Can Trump Do A Deal With Putin?

One thing is certain—it won’t be easy. First let’s do a very brief survey of how we got to this point.

As the Cold War wound to an end, both Reagan and HWBush showed a readiness to recognize legitimate Soviet/Russian security concerns and interests. The basic Russian concern was to maintain a buffer zone between Russia proper and the main US and NATO military forces. That buffer zone could easily be set up and maintained by an agreement that NATO would not expand eastward, leaving the former Warsaw Pact countries—especially Poland—as the buffer zone. Explicit verbal assurances to this effect were provided to Russia by James Baker, and HWB himself took considerable political heat for refusing to get involved in Ukraine (cf. the “Chicken Kiev” slander).

All this changed with the accession of the Clintons to the WH, marking the Anglo-Zionist takeover of the US Deep State. The Anglo-Zionist aim was to gain access to Russian natural resources on favorable terms and to leverage domination of Russia against China. The expectation was that this could be accomplished by non-kinetic measures—economic and financial pressure—but, if push came to shove, Russia would be carved up into manageable (by the Anglo-Zionists) statelets. The Clintons acted throughout with utter disregard for Russian interests and welfare, a policy which was continued by Dubya. In particular, both the Clintons and Dubya aggressively expanded NATO eastward and began the process of military pressure on the Russian Federation itself with the attack on Serbia and military ties with Georgia and Ukraine.

Putin had come to power in 2000 and immediately demonstrated that he understood exactly what was afoot and that he was determined to resist the Anglo-Zionist aggression. By the time Obama was elected, 2008, it was already clear that some crisis point with Russia was a matter only of time. 2014 marked the US led coup in Kiev and the beginning of the civil war in the Donbas, as well as Russia’s reoccupation of the Crimea. The Anglo-Zionists were actively gearing up for the final solution to the Russian problem, but then Trump was elected.

What made Trump a problem for the Anglo-Zionists was his idea of forging a deal with Russia that would enable the subjugation of China. The result of this grand scheme would be to Make America Great Again—keeping Russia in line as a subordinate ally and keeping China in a manageable economic space. The preferred Anglo-Zionist approach was the complete subjugation of Russia by whatever means were necessary—Putin had shown himself to be a far too canny geopolitical operator to allow him to continue to lead Russia. Ultimately, Trump acceded to the Anglo-Zionists and doubled down on sanctions against Russia, as well as arming Ukraine to the teeth—thus stoking the confrontation that we’re now involved in.

By the time Zhou was installed in the WH the Anglo-Zionists were confident that all systems were go—the application of further sanctions could crush Russia and remove Putin in a matter of weeks or a few months at most. The blowup came within a year. In December of 2021 Putin presented two draft treaties to the collective West. Putin made it clear that he saw Russia under assault from the US led West and he demanded a new security architecture for Europe—including a pullback of NATO to its pre-expansion parameters. When his demands were met with laughter and Ukrainian preparations to invade the Donbas republics, Putin launched his Special Military Operation—which is progressing toward full success.

Trump observed Putin’s successful fight against both sanctions and NATO led Ukraine’s military. He made a resolution of the disastrous war with Russia a centerpiece of his campaign, but Trump’s solution was framed in a peculiar way. Basically, Trump argued that he would bring Russia and Ukraine to negotiations. If Ukraine proved recalcitrant, he would threaten to cut off US aid. If Russia proved recalcitrant he would threaten to double down on military aid to Ukraine. In this way he would force the two warring parties to come to terms.

The obvious fly in the ointment was: What if Russia no longer fears the US military? Worse, what if Russia sees benefits in prolonging the war, which is effectively demilitarizing NATO? The even more fundamental problem is that Russia knows that it is ultimately in a war, not with Ukraine, but with the Anglo-Zionist Empire. Putin has never backed down from his demand for a new security architecture in Europe. Far from it. He has made it clear that this new security arrangement can only come through direct negotiations with the US, which is the true party in interest and the true state that is leading the war against Russia. Since Russia is winning the war handily, why should Russia participate in Trump’s proposed charade at all?

Since the November 5 election of Trump, matters have become even more complicated. The US sanctions against Russia have long been recognized as acts of war against Russia. If that were not enough, the Zhou regime has added unambiguous acts of actual kinetic warfare against Russia—the American use of ATACMS ballistic missiles (and the British use of Storm Shadow missiles) to strike into indisputable Russian territory. Putin immediately pointed out that the use of ATACMS were acts of war by the US which had transformed the Special Military Operation into a war with “global aspects”. (There are new reports of ATACMS attacks today, but they appear to be unconfirmed.) Russia responded to devastating effect with an entirely new missile system that has the potential to strike anywhere within Europe and which cannot be defeated.

That brings us to today. Trump continues to insist that he will bring about peace, but a lot has changed over the past four years. What hasn’t change are Trump’s plans and overall approach. This was on display over the weekend. Mike Waltz, Trump’s designated NSA, outlined that approach.

Waltz emphasized that a key priority will be organizing talks between Russia and Ukraine, with the aim of bringing both sides together to negotiate a ceasefire or peace agreement. “We need to discuss who is at this table, whether it will be an agreement, a truce, how to put both sides at the negotiating table, and then what is the scope of the deal,” he said.

Note that coming to a resolution with Russia is a “key priority” for Trump. However, there is ample reason to believe that such a resolution is no longer a priority for Putin.

Trump still intends to pretend that the US is somehow not at war with Russia, despite the Russian side’s clear statements that such is, indeed, the case. Why would the Russians engage in this type of pantomime, having repeatedly stated that there can be no peace in Europe until the US recognizes Russia’s legitimate security concerns and negotiates directly with Russia? Forcing the Anglo-Zionists to accept ownership of the horrendous war they brought about will greatly enhance Russia’s international standing—at the expense of the Anglo-Zionists. As I have also stated, taking this stand on principle is a matter of a debt of responsibility that Putin owes to the Russian and Ukrainian peoples—Slavic brothers—who have sacrificed so much in this war. He will insist on this point, in my view, whatever shape this insistence may take. The hatred of the West for Russia has a price, and Putin will insist on payment.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that Russia has established close military cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea. Russia has demonstrated its reliability as an ally in the past and will be very unlikely to take any actions that would compromise those relations. Coming to a quick “deal” with Trump would free Trump for Anglo-Zionist plans for a pivot to the Middle East and to China—a development that Putin has every reason to discourage, since Anglo-Zionist meddling in either region will be detrimental to the development of BRICS.

The Russians have also repeatedly stated that, at this point, there will be preconditions before any ceasefire with Ukraine—preconditions that, by any reasonable standard, amount to a Ukrainian surrender. In effect, Ukraine must first surrender and then the full terms of Russian demands can be discussed. These preconditions are a clear signal that the Russians are, by default, content to continue the war. This willingness to continue the war is fueled especially by Russia’s progress and the fact that their new Oreshnik IRBM missile has effected a complete change in the strategic landscape. The advantage in this approach is that the longer it goes on the more pressure will be exerted on the collective West.

By the same token, I would suggest that the Russians will also prove unwilling to enter into negotiations with the US unless significant preconditions are met. Readers can decide what those conditions might turn out to be. A unilateral end to all sanctions against Russia? Trump has indicated a willingness to end sanctions, but Russia could demand that that happen before they enter into any talks. How about the withdrawal of NATO forces not only from Ukraine but also from, say, Poland, Romania, the Baltics, and Finland? My point is that Russia is in the driver’s seat, and it will be Trump who will feel the pressure to get something done. Russia’s demands for preconditions will slow progress and increase pressure on Trump. Those demands are both an expression of principle, but also will prove to be an effective negotiating tactic.

A further indication of what lies behind Trump’s approach and the nature of his concerns—what Trump may be looking to secure in any “deal”—was on display yesterday, coming from the mouth of Lindsey!:

Lindsey Graham spills the beans on Fox:

"Ukraine's still standing. This war's about money. People don't talk much about it, but do you know the richest country in all of Europe for rare earth minerals is Ukraine? Two to seven trillion dollars worth of rare earth minerals that are very relevant to the 21st century! Ukraine's ready to do a deal with us, not the Russians, so it's in our interest to make sure Russia doesn't take over the place. It's the bread basket, really, of the developing world--50% of the food going to Africa comes outta Ukraine! We can make money and have an economic relationship with Ukraine to be very beneficial to us with peace. So Donald Trump's going to do a deal to get our money back, to enrich ourselves with rare minerals--a good deal for Ukraine and us--and he's gonna bring peace. And Biden's been a disaster when it comes to containing bad guys.

Imagine how unimpressed Putin and China are by this talk. While Lindsey! may only be a senator, as opposed to a cabinet member, I have no doubt at all that he is accurately expressing the concerns and anxieties of the Anglo-Zionist financial interests, who want the war to continue until they “get our money back.” Perhaps Lindsey! was channeling Anatole France:

... democracy is without a heart and without entrails. When serving the powers of money, it is pitiless and inhuman. 

This war may be about money for the collective West. It’s not about money for Putin. When he refers to the Ukrainians as “brother Slavs” and to Kiev as the birthplace of Russia, that’s not just rhetoric—it’s a deeply held civilizational conviction, with a deep grounding in history. That’s something that the liberal Anglo-Zionist west no longer understands, but it resonates deeply in Russia and provides Putin with a vast reservoir of popular support that he can rely upon.

As for Russia taking over “the place” or not, that has long since ceased to be a matter that the Anglo-Zionists can control. Moreover, the idea that Putin will make a deal that allows the Anglo-Zionists to “get our money back” and to “enrich ourselves” is a fantasy at this point. Putin has been watching this the move to take control of Russia’s resources develop ever since he came to power in Russia. He knows the Anglo-Zionist game—which is why his first priority was to halt it. The Rothschilds and associated oligarchs have been trying to get “their” money back from Putin for many years. It’s highly unlikely that Putin will fall for any blandishments from Trump to enrich the likes of Blackrock and other vultures. Rather, putting a stop to the West’s plans to loot Ukraine—inflicting enormous financial losses on the Anglo-Zionists—Putin will be exerting pressure against the dollar hegemony that is the greatest source of US power.

For all these reasons, it is almost certainly in Russia’s long term interests to delay coming to terms with the West until it suits them. Unless, that is, the West is willing to make major concessions along the lines that Putin outlined in the two draft treaties. That remains unlikely at this point but, as matters stand, Putin appears to be positioned to wait Trump out. No doubt Putin will be willing to talk, and to extract concessions while he talks, but I would not hold my breath for a deal. Putin has said that the war has now taken on a “global aspect.” That will now call for a “global” resolution, and that won’t come quickly or easily.

For Alastair Crooke’s views on these and related issues, Deep State vs Trump. Crooke’s major additional point—additional to the above—is that while Trump is attempting to extricate his new administration from the quagmire of war on Russia, he will also find himself enmeshed in a war with the Deep State at home. Not only the executive Deep State departments and agencies but, importantly, the GOPe controlled Senate will be working to undermine Trump at every step. The Russians are keen students of US politics, and they will be aware of this—both as a means to extract concessions but also as a caution against relying on any verbal representations Trump and his negotiators may offer.