David M. Herszenhorn (left), writing about the lingering concerns over corruption in the Ukraine, one year after the Maidan revolution that overthrew the corrupt regime of Yanukovich, informs us that Egor Sobolev has stated that,
"...Corruption investigations against other former officials and executives of state-owned companies have largely stalled.
............
“The
biggest problem in the country is we do not have a real system of
justice, we do not have judges, most of them are people from
Yanukovych’s time, very corrupted,” he said. “The same situation with
prosecutors.” (New York Times :
What is even more disconcerting is that,
"Officials also now fret openly that more than $40 billion pledged by the
International Monetary Fund and allies, including the United States and
the European Union, will not be enough to keep the country afloat." (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)
But let us pause for a moment and cast out minds back to West Germany immediately after the war.
"Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology (Nazism).
It was carried out specifically by removing from positions of power and influence those who had been Nazi Party
members and by disbanding or rendering impotent the organizations
associated with Nazism. The program of denazification was launched after
the end of the Second World War" (Wikipedia)
To this end the Allies poured money into West Germany (approximately $20 billion in todays currency) and instituted a re-education program for the whole of the German populace, to expunge from their minds the Nazi ideology.
"The Germans autonomously restructured their system of society which was up to standard
of the Western democracies in 1960's. " (Saila Anttonen : European Conference on Educational Research : September 2002) (my emphasis) In other words, it took West Germany 20+ years to do what many are now saying that the Ukrainians should have done in ONE year.
Compared to the approximately $20 billion (at today's prices) poured into West Germany after WWII,
"$40 billion [has been] pledged [to Ukraine] by the International Monetary Fund and allies, including the United States and the European Union" (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)
In other words, this money HAS NOT been poured into Ukraine. Ukraine has been pledged that it will receive this money only if it 'magically' fulfills ALL the conditions laid down by the IMF and the EU in particular about radically transforming its society, government, and economy not tomorrow, but now!
And yet, as Lawrence Summers (right), former US Treasury Secretary, rather concisely states,
"The moral, geopolitical, and economic case for the provision of strong
support [for Ukraine] is compelling. The International Monetary Fund has done as much
as can reasonably be asked with a programme totalling $17.5bn. While
bilateral support from the US and Europe could be increased and the
World Bank is missing a major opportunity, Ukraine’s viability
ultimately depends on what happens to its debts." (FT : May 17, 2015) (my emphasis)
Given this feet-dragging over Ukraine by the US and the EU, is it any wonder, that Alexander Baunov (left) of the Carnegie Moscow Institute states that,
“Russia is just waiting for the internal problems of Ukraine to make it
less attractive for the West,” said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie
Moscow Institute, a research group. “Putin’s hope is Russia doesn’t need
to make Ukraine weak. Ukraine will be weak by itself, and he can just
wait awhile and take advantage of its weakness sometime in the future.” (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)
And clothing Putin's hope we have the PutinversteherWalter Steinmeir and Angela Merkel (right) still desperately,
"....clinging to a fraying peace deal in Ukraine and forcing Kiev to follow
suit, even though Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no sign of
wavering and NATO is warning that Moscow may be preparing for a new
offensive." (Reuters : 17 May, 2015) (my emphasis)
"This offers little consolation to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (right)
who, while under pressure at home over a steady loss of troops fighting
pro-Moscow rebels in the east, has to keep in diplomatic step with the
West whose political and financial help he needs." (ibid Reuters) (my emphasis) Only this morning do we learn that,
"Ukrainian forces claimed to have captured two Russian special forces officers fighting in eastern Ukraine, in what would be the first capture of Russian personnel – if confirmed – since a ceasefire deal signed in February." (Roland Oliphant : The Telegraph :17 May 2015) (my emphasis) (cf. also BBC News)
One of the soldiers identified himself as, "Aleksandr Aleksandrov - a sergeant in the third special forces brigade." (ibid BBC) (my emphasis)
"DONETSK, Ukraine — This once-booming
industrial city of 1 million is now largely a lawless and lifeless
center of eastern Ukraine's separatist movement, where residents live
under constant threat from marauding militias.
.....
Most stores have shut down, and
only a few restaurants remain open, filled mainly with young separatist
militia fighters in dark green fatigues (above) who rampage through the city as
if it were their own playground, civilian residents say. " (USA Today : May 17, 2015) (my emphasis)
And whilst those citizens in Donetsk have to live under Putin's proxies who, "are able to carry out criminal acts with impunity",
" .... the St Petersburg Cossack Society ... [unveiled] an astonishing bust of the president as an all-conquering Roman Caesar. Wearing plate armour and dressed in a flowing toga, the sycophantic statue has been created in the mould of those seen in ancient Rome and once reserved for powerful leaders." (Corey Charlton : MailOnline: 17 May 2015) (my emphasis)
As if to live up to the image of this bust of himself as an "all-conquering Roman Ceasar" we learn that Putin scored eight goals in an 18-6 win in an ice-hockey match in Sochi.
And ".... as man of the match, Shoigu (a member of his Kremlin 'siloviki' clan) was presented with a prize - a holiday in newly-annexed Crimea." (ibid Corey Charlton) (my emphasis)
In yesterday's blog entry (14 May, 2015) I stated that,
" ... the US is now effectively regarding Putin's rebel proxies in eastern Ukraine as an integral part of Putin's military forces, whilst Merkel and many other leaders in the EU still view them as 'Russian-speaking Ukrainian rebels'".
And today we learn that,
"Kerry flew in to the Turkish seaside resort of
Antalya to brief NATO foreign ministers on his eight hours of talks on
Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov.
Those talks (in Sochi) offeredno sign of concrete
progress to end the crisis over a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern
Ukraine that has chilled relations between Russia and the West.
"There
was strong agreement among all of the NATO members that this is a
critical moment for action by Russia and by the separatists to live up
to the Minsk agreement," Kerry said, referring to a ceasefire accord
that has been regularly broken." (Adrian Croft and Tulay Karadeniz : Reuters : Wed May 13) (my emphasis)
At the same time, the Putinversteher foreign minister of Germany, Walter Steinmeir, was rather more "upbeat".
"Although the ceasefire is still fragile in two
places and being constantly violated,we have finallyseen progress in
the last couple of days as working groups have been installed where
representatives of the Kiev government and the Donbass region will talk
about humanitarian aid, economic development, the political process and
the security situation," he told reporters." (ibid Adrian Croft and Tulay Karadeniz) (my emphasis)
Needless to say, Putin's propaganda machine is pushing foreward Steinmeier's 'upbeat' view of the dire situation in eastern Ukraine.
"German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says there has been a
serious breakthrough in fulfilling the Minsk peace roadmap in Ukraine.
Despite any difficulties encountered, he says, the participants must
press on with implementing the deal." (RT : May 13, 2015)
"No Alternatives to Minsk Agreements on Ukraine - German Foreign Minister"
Let us now recall that in March of this year,
"A Russian Foreign Ministry official said [that]... Moscow had the right to deploy nuclear arms in Crimea, but said he knew of no plans to do so."(Adrian Croft : Reuters : 13 May, 2015) (my emphasis)
However, NATO and the Ukrainian foreign minister, Pavel Klimkin (left),
"....are ... deeply concerned by statements of the Russian leadership with
regard to possible future stationing of nuclear weapons and their
delivery systems in Crimea, which would be destabilizing," NATO and
Ukraine foreign ministers said in a joint statement after meeting in
Turkey." (ibid Adrian Croft) (my emphasis)
Putin has already recently threatened the use of nuclear weapons.
"Threat: Vladimir Putin will consider any attempt to return the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine as a declaration of war, and will take any necessary step - including using nuclear weapons - to retain control of the region" (John Hall : Mail Online : 2 April 2015) (my emphasis)
The concerns of NATO and Ukraine are therefore not without foundation. Yet Steinmeier, like Merkel, simply will not budge an inch from their original stance that there are "No Alternatives to Minsk Agreements on Ukraine", as Putin's propaganda sheet 'Sputnik' so 'eloquently' puts it.
Forget about the fact that:
The Minsk1 protocols failed utterly
The Minsk2 'ceasefire', in Steinmeier's own words, " is still fragile in two
places and being constantly violated "
Putin has threatened that, "any attempt to return the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine [will be viewed] as a declaration of war, and [that he] will take any necessary step - including using nuclear weapons- to retain control of the region"
Russia is carrying out a new military build-up in eastern Ukraine,
massing troops on the border and deploying advanced air defences inside
its neighbour, the US state department says. (David Blair and Tom Parfitt : National Post : April 24, 2015)
The recently released Boris Nemtsov Report claims that Russia has up to 10,000 soldiers involved in the war in Ukraine and at least 220 have died in battles there in the past year (AP : National Post : May 12, 2015) (my emphasis)
And yet, even in the face of the disintegration of the Minsk2 'ceasefire' and the expectation of the residents of Mariupol that they could be invaded at any time by Putin's military forces, Steinmeier and Merkel (below) together are sticking to their guns that,
"Germany is working with
Russia, not against it.” (RT : May 10, 2015)"
Poroshenko (right) must be asking himself, "With 'friends' like these, who needs enemies."
Yesterday Merkel met with Poroshenko. And all that she had to say about the crisis in Ukraine was,
"On the basis of February's Minsk agreement," Merkel said on Wednesday,
"we must realize that we are not yet where we want to be." (DW : 13.05.2015) (my emphasis)
In other words, Merkel said 'absolutely nothing'......
In yesterday's blog entry I speculated whether Putin and Kerry would meet up in Sochi.
I also pointed out that we should bear in mind that recently the US,
".....quietly introduced a new term: "combined Russian-separatist forces" when referring to Putin's rebel proxies and his Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine.(Bradley Klapper and Ken Dilanian)
It transpires that Putin and Kerry did, indeed, meet up in Sochi.
As reported by Bridget Kendall (video below),
"This visit (of John Kerry) is highly significant given the low ebb of US-Russian relations .... (By Kerry coming to Sochi)... the Russians are seeing it as a gesture of respect ... something they say they don't get enough of from the Americans..."
At the end she concludes that, "President Putin criticized the Americans for trying to dominate the world ...No promise of any dramatic breakthrough at these talks, but any hint of progress to break the ice in relations (between th US and Putin) would be a real achievement ..."(my emphasis)
Immediately following on from Bridget Kendall, the BBC's Oleg Boldyrev reported from Moscow (video below) on the publication of the Nemtsov report that exposes the direct invovement of Putin's Russian soldiers in the war in eastern Ukraine, notwithstanding Putin's constant 'mantra' that there are no Russian soldiers fighting in eastern Ukraine.
When contrasting the meetings between Putin and Angela Merkel, and between Putin and John Kerry, one is rather struck by the fact that:
Angela Merkel reassured Putin that, “Germany is working with
Russia, not against it.” (RT : May 10, 2015)
There was, "No promise of any dramatic breakthrough (on the Ukrainian issue)" at the talks between Putin and John Kerry (Bridget Kendall report)
Yet BOTH Angela Merkel and John Kerry hinted at a lifting of the sanctions against Putin and his kleptocratic 'siloviki' clique if the Minsk2 protocols are FULLY implemented.
Which brings us back to the the US speaking about,
"combined Russian-separatist forces" when referring to Putin's rebel proxies and his Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine" (Bradley Klapper and Ken Dilanian), (leftwith Dianne Feinstein )
As Bradley Klapper and Ken Dilanian further state,
"That will make it harder for Russia to persuade the U.S. and
Europe to scale back sanctions that are hurting its economy..." (Business Insider UK : Apr. 30, 2015).
Since the US is now effectively regarding Putin's rebel proxies in eastern Ukraine as an integral part of Putin's military forces, whilst Merkel and many other leaders in the EU still view them as 'Russian-speaking Ukrainian rebels';
it is no wonder that on the Ukrainian issue there was no 'dramatic breakthrough' in the talks between Putin and Kerry,
whilst Merkel could re-assure Putin that "Germany is working with Russia, not against it".
This critical difference between Kerry and Merkel, should be viewed against the speculation of AntonTroianovski that Merkel seems to be presenting herself as,
".......the West’s de facto negotiator-in-chief in the Ukrainecrisis..."? (MarketWatch : May 10, 2015), a view that Putin seems to be endorsing". Thus his meeting Merkel in Moscow whilst meeting Kerry in Sochi.
Added to which, Merkel must be giving Putin the 'respect' he so desperately craves, and that he feels he, "doesn't get enough of from the Americans".
However, should an 'inveterate liar' be given respect?
Just as Putin himself finally admitted that he 'lied' about his invasion, and consequent annexing of, Ukrainian Crimea (see video below), we now have the Nemtsov report revealing yet again, "the direct invovement of Putin's Russian soldiers in the war in eastern Ukraine, notwithstanding Putin's constant 'mantra' that there are no Russian soldiers fighting in eastern Ukraine."
Let us remind ourselves that,
"“There has been a Russian build-up, both along the borders between
Russia and Ukraine but also inside eastern Ukraine, with a steady flow
of heavy equipment, tanks, artillery, ammunition, air defence systems
and a lot of training,” alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told
a news conference yesterday.
“So they have the capacity, the capability to launch new attacks with
very little warning time. But of course no one can say anything with
certainty about the intention.” (Times of Malta (Reuters): Tuesday, May 12, 2015) (my emphasis)
Surely Angela Merkel's Minister of Defence, Ursula von der Leyen (left: with Merkel) has herself been kept up-to-date about Putin's military developments in eastern Ukraine. Surely she is also aware of Putin's "combined Russian-separatist forces" now having the, "capability to launch new attacks with
very little warning time".
Surely she is also aware that the strategic city of Mariupol is gearing itself up for an imminent invasion by Putin's "combined Russian-separatist forces".
Like Angela Merkel is she, too, simply sitting on her hands?
Tom Kutsch reports that, "U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Russia on Tuesday (today), his
first time in the country in two years and the first cabinet-level
meeting by a U.S. official since the start of the conflict in Ukraine
last year. His brief visit and meeting, which is set to include Russian
President Vladimir Putin, will be a rare forum for diplomacy between the
two countries, whose relations have plummeted to their lowest point
since the end of the Cold War." (Aljazeera : May 11, 2015) (my emphasis) This meeting will take place in Sochi, recently the "corruption capital of the world" that hosted the Winter Olympics at a cost of $50 billion, most of which was siphoned away in corruption.
The confirmation of this meeting,
"...followed hours of limbo Monday during which the Kremlin refused to say
whether Kerry and Putin would meet, despite U.S. officials' insistence
that the talks would take place. A senior State Department official told
the Associated Press tersely, "We usually don't go to Sochi to see
Foreign Minister Lavrov." (Fox News : May 12, 2015) (my emphasis)
Is it merely a co-incidence that the PutinversteherAngela Merkel had a private tête-à-tête with Putin last Sunday (10 May) at which the dangerously volatile situation in Ukraine was, allegedly, top of their agenda?
Furthermore, why is this meeting between Kerry and that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, Lavrov (left), taking place in Sochi rather than in Moscow?
And will Putin be meeting with John Kerry?
We should bear in mind that recently the US,
".....quietly introduced a new term: "combined Russian-separatist forces" when referring to Putin's rebel proxies and his Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine.
"By describing them as an integrated force in the east of the country,
the U.S. is putting greater responsibility on Russia for the continued
fighting. That will make it harder for Russia to persuade the U.S. and
Europe to scale back sanctions that are hurting its economy..." (Business Insider UK : Apr. 30, 2015)
Could this be the underlying reason why Putin last Sunday (May 10) rolled out the 'red carpet' in Moscow for Merkel , whilst relegating John Kerry tothe backwoods of Sochi?
Could this also be an indication that, as AntonTroianovski says,
"Merkel’s highly anticipated visit ......... illustrated [her] challenge as the West’s de facto negotiator-in-chief in the Ukraine ..."? (MarketWatch : May 10, 2015), a challenge that Putin seems to be endorsing by the refusal of the Kremlin to say
whether Kerry and Putin would be meeting in Sochi?
This Putin 'snub' towards Kerry come as Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (right) warns that,
“There has been a Russian build-up, both along the borders between
Russia and Ukraine but also inside eastern Ukraine, with a steady flow
of heavy equipment, tanks, artillery, ammunition, air defence systems
and a lot of training,” alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told
a news conference yesterday.
“So they have the capacity, the capability to launch new attacks with
very little warning time. But of course no one can say anything with
certainty about the intention.” (Times of Malta (Reuters): Tuesday, May 12, 2015) (my emphasis) Merkel simply cannot be ignorant of Putin's build-up of his forces and military equipment in eastern Ukraine.
Wrapping herself up with the cloak of the Minsk2 protocols, protocols which favour Putin's Novorossiya ambitions far above the re-instatement of Crimea and eastern Ukraine within the borders of an independent Ukraine, simply underscores the fact that she is guided by her sympathies towards Russia.
After all, her reassurance to Putin who said that,
“Our countries cooperated even in much more challenging
conditions, when there seemed to be insurmountable
barriers,”
was simply to state that,
“Germany is working with
Russia, not against it.” (RT : May 10, 2015)
Hardly had Russia's nationalist euphoria of Putin's showcase of Russian military might on the 9th May died down when Angela Merkel and Putin, the following day, held their privatelittletête-à-tête, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the world.
On their agenda were two main unwritten items.
pushing foreward the Minsk2 proposals that essentially favours Putin
restoring the lost trade between Germany and Russia that has been caused by EU sanctions against Putin and the kleptocratic 'siloviki' that surrounds him
Merkel's 'figleaf' excuse for being the only leader of the EU, indeed of the west, for visiting Putin was, as reported by Dana Ford,
"I have come to Moscow during a difficult phase of the Russian-German
relations because it was important to me, on the 70th anniversary of the
end of World War II, to pay respects to those killed in that war,"
Merkel told reporters." (CNN : May 10, 2015)
"Western leaders have made a show of not attending the event, as some did
in past years. They remain locked in a bitter standoff with Russia over
the Ukraine crisis." (RFERL : May 09, 2015)
What is disconcerting is that,
"Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Germany's chancellor, Russia’s
president defended the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which the USSR signed
with Nazi Germany in 1939 to carve up Eastern Europe, in turn triggering
the onset of World War II.
......
Putin reportedly demonstrated his diverging view over the current war in Ukraine and
WWII history by saying there “was sense” to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
“Poland
became a victim of its own policy,” he said, referring to its partition by the
USSR and Nazi Germany in 1939, adding that Kremlin leaders back then signed the
controversial agreements to “avoid direct confrontation.” (KyivPost : May 10, 2015) (my emphasis)
Merkel's tacit agreement with Putin's argument about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is summed up by the fact that, as reported by Putin's own propaganda machine, RT,
"Our countries cooperated even in much more challenging
conditions, when there seemed to be insurmountable
barriers,” said Putin.
Merkel then reassured him, saying “Germany is working with
Russia, not against it.” (RT : May 10, 2015)
No doubt the PutinversteherMerkel had, at the back of her mind, the fact that Putin reminded her that,
"Putin tried to play down disagreements with Germany, reminding Merkel at
the news conference that German companies had profited immensely over
the years in the Russian market." (Anton Troianovski (right): MarketWatch : May 10, 2015)
Anton Troianovski also makes another rather interesting point viz.
"Merkel’s highly anticipated visit—the most high-profile trip by a
Western leader to Russia since the Ukraine crisis began—shed light on
the yawning gap that has emerged between Russia and the West since the
start of last year. It also illustrated Merkel’s challenge as the West’s
de facto negotiator-in-chief in the Ukraine crisis " (ibid Anton Troianovski) (my emphasis)
And whilst Merkel is selling out Ukraine, as reported by Simon Tomlinson, (July 2014)
"Germany and Russia are working on a secret peace deal to end the conflict in Ukraine that would see Moscow's controversial annexation of Crimea officially recognised in exchange for a $1billion compensation package, it was claimed today." (MailOnline : 31 July 2014),
"Some Russian soldiers are quitting the army because of the conflict in
Ukraine, several soldiers and human rights activists have told Reuters.
Their accounts call into question the Kremlin's continued assertions
that no Russian soldiers have been sent to Ukraine, and that any
Russians fighting alongside rebels there are volunteers." (Reuters : 10 May, 2015) (my emphasis)
Added to which, Tom Balmforth (right) informs us that the report that the late Boris Nemtsov (left) was working on, prior to him being murdered yards away from the Kremlin wall,
"...has been finally completed by a group of opposition activists and
journalists led by [Ilya] Yashin (below:right), who pieced together the trail that the slain
former deputy prime minister left behind." (RFERL : May 10, 2015)
He further informs us that,
"Yashin was adamant that the report will make a splash.
“Judging by how we are being hindered in even printing a small run,
there is going to be a fair amount of resonance,” he said. “We realize
that we are striking where it hurts.”
The goal of the report, he says, is to “disprove lies.”
“They say there aren’t Russian troops [in Ukraine],” Yashin said. “We
say there are. For Putin, it’s very painful to be caught lying.” (ibid RFERL) (my emphasis)
These are the questions that now have to be asked about that Putin and Merkel meeting yesterday viz.
Has Merkel become 'immune' to Putin's constant lying?
Was she 'intimidated' by Putin's elliptical threat towards German 'profiteering' in Russia?
Was Merkel 'pushed' by German businessmen into have this "privatelittletête-à-tête, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the world"?
Is she 'challenging' the West
into becoming the de facto negotiator-in-chief in the Ukraine crisis?
Did she try to 'bribe' Putin to 'reign in' his proxies and Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine in exchange for her pushing to have the EU sanctions against him and his cronies 'lifted' in July?
Perhaps most critical of all,
"What will she 'leave out' when reporting back to her western allies about what transpired during this little private tête-à-tête that she had with Putin"?