Accumulated enough evidence with a high degree of certainty that the hopes of the Kremlin’s delicate cooperation between trump and Putin will not be realized. Honeymoon in bilateral relations that existed more in the imagination and dreams of the Russian government, ended before it even started. A few days ago it was possible to conclude that “something went wrong”. It is now clear what went wrong almost everything. About what will be relations between Russia and the United States at the trump, “Apostrophe” says the former Russian presidential adviser Andrei Illarionov.
During the election campaign were regularly observed the so-called exchange of courtesies between trump and Putin. Putin praised trump, trump praised Putin. This practice of public confession is suddenly cut short on January 17 this year, when Putin quite casually commented on the surveillance of Russian secret services, the dossier on trump, his relationships with women. Unlike the previous cases, trump has not responded to Putin’s speech nor in three hours or in a day or three. He never responded to this. And already this lack of response was quite revealing.
Then came the epic does not phone call took place Trump Putin with congratulations on the occasion of his inauguration. Judging from what we’ve seen in the public sphere, through diplomatic channels, Putin denied connection, with the result that Dmitry Peskov had publicly regularly to remind the White house about Putin’s desire to talk with trump on the phone. Finally, this conversation took place on 28 January, i.e. 8 days after the entry of the trump position, which is quite long for the first contact between leaders of the two nuclear powers. The review, which appeared on the White house website regarding this conversation, was especially encouraging call.
Despite the fact that in the preceding months, the Russian media talked a lot about what Putin will meet with trump almost immediately after his inauguration. And even called time — the beginning of February, but this did not happen. The rumor that they will meet in Reykjavik, was also refuted by the White house. In Washington now say that a meeting is possible within six months. Six months before the meeting of the two leaders is a clear sign that trump is in no hurry to meet with Putin. Compounding the fact that the public humiliation of Putin, the press release from the White house on 4 February, who promised a meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in the “near future.”
2 Feb Plenipotentiary of the United States in the security Council UNPO Nikki Haley said that sanctions against Russia are lifted, until it returns Crimea to Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed that the ongoing policy of sanctions no changes are planned. The trump channel FoxNews has agreed with journalist Billy O’reilly that “Putin — the murderer” and added that “a lot of killers around.”
What happened in the last few days, the cascade of events marks a full-blown diplomatic disaster for the hopes of the Russian regime. On Monday, was forced to resign the most Pro-Kremlin employee trompowsky administration assistant for national security General Michael Flynn. On Tuesday, the press Secretary of the President of the United States Sean Spicer said on behalf of the trump of demand for Russia to return the Crimea to Ukraine. On Wednesday, trump himself has not left any doubts that the position in relation to the Kremlin, claimed senior officials of his administration, is shared fully by him. In Twitter he wrote: “Crimea was invaded by Russia during the Obama administration. Not whether Obama is too soft toward Russia?”
In this situation, Putin, there remains no other choice but to resume the confrontation with the United States, which, it would seem that began to weaken, and which can now last for the whole period of the presidency of the trump.
To this I would add another important event that occurred in late January. As if by chance in the Chinese social networks there were photos of the missile Dongfeng-41, the most advanced Chinese missiles deployed in the North-East of the country. This is the place in China, what these missiles (by the way, the long-range, are now on the planet, up to 12-15 thousand km range) can easily get hold of Washington.
Gesture on the part of China is quite obvious, which is a response to anti-Chinese plans of the new American administration, to trump the conversation with the leader of Taiwan, the statement by trump about the possibility of abandoning the “one China policy” and transition to “two Chinas policy”. This very important exchange of signs between the two main superpowers of the world today, a third party interfered — Russia — press Secretary Peskov on the fact that the deployment of Chinese missiles in Heilongjiang poses no threat to Russia, and that Russia and China are allies. However, as we know, relations between Russia and China are allied. And the Chinese leadership does not perceive them so. But the most important is that in Washington, the words Peskov could not be comprehended otherwise than as a statement that in case of confrontation between the US and China, Russia will not be on the US side, and on the side of China. Peskov statement is contrary to the vision of the trump role of Russia, which he regarded as an important potential ally in its Chinese strategy.
Thus, instead of a honeymoon in bilateral relations, which are counted in the Kremlin, there was a real diplomatic disaster. An unprecedented special operation on rendering assistance to the election trump that in Moscow just looked at as unheard-of victory, turns into an epic failure. Instead of “reset” and the coveted “Yalta-2” planned a new round of confrontation.
Andrei Illarionov, a Russian economist, Putin’s Advisor in 2000-2005.
