Mod: Everything Trump is doing benefits Russia. And the GOP Congress does nothing.Russia Gloats: ‘Trump Is Ours Again’ (
Daily Beastlink): The
Kremlin is awash with
Christmas gifts from
Washington, D.C. and every move by the
Trump administration seems to add to that perception. On Wednesday, appearing on the
Russian state TV show “
The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev,” Director of the Moscow-based Center for Middle Eastern and Central Asian
Studies
Semyon Bagdasarov said that the
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis is “struggling to keep up” with the flurry of unexpected decisions by the
U.S. President Donald Trump. The news that
Mattis decided to step down sent shock waves across the world, being interpreted as “a dangerous signal” by
America’s allies.
Meanwhile, the
Mattis departure is being cheered in
Russia.
Konstantin Kosachev, head of the
Foreign Affairs Committee in the
Upper House of the
Russian Parliament, has said that “the departure of
James Mattis is a positive signal for
Russia, since
Mattis was far more hawkish on
Russia and
China than
Donald Trump.”
Kosachev opined that
Trump apparently considered his own agenda in dealing with
Russia,
China and
America’s allies to be "more important than keeping
James Mattis at his post," concluding: "That’s an interesting signal, and a more positive one” for
Russia.
Jubilation was even more apparent on
Russia’s state television, which adheres closely to the
Kremlin’s point of view. The host of the
Russian state TV show “
60 Minutes,”
Olga Skabeeva asserted: “
Secretary of Defense Mattis didn’t want to leave Syria, so
Trump fired him. They are leaving
Syria.”
President Trump’s press secretary,
Sarah Sanders, remarked: “The idea that
Putin is happy about this [Trump's decision to withdraw US forces from Syria] is ridiculous. It puts them at a greater risk, so I think that's just silly.” To the contrary, the idea of an
American withdrawal from
Syria is being widely perceived in
Russia as “a total dream come true” if it truly takes place.
State TV host
Olga Skabeeva surmised that
Americans are “losers, since
Putin has defeated them in every way.” With a theatrical sigh, her co-host,
Evgeny Popov, added: “
Trump is ours again—what are you going to do?” Every member of the sizeable audience enthusiastically clapped. While these statements are decidedly sarcastic,
Russian opinion makers recount the
Kremlin’s victories with unmistakable glee.
Popov smirked: “It seems to
Americans that we won on every front: the
U.S. Secretary of Defense has been removed, we unquestionably secured a complete, unconditional victory in
Syria.”
Skabeeva chimed in: “They’re also planning to leave
Afghanistan.”
Popov pointed out: “On top of that,
Rusal sanctions have been lifted with
Trump’s hands.” Panelists of the show, including
Russian lawmakers, couldn’t hide their satisfied grins. The reference was to the announcement that
Trump’s Treasury Department intends to lift sanctions against the business empire of
Oleg V. Deripaska, one of Russia’s most influential oligarchs, sanctioned for
Russian interference in the
U.S. elections.
Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett told
The New York Times that the move to lift
Rusal sanctions amounted to
Trump“sliding another big gift under
Vladimir Putin’s Christmas tree.” The gesture is certainly being interpreted that way in
Russia.
Deripaska’s attorneys are reportedly mounting an aggressive campaign to pursue the removal of personal sanctions from the
Putin-linked oligarch as well.
Discussing the planned departure of the
U.S. from
Syria, state TV host
Olga Skabeeva pondered why
Trump suddenly decided to leave at this point in time: “
Americans say, it’s because he is beholden to
Putin. Is that logical? Yes, it is.”
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