Just as Team Trump are changing their whole approach to the #Russia question, Secretary of State #Rex Tillerson on Wednesday approached his first meetings with Moscow and the world was watching with baited breath. Earlier in the week Russia had announced that they would not meet Tillerson, but that changed on Wednesday when later in the events of the day #Putin's spokesman gave indication that there was indeed a possibility of a meeting.
It's a tricky time for both the Trump administration and for the changing relations between the #United States and Russia; on one side, Trump and his team are being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Congress, and a number of his inner core – like Michael Flynn – have been recused from roles or even fired.
Meanwhile, the previously warming alliance between the US and #Russia is becoming so tense so quickly, that in Russia this week nobody actually knew if President Vladimir Putin would actually even make time for Tillerson, who he previously gave a medal of friendship to. It seems there is no script, or an accepted mode of conduct, to fall back on in such heated times.
Time have changed in just a few days
Things have changed swiftly and dramatically in the past week since the #Syrian government used #chemical weapons on Syrian civilians, and many are seeing the new Russia-America chill as something that could have far reaching effects. In the 24 hours before Secretary of State Tillerson landed in Moscow, the White House charged #Russia of covering up some widely condemned proof that Syrian government did in fact use #sarin gas attacks in a northern Syrian town, sent from a base with Russian military operations.
In dramatic timing, #Putin responded swiftly and intently, claiming the US had fabricated the whole story. Putin then promptly accused the United States of themselves fabricating some evidence so as to engineer a fake confrontation to win them potential political and military gain in the Syria region. Putin stated that the whole play of events reminded him of something that happened in 2003 when US representatives in the Security Council had alleged that there had been chemical weapons found in Iraq.
Interestingly, Trump himself has referenced this event himself a few weeks ago. #Obama, like President Trump, had ought to refine and improve relations with Russia when he was in the early days of his presidency, but he had no luck and ended up setting up sanctions for Russia's actions in the Crimea and Ukraine.
Putin talks and quotes absurdists
“This reminds me very much of the events of 2003, when U.S. representatives in the #Security Council showed alleged chemical weapons discovered in Iraq,” President Putin said. Putin then quoted two Russian satirists from 1928 and said that ‘It’s boring, ladies.’ We have seen this all before.”
Boring is not the adjective many are using when watching this new global turn of events. Putin, with his guest #Tillerson in town, was clearly searching for a way to give the US statesman's visit a pro-Russian narrative. And chillingly, the outcome of the whole mission could decide if Trump's hope to soften and reshape American-Russian relations even has legs. And in the wake of the FBI and congress investigations into Russia's possible influence on the US election, the timing of this debacle has far reaching affects.
It has also been customary since the end of the Second World War that Russian leaders meet all new secretaries of state but in times like this it seems that custom is being ignored as the changing axis of power in the Western world continues to spin and sparkle.
