"The Whole Thing Is Completely Absurd": Kremlin Blasts Notion That Flynn "Influenced" Putin

As the U.S. media and Washington D.C. legislators continue to lose their collective minds over the Michael Flynn charges, Kremlin  press secretary Dmitry Peskov took to the podium earlier today to dismiss the notion that Flynn"s comments to former ambassador Sergey Ivanovich had any impact on Putin"s ultimate decision to retaliate against U.S. sanctions as "completely absurd."  Per the RT:

“Flynn was in no position to request anything of Sergey Ivanovich [Kislyak, Russia’s former US ambassador] let alone to expect any requests to be relayed to Vladimir Putin – the whole thing is completely absurd,” said the Russian President’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov during a media briefing in Moscow.

 

In the end Russia did postpone its response, but Peskov says that “the decision was taken by Putin alone, and cannot be attributed to any requests or recommendations.”

 

“What information Putin receives from his ambassadors is of no concern to anyone else,” said Peskov. “The Russian president makes all decisions independently on the basis, as he has said many times, of Russia’s national interest.”

For those who may have just returned from a remote island and missed the "shocking" revelations of the past three days, as we"ve detailed numerous times, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn plead guilty last Friday to lying under oath by denying to the FBI that he urged the Russian ambassador to delay a decision on retaliating against U.S. sanctions and attempted to influence a U.N. vote.  Of course, the conversations in question happened after the election, during the transition period, and wouldn"t have been an issue but for Flynn"s seemingly inexplicable decision to lie about them.  Here"s more from NBC:

A two-page charging document filed last week listed two false statements Flynn made about his interactions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in late December 2016. It said Flynn falsely claimed that he had not asked Kislyak "to refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the U.S. had imposed against Russia," and that he didn"t recall Kislyak telling him Russia had decided to moderate its response as a result of his request.

 

Prior to the Dec. 29 call with Kislyak, Flynn called a senior official with the presidential transition team who was with other members of the team at Trump"s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to discuss what to say to the Russian ambassador regarding sanctions, according to the statement of offense.

 

Court documents also said Flynn falsely claimed that he didn"t ask Kislyak on Dec. 22 to "delay a vote on or defeat" a U.N. Security Council resolution, and then falsely denied that Kislyak had described Russia"s response to the request. Before that call, a "very senior member" of the transition team directed Flynn to contact foreign officials, including those from Russia, to learn where they stood and influence the vote, according to the statement of offense. The "very senior member" was Jared Kushner, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

 

According to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s charge, Flynn made the false statements to the FBI on Jan. 24, two days after he was sworn in as national security adviser.

Of course, the real question from here is what Flynn"s plea deal means for the White House.  Not surprisingly, the Left has celebrated the development as an indication Flynn could potentially implicate President Trump in the "Russian collusion" investigation while Trump supporters have argued that the decision to pursue Flynn over false statements clearly indicates that they have nothing else of substance.  Per the Wall Street Journal:

To Mr. Trump’s supporters, the charge against Mike Flynn for making false statements was evidence that investigators were nowhere near proving collusion with Russians to interfere in the 2016 president election, the matter at the heart of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative mandate.

 

But Mr. Trump’s detractors viewed the plea deal as a milestone—the first senior aide to Mr. Trump to turn on his former boss—in an investigation that continues to escalate.

 

Both versions make assumptions about what information Mr. Flynn has to offer, a mystery that will reveal itself over time. For now, Mr. Flynn’s deal with the special counsel and his team suggests at the very least that Mr. Mueller believes Mr. Flynn has something valuable to share and that his investigation is unlikely to end soon, said former federal prosecutors.

 

“A guilty plea at this stage really could mean a whole lot of different things, and folks are in a hurry to have the plea meet their predetermined narratives,” said Stephen Vladeck, an expert in national-security law and law professor at the University of Texas.

So what say you...is the "Russian collusion" investigation weaving its way into the Oval Office or are escalating suggestions of the President"s downfall just another "nothing burger?"

The "Russia Scare" Coalition: ISIL's "Useful Idiots"?

Via The National Interest,

Victory by the "Russia scare" coalition will limit America’s ability to fight ISIL, complicate efforts to win UNSC support for tough enforcement of the Iran nuclear deal and give China more leverage over both Moscow and Washington.

The turmoil surrounding Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn’s resignation and wider allegations of links between President Donald Trump, his campaign and Russia seems to have made a strong impression in Moscow. Many there had already calibrated initially unrealistic expectations after Mr. Trump’s initial weeks in office; recent events have tempered even these more limited ambitions. Hopes have long faded that Washington would become a Russian ally in Syria, pursue cooperative military action against ISIL, or delink the conflict in Ukraine from the wider U.S.-Russia relationship.

Still, until recently, sober voices on Russia’s television talk shows were a clear minority. Arguing that Russia would have to demonstrate its commitment to working with the United States through concrete actions, and that Moscow could not seek a new beginning while continuing to deny its involvement in the fighting in the Donbas and to engage in dangerous close encounters in the air and at sea, was unpopular. In the last few days, however, the optimistic view that Trump will simply “deliver the goods” to Russia has largely disappeared.

As Soviet media used to say, this is not accidental. According to Western news reports, the Kremlin has encouraged Russian media to scale back their coverage of America’s new president and his administration. While President Putin’s press spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied any such instruction, Russia’s media have in fact redirected their attention to other issues, giving scant air time to Mr. Trump’s comments about Russia during his latest press conference and to separate meetings between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford with their Russian counterparts. That said, Mr. Peskov may not have been involved in issuing directions like this—though such a directive could come only from Russia’s presidential administration.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin has been more pragmatic than euphoric in his personal statements about Mr. Trump and U.S.-Russia relations, diminished enthusiasm in the Russian media may serve primarily to manage expectations more carefully. Nevertheless, if reduced enthusiasm slides into suspicion and belligerence—which can easily become mutually reinforcing—any window of opportunity in U.S.-Russia relations could close rapidly. Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has already complained about a statement by Defense Secretary James Mattis that NATO should be open to dialogue “from a position of strength” by touting Russia’s military capabilities. Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu similarly criticized the Mattis comments. Some in Washington and in Moscow likely hope that exchanges like this will slow or prevent efforts to cooperate.

Those in the Congress and the media who seek to browbeat Mr. Trump over his purported Russian connection may well accomplish this and may thus have cause to celebrate their political and public relations victories. But any such triumph will be short-lived; as President Trump observed, a “business-as-usual” Russia policy would only help him politically. Getting tough on Mr. Putin would quickly disarm his critics and enable the White House to pursue other priorities without the ballast of a perceived Russian connection. Yet, victory by the “Russia scare” coalition will limit America’s ability to fight ISIL, complicate efforts to win UN Security Council support for tough enforcement of the Iran nuclear deal, facilitate Russian support for Iran if Washington opts for military action, and give China more leverage over both Moscow and Washington. That innocent Americans might die as a result of these developments seems untroubling to those who view recognition of strategic priorities as a sign of defeatism. Mr. Trump should not be shy in making this point. Should these be the consequences of the enduring U.S.-Russian hostility they advocate, the president will be able to point to today’s accusers as de facto protectors and enablers of both ISIL and Iran’s ayatollahs—and as “useful idiots” providing support to Beijing’s superpower ambitions.

Putin Says Ready To Meet Trump In Melania's Native Country

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Slovenia on Friday for offering to host his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he is ready to meet his American counterpart, Donald Trump, however added that the prospect of such a meeting hinges on Washington. "It depends not only on us, but we are naturally ready for it," he said. The Russian leader hailed Slovenia, where Trump"s wife Melania was born and grew up, as an "excellent" venue for possible talks with Trump.

“Ljubljana – and Slovenia in general – is of course a great place to hold such dialogue,” Putin said on Friday.

Speaking after holding talks at the Kremlin with his Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahort, Putin said Russia welcomes Trump"s statements about his intentions to restore the strained Russia-U.S. ties.

"We always welcomed that and we hope that relations will be restored in full in all areas," Putin said. "It relates to trade and economic ties, security issues and various regions of the world, which are suffering from numerous conflicts. By pooling our efforts, we naturally would be able to significantly contribute to solving those issues, including the fight against international terrorism."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Slovenian
President Borut Pahor

As AP notes, in 2001, Slovenia hosted Putin"s first meeting with former U.S. President George W. Bush that led to a short-lived thaw in relations between Moscow and Washington. A similarly short warm spell early during Barack Obama"s presidency gave way to new tensions. As part of Obama"s early effort to "reset" ties with Moscow, the two nations in 2010 signed a pivotal arms control pact that set new lower caps on the number of warheads each country can deploy. On Thursday Reuters leaked an unconfirmed summary of the recent Trump-Putin phone call according to which Trump stated that he was against the New START agreement as implemented between Russia and the US.

Also on Friday, Putin"s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said the prospects of extending the New START Treaty that is set to expire in 2021 will "depend on the position of our American partners" and require negotiations. He wouldn"t say whether the Kremlin favors extending the pact that limited Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads each.

Speaking in a conference call with reporters, Peskov pointed to a "certain break in dialogue on strategic security issues" during the Obama administration, and said Moscow and Washington now need "an update of information and positions." While suggesting possible cooperation with Moscow to fight the Islamic State group in Syria, as a candidate Trump was critical of the New START and talked about a need to strengthen U.S. nuclear arsenals. In December, Trump declared on Twitter that the U.S. should "greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability" until the rest of the world "comes to its senses" regarding nuclear weapons. Putin also has said strengthening Russia"s nuclear capabilities should be among the nation"s priorities.

Separately, Peskov on Friday denied a report by the Washington Post claiming that Trump"s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had discussed a possible review of anti-Russian sanctions with the Russian ambassador to Washington in December. Peskov said Ambassador Sergei Kislyak did talk to Flynn, but the rest of the report was wrong.

The platform of Trump"s Republican Party had promised to "abandon arms control treaties that benefit our adversaries without improving our national security" and called for the development of "a multi-layered missile defense system."

Kislyak told Russian media in Washington that he sees little chance for a compromise on missile defense, as Moscow believes the U.S. wants to develop the shield against Russia despite assurances that it"s directed against other threats. "I don"t exclude that at a certain stage we may have a mutual interest to talk about those issues, but as of now I"m not seeing any basis for reaching agreement," he said, according to the Interfax news agency.

He voiced hope, however, that joint efforts to fight the IS could help break the ice in Russia-U.S. ties. "If we have serious cooperation, it could help to start rebuilding trust," Kislyak said in televised remarks. Kislyak added that Russian and U.S. diplomats will start soon to try to prepare a Putin-Trump meeting.

The ambassador also has sought to downplay differences on Iran, saying that "we disagree more on accents related to the nuclear agreement rather than substance."

Russian Airstrike Accidentally Kills Three Turkish Soldiers In Syria

A Russian airstrike accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers and wounded 11 others during an operation against the Islamic State in northern Syria on Thursday morning, Turkey"s military said in a statement and Moscow confirmed.The head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said the warplanes were targeting Islamic State sites in the al-Bab area.

Whether indeed "accidental", or payback for the downing of a Russian jet over the Turkish-Syrian border in November 2015 is unclear, but according to Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences over the accidental loss of life in the airstrike, in a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 

“President Putin discussed… his recent phone conversation with Turkish President Erdogan. Among other things, he said that he expressed condolences to his colleague over the incident that took place early Thursday morning, when Turkish servicemen were killed as a result of incoordination in Russian Air Force airstrikes against terrorists during the joint operation to liberate al-Bab,” Peskov said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia and Turkey will jointly investigate the deadly incident. The Kremlin spokesman told Sputnik that Putin told Erdogan that Turkish soldiers had died as a result of non-coordination of coordinates during Russian military jets" strikes in Syria. The Russian and Turkish presidents held a phone conversation earlier on Thursday. Putin expressed condolences to Erdogan over the deaths of Turkish soldiers near Syria"s al-Bab, the Kremlin said earlier. They also agreed to expand military coordination during the operation against militants from Daesh and other extremist groups in Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry has also confirmed the unintentional strike, killing Turkish servicemen in Syria. The ministry said that Russian bombers had been on a mission to destroy Daesh terrorists" positions near al-Bab, where Turkish soldiers had been accidentally bombed. "Russian bombers have been carrying out a combat mission destroying Daesh positions in al-Bab area. The chiefs of the [Russian and Turkish] general staffs agreed to closer coordinate joint actions and exchange information about the situation on the ground."

Valery Gerasimov held telephone talks with his Turkish counterpart, during which the issues of the fight against international terrorist groups in Syria and the situation in the northeast of the province of Aleppo were discussed.

"Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Army General Valery Gerasimov expressed condolences to [Turkish] General Hulusi Akar in connection with the death of three Turkish soldiers operating in the area of ??the city of al-Bab as a result of unintentional strike by a Russian aircraft."

Trump Defends "Killer" Putin On National TV: "We've Got A Lot Of Killers - You Think Our Country's So Innocent?"

In a Fox News interview set to air at 4pm on Sunday, just ahead of the Superbowl, and which is sure to unleash a fresh firestorm of accusations that president Trump is a Kremlin puppet, the US president will defend Vladimir Putin on national TV, saying he respects the Russian leader and accusing the US of not being as innocent as it may seem.

In the interview, Bill O’Reilly asked if Trump respects Russian President Vladimir Putin, to which the he replied, “I do respect him. Well, I respect a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’ll get along with them.”

After O’Reilly asks why, Trump answers: "He is the leader of his country. I say it’s better to get along with Russia than not, and if Russia helps us in the fight against ISIS – which is a major fight – and the Islamic terrorism all over the world, that’s a good thing. Will I get along with him? I have no idea.”

O"Reilly pressed Trump on his statement, saying, "But he"s a killer though. Putin"s a killer."

Trump shrugged the comment off, saying: “There are a lot of killers. We’ve got a lot of killers. What, do you think our country is so innocent?”

Shortly after midnight, WikiLeaks was quick to point out Trump"s statement:

Trump on US government last night: O"Reilly: "Putin"s a killer" Trump: "There are a lot of killers. You think our country is so innocent?"

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 5, 2017

As RT reminds us, it is not the first time that Trump has made such comments when journalists question his stance regarding the Russian leader. At the end of 2015, the host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe told Trump that Putin “kills journalists,” to which the unfazed then-presidential candidate replied, “I think that our country does plenty of killing, too, Joe.”

“I’ve always felt fine about Putin. He’s a strong leader. He’s a powerful leader,” Trump added.

At the end of January, Putin and Trump held their first official phone call, which, according to the Kremlin, was “good and constructive.” “Over the past years, the lack of mutual respect became the main reason for the deterioration of relations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added. Another important thing is that Washington is prepared for dialogue, the spokesman concluded.

“This is what President Putin called for rather consistently but where unfortunately he did not see reciprocity over the past years,” Peskov said.

Earlier in January, however, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the first meeting between Putin and Trump may “happen in months to come,” not “in a matter of weeks.” Peskov also said, “it is maybe the biggest mistake on the part of Western analysts to think that Trump is ‘our man.’ He is an American man.”

US Eases Sanctions Against Russian Federal Security Service

Just moments ago, when reporting on the latest Putin comment involving the recent flaring up of violence in Eastern Ukraine, we said that "the biggest question remains unanswered: what side of the Ukraine-Russian conflict will the new US State Department under Rex Tillerson side with, and will Trump slam the alleged Russian violence as his predecessor was so quick to do on virtually every single occasion."

We may have just gotten the answer, because moments ago the Treasury Department"s Office of Foreign Assets Control, under Rex Tillerson, posted a Russia-related general license notice on its website, according to which US authorities eased sanctions against Russia’s Federal Security Service - the successor agency to the USSR"s KGB - pertaining to licenses and permits for information technology products in Russia.

According to the license, "all transactions and activities" with participation of the Russian Federal Security Service, prohibited earlier by executive orders of the US President, are authorized with certain exceptions. Also related to “transactions necessary and ordinarily incident to comply with rules and regulations administered by, and certain actions or investigations involving, the FSB,” according to Treasury website.

Cited by Tass, Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declined to make a statement on the United States’ decision.

"First we need to understand what it is all about," Peskov said. "If we turn to the rocket engines matter, we will see that our US counterparts never impose sanctions that could damage their own interests."

While this initial de-escalation of sanctions against Russia may or may not give John McCain an aneurysm, it will certainly lead to a vocal outcries by Democrats and the media against Rex Tillerson - whose proximity to Putin is well-known - and of course, president Trump, accusing them of immediately going soft on Russia, and leading to even further sanctions elimination between the US and Russia, thus alienating Europe, whose relations with Moscow remain as icy as anything observed under the Obama administration.

The full Treasury general license notice is below (link).

Russia Says Nearly All Communication With US Frozen

December 22, 2016   |   admintam

(ANTIWAR) Kremlin officials today warned that Russo-American relations are not just bad but practically non-existent, saying that virtually all channels of communication between the two nations are frozen, and that communication that is done is “minimal.”

The comments, made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, came in the context of a discussion about NATO tensions, and the possibility of improved relations as the result of President-elect Donald Trump taking office next month. Peskov insisted that the Russian government doesn’t expect Trump to quickly reject NATO enlargement or other grievances.

The State Department dismissed the Russian comments, insisting they had no idea what Peskov was talking about, and that the US and Russia have ongoing diplomatic engagement “across a wide range of issues.”

The US imposed a new round of sanctions on Russia this week, nominally related to the accession of Crimea into the Russian Federation. Sen. John McCain (R – AZ) also accused Russia of a plot to “destroy democracy” worldwide, causing an “unraveling of the world order.”

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This article (Russia Says Nearly All Communication With US Frozen) by Jason Ditz, originally appeared on AntiWar.com and was used with permission. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.