Addressing the Sunday maritime incident between Russia and Ukraine, President Trump has said he may cancel his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of this weekend’s G20 summit.
“Maybe I won’t even have the meeting … I don’t like that aggression,” Trump said. He did, however, say that he is waiting for a full report on the matter to decide on the meting. The Trump-Putin meeting was intended to address security issues and arms control.
On Sunday, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval boats in the Sea of Azov. Russia says the boats entered closed Russian waters, while Ukraine insists they did nothing wrong. The US State Department is backing Ukriane, and urging European nations to “do more” to help Ukraine militarily.
With the US backing Ukraine over the dispute, the cancellation of the G20 talks might make sense. On the other hand, Trump and Putin meet so rarely as it is because of constant diplomatic tensions, that even minor sideline meetings such as this are a serious loss to diplomatic efforts.
Jason, surely this is exactly the time the two leaders need to meet. Trump is the ONLY one of his “team” top show the slightest bit of suggestion that the Ukrainian story may be contradicted and with all his other terrible policies he needs to at least talk with Putin. Porochenko’s plan obviously was to cause this change, among all the rest of his evil designs.
That’s what he gets for making his “team” up from the neocon hall of fame.
Trump just has the neocons to scare his adversaries . Lets hope Trump can handle the big decisions himself .
You don’t suppose Trump is still colluding with Putin every day . I suppose he would do it threw Wlki leaks otherwise the CIA would turn Trump over to Mueller
Would Porochenko be equally or more evil than the people that put him in office .
No, not exactly, but he’d still be evil, just a little less than those that put him in office in the first place. He was installed by Obama’s CIA and State Dept. in 2014. If you want to know who’s the most evil in this case, it would have to be Obama and his underlings.
You are so right . Now would be a very important time to talk .Perhaps Trump needs to let the American people think about how much fun a nuclear war would be with Russia for awhile . His neocons can talk and plan the nuclear war strategy . After the American people have had a little time to think about this . I think Putin and Trump could easily work out a friendship program that the deep state , the globalists or the neocons could not sabotage . Other wise if Trump tries to collude with Russia the democrats and the anti Trumper’s will impeach him .
I wholeheartedly agree, Rosemerry, this is the right tune for the two leaders to meet. Trump’s the ONLY of his “team” top show the slightest bit of suggestion that the Ukrainian story may be contradicted, and with all his other bad policies, he sorely needs to at least talk with Putin .. Putin’s certainly willing to talk with him. Porky’s plan obviously was to cause this change, among all the rest of his evil designs.
How about waiting for the “full report” before saying who was the aggressor?
I agree. I understand that Russia had the right to refuse this particular passage even if the Crimea had still been Ukrainian territory.
Meanwhile the foolish Euro-commissioner Stoltenberg is stoking the war flames with martial pronunciations from the NATO-Ukraine commission. Does he really believe that Germany will go to war with Russia in the case of a real Russian-Ukrainian war? Someone will remind Merkel of the Battle of Kursk which resulted in the loss of Kharkov and Kiev.
Let us remember that Yanukovich was ousted by a US-supported ultra right-wing coup because he shelved the NATO Membership Action Plan which considered Ukraine’s NATO membership.
It is likely that the irresponsible Azov-act by Porochenko is not only about the upcoming elections but also for strengthening NATO-Ukraine ties. Stoltenberg is his poodle. Or worse: a smoker who lights a cigarette next to a barrel full with gunpowder. “Lock him up!” In an institution.
Only Trump and Putin can defuse this war-war madness with talk-talk. Even if that is the only reason why our President goes to the meeting he must go and talk with Putin. He must then ignore the predictable vicious press when he and Trump call on Porochenko to ‘cool it man’.
The truth is that our government will have to act if Russian troops move to the Ukrainian borders with Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Romania.
Russia has to watch all those that say they want to blow up the new Russian Crimea bridge ..
If any damage is done to that bridge I predict that Putin will immediately order the occupation of Ukraine East of the Donetsk river which thereby includes the entire coastline of the Sea of Azov and damn the UN Security Council.
Ukraine? It’s only rational future is a return to the Russian Confederacy with special conditions of autonomy. I know that is heresy in many places but what else can this impoverished nation in which people are freezing in their homes do? A future in EU is self-strangling.
He might even have the support of over 1/2 the Ukrainian people in eastern Ukraine . Ukraine could just mysteriously fall apart like Yugoslavia did . Where the largest ethnic group was kicked out of most of their country .
Belarus and much of Moldova support Russia. Hungary and Slovakia wouldn’t care either. Only Poland and perhaps the Romanians would be upset, mostly Poland. In reality, Russia has talked and mollified the US all it can, and gotten slapped in the face for years. It gets to a point where there is nothing left to talk about, just act according to your own priorities and defend the Eastern Republics against Ukrainian aggression. A nuclear armed NATO Ukraine is simply not acceptable to Russia’s security.
Relations between Russia and Turkey have improved over the last couple of years. One way Turkey could help cool the situation would be to announce that the Bosporus strait is temporarily closed to non-Russian military vessels, with the exception of foreign vessels currently in the Black Sea being allowed to leave.
Bosporous should be closed to all military vessels except Turkish and Russian. But the USA never takes no for an answer. we know that much.
True. But on a quiet word from Erdogan that Turkey WILL shut down the strait if US and Co. don’t knock the shit off and let Ukraine and Russia work it out between themselves, Trump might be inclined to do so rather than risk having to force passage and finally completely lose Turkey as an “ally” in the region.
Ukraine will never be admitted to NATO, Antarcticus, it’s far too unstable. Among the problems is the conflict with the Donbass region. NATO leaders said Ukraine could never be admitted because of this conflict.
Georgia’s request to join was also turned down, for the same reason.