 2019) (my emphasis)

Since the Azov Sea port of Mariupol has great strategic and economic significance for Ukraine, and Putin now has a stranglehold on that narrow sea-lane between the Sea of Azov and the Black sea, through which Ukrainian ships have to pass to reach the port of Mariupol, how is the meeting today [18 June 2019] between Zelensky and Merkel going to deal with this critical stranglehold that Putin has over the Kerch Strait?


To-day's meeting between Merkel and Zelensky comes a day after Zelensky met Macron in Paris. 

Macron's effusive praise of Zelensky mirrors Merkel laying out the red carpet for Zelensky today.

As reported by AFP (Agence France Press),

"Macron praised the ambition of Zelensky, a former comic actor who stunned the world to win the presidency earlier this year, to end the five-year conflict. (AFP : 17 June 2019) (my emphasis)

AFP further reports that,

"The French president said new summit talks could be possible under the so-called Normandy format grouping himself, the Ukrainian president, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel." (ibid AFP) (my emphasis)

Now recall that Vladimir Frolov (left) of 'The Moscow Times' reported that,

"[Zelinsky believes that] talks with Moscow should take place in the presence of Western mediators, and the Normandy format should be remodeled to include the United States and Great Britain in a "Budapest style format" (The Moscow Times : 24 April, 2019) (my emphasis)

So how does this square with Macron's version of the Normandy format i.e. to be composed ONLY of Zelensky, Putin, Merkel, and himself? 

Furthermore, given that Merkel and Macron are now of the opinion that,

" .... the withdrawal of Russian forces, disarmament of local proxy forces and restoration of Ukrainian control along the border, are merely defined as aspirations, rather than indispensable preconditions to any “elections” in Donetsk-Luhansk (Vladimir Socor :Ukrinform, April 12, 13) (my emphasis),

Zelensky will be confronting Putin, with Merkel and Macron ostensibly supporting him whilst they are, in effect, giving Putin exactly what he wants viz. his Russian soldiers and proxies in absolute control of the Donbas whilst elections there are held.

If Zelensky should be wary of the hidden agenda of Putin and Macron as regards the implementation of the Minsk2 agreements, he should be even more wary of his upcoming meeting with Manchurian Candidate Donald Trump, the current US president who owes his White House position to Putin.

As reported by UNIAN,

"U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pay an official visit to Washington, D.C."UNIAN: 1 June 2019)

Furthermore,



"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's freelance adviser Boris Tisenhausen has said the president of Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump may meet after the G20 summit, which will take place on June 28-29." (UNIAN : 4 June, 2019) (my emphasis)

It may be timely to remind Zelensky that, shortly after he was inaugurated as President of the US, Donald Trump immediately put in motion his attempt to have sanctions against Putin dropped, sanctions which Zelensky regards as IMPERATIVE to obtain a peaceful resolution of the war between Putin and Ukraine. (Watch beginning and end of the complete video)

MSNBC (17 June 2019) @ end of this video

On my recent visit to Ukraine I was saddened to see just how much the 21-32 generation have left their wives and children to seek better financial prospects in the Schengen Area of the EU.

I only hope that Zelensky has this in mind when he meets Angela Merkel, who has a portrait of "Catherine The Great Of Russia" in her office, that minor German princess, who failed to incorporate Ukraine's Crimea into "Greater Russia".

(to be continued)

Will Zelensky fall into Merkel's diplomatic trap?

In my blog entry of 28 April I wrote that,

"Now recall that in his victory speech,

" ... Zelenskiy outlined his priorities. To start revamping the 2015 Minsk accords to end hostilities with pro-Russian separatists in the east [of Ukraine] ..." ( AFP YouTube )

As Vladimir Frolov (right) of 'The Moscow Times' wrote,

"[Zelinskiy believes that] talks with Moscow should take place in the presence of Western mediators, and the Normandy format should be remodeled to include the United States and Great Britain in a "Budapest style format""

whilst at the same time,

 "... [T]he head spokesperson of Zelenskiy's election headquarters, Dmitry Razumkov, confirmed that Zelenskiy's adherence to the Minsk negotiation process is untenable ("all the anti-Russia sanctions are linked to it"), but made it clear that Zelenskiy would not implement the Minsk agreements as interpreted by Russia" (The Moscow Times : 24 April, 2019) (my emphasis)

And now Putin is goading Zelenskiy to try and "remodel" his Minsk2 accords by remarking that,

“I’d discuss this matter with him with pleasure as I want to understand his stance ...” (ibid Vladimir Soldatkin"

Fast forward to 12 June, 2019, and we have Putin endorsing Zelensky's election platform to rid Ukraine of the influence of Ukraine's oligarchs, and to restore relations between "two parts of the same Russian nation".

 Full Putin Interview : YouTube (12 June 2019)

Yet the concerns about Zelensky's key appointments seem to point in the opposite direction to ridding Ukraine of the influence of its major Oligarchs.

As reported by Diane Francis (left),

 "Americans and Europeans became worried about Kolomoisky’s (left) power after Zelenskiy appointed the oligarch’s long-time lawyer, Andriy Bohdan, to head the government’s administration.

“Nobody’s happy with his appointment so openly which looks like he needs to comfort Kolomoisky,” said Zahoor. “He has a conflict of interest because Kolomoisky is fighting the government to get back his bank or to get billions in compensation. And here his lawyer is in the government.” (Atlantic Council : 28 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Bogdan            Zelensky            Kolomoiski

So much for Zelensky's platform about ridding Ukraine of the influence of its oligarchs.

Meanwhile, as reported by UNIAN,

• Russian occupation forces have built the first rail track on the illegally built Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Russia-occupied Crimea with Russia's Krasnodar Krai. (UNIAN : 14 June, 2019)
• Four citizens have been injured, including a nine-year-old child, as a result of mortar shelling by Russian-led forces of residential areas in the town of Maryinka. (UNIAN : 14 June, 2019) 

What is even more significant,

"The plans of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, do not yet have contacts with the new President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, the press secretary of the head of the Russian state, Dmitry Peskov (right), told reporters in response to a relevant question.

“No, there are no plans yet,” Peskov told journalists on the margins of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. He noted that now there are different statements from the Ukrainian side." (Dmitry Peskov: Ria Novosti : 7 June 2019) (my emphasis) (Google Translate)

And whilst Putin is currently refusing to meet with Ukraine's President Zelensky,

"U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) (left) introduced legislation to give North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members an escape from Russia’s political coercion and manipulation.

The Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe Act, or the “ESCAPE Act,” (S. 1830) enhances the energy security of NATO members by providing those countries with reliable and dependable American energy. It also mandates sanctions on the Nord Stream II pipeline that would carry natural gas from Russia to Germany, along with other Russian energy export pipelines. (John Barrasso : 13 June 2019) (my emphasis)

This will rather put a fly in the ointment in the upcoming meeting between Merkel and Zelensky.

As reported by a Spokesperson of German government, Ulrike Demmer,

“On Tuesday, June 18, Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel will meet new President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at 12:30 p.m. with military honors,” Demmer said.

She added that during the working lunch, the sides will discuss the bilateral relations, the fulfillment of Minsk Agreements and reforms in Ukraine" (112 International : 14 June 2019) (my emphasis)

Yet, if we are to believe  Dmitry Razumkov,

"Zelenskiy's adherence to the Minsk negotiation process is untenable ("all the anti-Russia sanctions are linked to it"), but made it clear that Zelenskiy would not implement the Minsk agreements as interpreted by Russia" (Ibid Vladimir Frolov) (my emphasis)

But, as reported in my blog entry (25 May, 2019), Vladimir Socor reported that,

• "In his readout for Ukrainian media, in Paris and back in Kyiv, Mr. Poroshenko obliquely suggested that he has been presented [by French President Macron] with a road map and time frame, leading to local “elections” in the Donetsk-Luhansk territory within 11 months (by March 2020). 
• Mr. Poroshenko’s paraphrase of the document implies that the withdrawal of Russian forces, disarmament of local proxy forces and restoration of Ukrainian control along the border, are merely defined as aspirations, rather than indispensable preconditions to any “elections” in Donetsk-Luhansk (Ukrinform, April 12, 13).
• the French president regards Ukraine’s presidential election as “opening a window of opportunity” for the Minsk and Normandy processes to advance along those lines. (ibid Socor)

Merkel is desperate to prevent US actions against Nord Stream 2, Putin's pipeline which she regards as a non-political economic deal between herself and Putin. 

Will Zelensky now fall into the diplomatic trap of Merkel that critical parts of the Minsk2 Agreements are merely "aspirations"?

(to be continued)

Has President Zelensky's 'referendum' proposal played right into Putin's hands?

In a recent blog entry (22 May, 2019) I reported that,

"Even more interesting,

"President Volodymyr Zelenskiy named lawyer Andriy Bogdan (left) head of his administration.

...For Andriy Bogdan, the new post will not be his first in government. He previously served as deputy minister of justice and deputy minister in charge of anti-corruption policy under Viktor Yanukovich before the former president fled to Moscow during the Maidan uprising in 2014." (Deutsche Welle  DW : 21 May, 2019) (my emphasis)"

We now learn that,

“On the question of reaching peace agreements with Russia, we [i.e. Ukraine's new President, Volodymyr Zelensky] are considering holding a popular referendum,” Andriy Bogdan said.(Natalia Zinets : Reuters : 21 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

YouTube : 25 May, 2019 (Full Video)

 
Now a referendum is defined as,

"... a direct vote by the electorate of a country to advise or decide on a specific issue, in contrast to votes for individual candidates to national or local elections." (Oxford Public International Law)

But president Zelensky's referendum will simply be, as Andriy Karakuts explains,

"Yesterday, president Zelensky already said that this referendum will be informational ... It will not be obligatory [Questioner: Just like a consulting procedure] ... Consulting ..and ... this idea of this referendum is clear ... President Zelensky .. he wants support from the people for his peace initiative ..."

YouTube : 25 May, 2019

So this referendum will not be about seeking advice from the people of Ukraine, nor will it about making a decision about the  Zelensky 'peace' process.

Andriy Karakuts also informs us that the people of Ukraine do want 'peace', but before such 'peace' can become a reality many complex procedures including diplomatic efforts, political measures, and military measures will have to be positively concluded.

Simply having a referendum about 'peace' will NOT make that 'peace' become a reality.

He also argues that without Putin's agreement, such a referendum will simply be a populist thing.

YouTube : 25 May, 2019

One is somewhat reminded of that saying (wrongly attributed to Marie Antoinette (right) but first penned by Jean-Jacques Rousseau when she was nine years old) when the French peasants were suffering because of chronic bread shortages,

"Let them eat cake ..." (Wikipedia)

So the suffering of the people of Ukraine under the war that Putin started with his invasion and illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, closely followed by his invasion of the Donbas, will not evaporate their suffering through the holding of a 'consultative' referendum.

Has this 'referendum' proposal of Zelensky played right into Putin's hands?

(to be continued)

Zelensky is now walking along a taut political tightrope

On April 26, 2019, Vladimir Socor (left) reported that,

"With challenger Volodymyr Zelensky far ahead in the opinion polls, both Berlin and Paris are already planning for a post-Poroshenko Ukraine. Moreover, President Macron received Mr. Zelensky in Paris, also on April 12, separately from President Poroshenko." (The Ukrainian Weekly : 26 April, 2019) (my emphasis)

Vladimir Socor goes on to further report that,

• "In his readout for Ukrainian media, in Paris and back in Kyiv, Mr. Poroshenko obliquely suggested that he has been presented [by French President Macron] with a road map and time frame, leading to local “elections” in the Donetsk-Luhansk territory within 11 months (by March 2020). 
• Mr. Poroshenko’s paraphrase of the document implies that the withdrawal of Russian forces, disarmament of local proxy forces and restoration of Ukrainian control along the border, are merely defined as aspirations, rather than indispensable preconditions to any “elections” in Donetsk-Luhansk (Ukrinform, April 12, 13).
• the French president regards Ukraine’s presidential election as “opening a window of opportunity” for the Minsk and Normandy processes to advance along those lines. (ibid Socor)

Meanwhile, as Socor further reports,

"In Mr. Lévy’s telling, he first met Mr. Zelensky on March 30, the eve of the first round of this presidential election .... Mr. Lévy recognized the difference between the future and the past. According to his account, when asked how he would deal with Mr. Putin in a face-to-face meeting, Mr. Zelensky’s answer is that he would make Mr. Putin laugh (Novoye Vremya, April 5). (ibid Socor)

Fast forward to May 24 and RFERL reports that,

"Ukraine's new President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone on May 24, discussing efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine, both offices said.
...
In Berlin, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on May 24 that Merkel and Zelenskiy agreed on a need for a "full implementation" of the current peace agreements." (RFERL : 24 May 2019) (my emphasis)

The critical question that needs to be answered is,

"Do Zelensky and Merkel now agree that "the withdrawal of Russian forces, disarmament of local proxy forces and restoration of Ukrainian control along the border, are merely defined as aspirations, rather than indispensable preconditions to any “elections” in Donetsk-Luhansk"?

Let us remind ourselves about the relevant articles of the Minsk2 agreements NOW being defined as "aspirations" rather than as "indispensable pre-conditions to any 'elections' in Donetsk-Luhansk:

• Pull-out of all heavy weapons by both sides to equal distance with the aim of creation of a security zone on minimum 50 kilometres (31 mi) apart for artillery of 100mm calibre or more, and a security zone of 70 kilometres (43 mi) for multiple rocket launchers (MRLS) and 140 kilometres (87 mi) for MLRS Tornado-S, Uragan, Smerch, and Tochka U tactical missile systems:
          for Ukrainian troops, from actual line of contact;
          for armed formations of particular districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, from the contact line in accordance with the Minsk Memorandum as of 19 September 2014. The pullout of the above-mentioned heavy weapons must start no later than the second day after the start of the ceasefire and finish within 14 days. This process will be assisted by OSCE with the support of the Trilateral Contact Group. 
• Restore control of the state border to the Ukrainian government in the whole conflict zone, which has to start on the first day after the local election and end after the full political regulation (local elections in particular districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts based on the law of Ukraine and Constitutional reform) by the end of 2015, on the condition of fulfillment of Point 11 – in consultations and in agreement with representatives of particular districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts within the framework of the Trilateral Contact Group. 
• Pullout of all foreign armed formations, military equipment, and also mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine under OSCE supervision. Disarmament of all illegal groups.

Perhaps a direct confirmation that the Minsk2 "indispensable pre-conditions" have now morphed into "aspirations" in the eyes of Zelensky and Merkel derives from the fact that,

"The newly-appointed chief of Ukraine’s General Staff, Ruslan Khomchak, appointed (left) by President Vladimir Zelensky two days ago, believes that Kiev had lost Crimea long before 2014.
...
[He reminisced that] "I bought a voucher to a health resort in Alupka," Khomchak said. "When the holiday was over, I told myself I would never go there again, because what I’d seen was really shocking. It was a sad ruin of what was left of the Soviet Union… I kept asking myself: ‘Is this Ukraine?’" (Tass : 24 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

And whilst Khomchak believes that Kiev had lost Crimea long before 2014, at least according to Tass, whilst "team Zelensky have stated that, "Crimea, Ukraine's peninsula occupied by Russia in 2014 must return to Ukraine"(UNIAN : 16 April 2019), nonetheless Khomchack,

"... says he is against holding talks with self-proclaimed republics in Russia-occupied Donbas. Answering a question of how he views the possibility of talks with fighters of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" ("DPR") and "Luhansk People's Republic" ("LPR"), Khomchak said: "I am against any talks, I am a military man." (UNIAN: 24 May 2019) (my emphasis)

Zelensky will also be having a telephone 'meeting' in the near future with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, to discuss the implementation of the Minsk2 Agreements, as recently discussed between Macron, Merkel, and Putin.

As reported by Vladimir Isachenkov and Efrem Lukatsky,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about Ukraine among other issues in a conference call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Putin emphasized the need for the Ukrainian government to enact legislation granting special status to the rebel regions in line with a 2015 Minsk agreement sponsored by France and Germany, according to the Kremlin. Putin also noted that the Ukrainian government must establish direct dialogue with the rebels." (Washington Post : 21 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

So, if Komchack is :-

• against holding talks with the self-proclaimed republics in Russia-occupied Donbas, 
• and Putin says that such talks must take place if Minsk2 is to be fully implemented

how will this central conflict between Putin and Zelensky's new Chief of Ukraine's General Staff be resolved?

 

Zelensky is now walking along a taut political tightrope.

(to be continued)

Just as Trump "owes" Putin, does Zelensky "owe" Kolomoisky?

In my last blog entry I wrote that,

"They say that when you are handed the scepter of power, that symbolic staff that signifies the power that you wield, is when that power courses through your veins giving you a false sense of infallibility. 


And so it is that, speaking to Ukraine's parliament, the Rada, shortly after being sworn in as President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky (left),

" ... immediately called parliamentary elections in the hope that an early poll will help him to consolidate power after his landslide victory." (Roman Olearchyk : Financial Times : 20 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Vladimir Isachenkov and Efrem Lukatsky (right) now report that,

"Ukraine’s new president on Tuesday formally ordered Ukraine’s parliament to dissolve and called an early election for July, hoping to ride the wave of his electoral success to get his supporters into parliament." (Washington Post : 21 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

They continue,

“Zelenskiy is trying to act as quickly as possible, because he realizes that voters’ excitement will cool down in half a year,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kiev-based independent think-tank Penta." (ibid Vladimir Isachenkov and Efrem Lukatsky) (my emphasis)

 Zelensky should, however, be aware that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about Ukraine among other issues in a conference call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Putin emphasized the need for the Ukrainian government to enact legislation granting special status to the rebel regions in line with a 2015 Minsk agreement sponsored by France and Germany, according to the Kremlin. Putin also noted that the Ukrainian government must establish direct dialogue with the rebels." (ibid Vladimir Isachenkov and Efrem Lukatsky) (my emphasis)

If the "cosy" triumvirate of Putin, Merkel, and Macron is causing Zelensky to shift his eyes towards Trump as his political saviour in his trying to come to grips with Putin's war with Ukraine, Zelensky may be wise to consider the fact that the collusion between Trump and Putin led to the lifting of US sanctions against Oleg Deripaska (right), one of Putin's closest 'siloviki' members, to clear his multi-million dollar investment in an aluminium plant in the US.

As Rachel Maddow (22 May, 2019) reports (video below), more information is now emerging about the corrupt relationship between the lifting of these sanctions against Deripaska and the ardent Trump protector, the leader of the Republican majority in the US Senate, Mitch McConnell. (left)

Now just yesterday (21 May 2019), the Moscow Times reminded us that,

"Newly inaugurated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked U.S. officials to step up sanctions against neighboring Russia in one his first foreign policy actions.

“I would like to urge the United States to keep increasing sanctions against [Russia],” Zelenskiy said in a meeting with U.S. lawmakers and Trump administration officials, including Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Monday." (The Moscow Times : 22 May 2019) (my emphasis)

Yet, as Rachel Maddow reports Trump is, through the actions of Mitch McConnell, surreptitiously decreasing sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki' clan.

Now it should be recalled that these sanctions against Deripaska were instituted due to Putin helping Trump to gain the White House during the 2016 US Presidential elections.

Interestingly, one should not underestimate the extent to which Kolomoiski, through his TV station in Ukraine, assisted in Zelensky becoming president of Ukraine.

Even more interesting,

"President Volodymyr Zelenskiy named lawyer Andriy Bogdan head of his administration.

Both Zelenskiy and Bogdan, a lawyer, have close ties to Ihor Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's richest men. Kolomoisky has been in a long legal battle with Ukrainian authorities over control of PrivatBank, the country's largest lender.

For Andriy Bogdan, the new post will not be his first in government. He previously served as deputy minister of justice and deputy minister in charge of anti-corruption policy under Viktor Yanukovich before the former president fled to Moscow during the Maidan uprising in 2014." (Deutsche Welle  DW : 21 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Bogdan, Zelensky, and Kolomoisky

Just as Trump "owes" Putin, does Zelensky "owe" Kolomoisky?

(to be continued)

The world now awaits to see how President Zelensky will put his words into action.

They say that when you are handed the scepter of power, that symbolic staff that signifies the power that you wield, is when that power courses through your veins giving you a false sense of infallibility. 

And so it is that, speaking to Ukraine's parliament, the Rada, shortly after being sworn in as President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky (left),

" ... immediately called parliamentary elections in the hope that an early poll will help him to consolidate power after his landslide victory." (Roman Olearchyk : Financial Times : 20 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Roman Olearchyk further reports that,

"Ukraine’s western backers are monitoring Mr Zelensky’s first moves and appointments amid concern about his inexperience and the influence of Igor Kolomoisky (right), an oligarch who backed the comedian’s campaign through strong television coverage." (ibid Roman Olearchyk) (my emphasis)

The eyes of the world are now closely watching President Zelensky, and as he was being inaugurated as President of Ukraine, UNIAN reports that,

"Four Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past day amid 18 enemy attacks mounted by Russia-led forces." (UNIAN :19th May, 2019) (my emphasis)

How he will deal with Putin now remains to be seen.

Already Zelensky is assuming that there will be a ceasefire in Donbas simply because he called for such a ceasefire. (UNIAN : 20 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

As reported by UNIAN, President Zelensky stated at a meeting with representatives of the United States, who arrived in Kyiv to take part in the official ceremony of his inauguration, that,


"Reforming Ukraine as a whole, in all areas, will be held simultaneously rather than after the ceasefire in Donbas" (UNIAN : 20 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, Zelensky,

".... thanked the American side for its leadership in restoring Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the assistance in security and promotion of the internal reforms." (ibid UNIAN) (my emphasis)

The world now awaits to see President Zelensky put his words into action.

(to be continued)

Will Putin use his "nuclear gas option" against Ukraine?

In my last blog entry (11 May, 2019) I stated that,

"Rick Stengel of MSNBC hits the nail on the head when he said that,

"... I actually want to go back to the Ukraine issue ... This is also a potential area of collusion between Trump and Putin ... Why ... Putin annexed [Ukraine Crimea] in 2014 ... He had a soft invasion of Ukraine in 2015 ... Now you have the President of the United States basically saying, "Let's make a deal about this ... If you're Ukraine you're caught between these two corrupt administrations ... " (MSNBC : 10 May, 2019) (my emphasis)"

 MSNBC (10 May 2019)

 

We now learnt that,

"President Trump won't cut support for Ukraine in exchange for Russia doing the same with Venezuela, U.S. officials said as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
...
[A] Moscow Times columnist wrote in outlining Putin’s position. “Withdrawing Russian military support for Maduro should also be matched by the withdrawal of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine.”

[O]ne U.S. official familiar with the Ukraine negotiations added,
...
“Ukraine has a big say in this. They are not our client, they don't do what we tell them,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “Then you have France and Germany and the European Union involved, and all of these players are not going to act on some behind-the-door, Trump-Putin secret deal — and I'm not even saying that that's what our president would do." The official added that "even if the president wanted to do that, he couldn’t.”
 ...
 “[T]he additional U.S. aid is “set by Congress, and that’s not going to change.” (Joel Gehrke (right): Washington Examiner : May 14, 2019) (my emphasis)

Underscoring this reporting by Joel Gehrke, Darya Korsunskaya (left) also reports that,

"U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that he had told Moscow to free a group of detained Ukrainian sailors and to work with Ukraine’s new president to bring peace to eastern Ukraine.

Pompeo also told a news conference that he had told Lavrov that it was time for Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro, a long-time Russian ally, to quit.

Lavrov said Maduro’s future should be decided by the Venezuelan people and called U.S. pressure on him undemocratic. (Reuters : 14 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Pompeo and Lavrov

The sheer arrogance of that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, to state that, " ... Maduro’s future should be decided by the Venezuelan people and called U.S. pressure on him undemocratic" when his boss, Putin, is desperately trying to impose his will on the democratic choices of the Ukrainian people, simply beggars belief.

Added to which, Putin's mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov (right), now states that,

"...U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has not called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "reach out to Ukraine," and this topic was allegedly not discussed at all. "Mr. Pompeo didn't call on President Putin to do this [to reach out to Ukraine's new government].
...
Maybe he somehow did this indirectly, but the topic of Ukraine was not discussed at the meeting with the president yesterday," (UNIAN : 15 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

 The Orwellian Doublespeak of Lavrov and Peskov somewhat reminds us of what Angela Merkel once said of Putin.

" [S]he said that “she was not sure he [Putin] was in touch with reality.” The Russian leader, she added, seemed to be “in another world.” (Marvin Kalb : Brookings : 4 March, 2014) (my emphasis)

It is therefor ironic that this same Angela Merkel who in 2014, the year of the Maidan Revolution, recognized that Putin was not in touch with reality, nonetheless now seems to be economically supporting him by maintaining that the Nord Steam2 pipeline that will make Germany the Gas hub of Europe, and will be the primary economic lifeline for Putin's failing Russian economy, has nothing to do with Putin's attempts to destroy Ukraine. (cf: DW 4 February, 2019)

Since Denmark has not issued construction permits and has requested that Nord Stream change its route, UNIAN reports that,

"Ukraine gas experts point with some alarm to Gazprom's accumulation of gas in European storage facilities. As they fill up, Gazprom leases more storage facilities. The gas in storage, the Ukrainians think, is being accumulated to meet Russia's minimum contractual deliveries to Europe while bypassing Ukraine's pipelines in total." (UNIAN : 15 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Paul Gregory (right) also informs us that,

"Ukraine’s gas company, Naftogaz, worries that Putin is preparing to launch what amounts to a “nuclear gas option” that will push Ukraine into recession and create gas shortages throughout Europe. Russia’s move, they think, will take place on or around Jan. 1, 2020." (Forbes : 13 May, 2019) (my emphasis)

Recalling what Merkel said about Putin not being in touch with reality, will Putin use his "nuclear gas option" against Ukraine?

(to be continued)