Stephen Lendman

At a time of US responsibility for dismal East/West relations, Angela Merkel will meet one-on-one with Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia on Tuesday for the first time in two years.

According to the Kremlin press service, both leaders will discuss “key international problems, including the fight against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East, and the implementation of the Minsk agreements aimed at resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” along with the current state and prospects for improving dismal bilateral relations, notably on trade.

Things were further strained after Germany’s Bundestag was cyberattacked in late April 2015, falsely blamed on Moscow.

Hostility toward Russia remains intense in America and Europe, including a steady stream of anti-Russia disinformation.

Ahead of Merkel’s trip, NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence director Janis Sarts said Germany anchors the EU, falsely adding “Moscow equates a strong Europe with a weakening of Russia’s position and that is the reason for” the cyberattack.

Moscow had nothing to do with it. Nor is it interfering in upcoming French and later in the year German elections. Sarts lied claiming Russia wants Ukrainian territory annexed.

Russia wants friendly, cooperative relations with all nations, confrontations avoided, ongoing wars resolved diplomatically.

Since Washington’s 2014 coup in Kiev replaced democratic governance with illegitimate putschists, US, German and other Western officials said sanctions on Russia won’t be lifted until it hands over its sovereign Crimean territory to Ukraine and complies with Minsk conflict resolution terms.

Russia and Donbass freedom fighters alone fully observe Minsk. Kiev flagrantly breaches it. The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol won’t be handed over to Ukraine or any other country.

Adversarial East/West relations remain in place because Washington wants it this way. Putin’s meeting with Merkel won’t change things, including both leaders sharply disagreeing on Syria - Germany in lockstep with US regime change objectives, Russia respecting the Syrian Arab Republic’s sovereign independence.

The best case scenario for the Putin/Merkel meeting is easing tensions, short of a badly needed thaw. Expect no major breakthroughs - nor from a Tuesday Putin/Trump phone conversation, scheduled for 7:30PM Moscow time, according to Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

Both leaders spoke several times before. No improvement in bilateral relations followed, nor is it likely from Tuesday’s conversation.

Trump is a captive of America’s deep state, continuing longstanding deplorable domestic and geopolitical policies - including maintaining adversarial relations toward Russia and all other sovereign independent nations.

Prospects for improving things on his watch are virtually nil. His first 100 days in office revealed the disturbing measure of the man - a warrior, not a peacemaker, a captive of Wall Street and other predatory corporate interests, not a leader serving all Americans equitably.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at http://www.sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
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