Trump campaign guts GOP’s anti-Russia stance on Ukraine

[uhnope]

Source: Washington Post

The Trump campaign worked behind the scenes last week to make sure the new Republican platform won’t call for giving weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian and rebel forces, contradicting the view of almost all Republican foreign policy leaders in Washington.

Throughout the campaign, Trump has been dismissive of calls for supporting the Ukraine government as it fights an ongoing Russian-led intervention. Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, worked as a lobbyist for the Russian-backed former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych for more than a decade.

Still, Republican delegates at last week’s national security committee platform meeting in Cleveland were surprised when the Trump campaign orchestrated a set of events to make sure that the GOP would not pledge to give Ukraine the weapons it has been asking for from the United States.

Inside the meeting, Diana Denman, a platform committee member from Texas who was a Ted Cruz supporter, proposed a platform amendment that would call for maintaining or increasing sanctions against Russia, increasing aid for Ukraine and “providing lethal defensive weapons” to the Ukrainian military. “Today, the post-Cold War ideal of a ‘Europe whole and free’ is being severely tested by Russia’s ongoing military aggression in Ukraine,” the amendment read. “The Ukrainian people deserve our admiration and support in their struggle.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/trump-campaign-guts-gops-anti-russia-stance-on-ukraine/2016/07/18/98adb3b0-4cf3-11e6-a7d8-13d06b37f256_story.html

[blm]

1. Trump has the GOP in a death grip.

.

[Sunlei]

8. former Sen. Gordon Humphrey, R-N.H., said he opposed Trump because, "he's a dangerous sociopath, tot

former Sen. Gordon Humphrey, R-N.H., said he opposed Trump because, "he's a dangerous sociopath, totally unfit for public office."

[Blue_Tires]

2. At least that will make him more popular on DU

[bemildred]

3. Some will think it wise, some will not. THAT is DU. nt

[pampango]

4. "Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s top adviser, and his ties to pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine"

Paul Manafort, the adviser hired by Donald Trump to add stability and institutional know-how to Trump’s often scattershot presidential campaign, has long and deep reported ties to pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.

"We joke in Ukraine that it is a bad sign for Trump that he hired Manafort. Because his client Yanukovych was ousted and fled to Russia, to the city of Rostov. So Trump could also end up in Rostov. It is almost like an anecdote." -- Ukrainian political expert Oleg Kravchenko

Ukrainian political experts say Manafort, 67, was first hired to work in Ukraine more than a decade ago by the country’s wealthiest businessman, Rinat Akhmetov. Akhmetov, (right), a steel and iron ore magnate, is worth an estimated $2.8 billion, according to Forbes.

Akhmetov, however, also was a supporter of Viktor Yanukovych, the country’s prime minister, a leader of the Party of Regions and an ally of Vladimir Putin. Yanukovych became president in 2010, but fled under escort to Russia after Ukraine’s 2014 revolution.

http://www.politifact.com/global-news/article/2016/may/02/paul-manafort-donald-trumps-top-adviser-and-his-ti/

The idea that Trump may end up requesting political asylum from Putin, though obviously unlikely, has a certain charm to it.

[uhnope]

5. Trump as Snowden's roommate? n/t

[PatrickforO]

6. Trump IDENTIFIES with Putin.

[Sunlei]

7. wonder how many of the sancioned Russians had business connections /w all of Trumps Russian deals?

He spent a lot of time, many years on real estate deals and his beauty contests.

[blm]

9. GOP voters love strongman 'imagery' and Putin.

They eat up the 'act' even when delivered by real-life weaklings like Trump and Cheney.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. The original version was better.

[FairWinds]

11. Going back to the early 1990's . .

many people called for a de-militarized zone in Central Europe,
including former nato chief general John Galvin.

And it sure looks as if the us promised not to expand nato
eastward at that time.

Why is it in our interest to have a military face-off with Russia?

And BTW, the same people who want us embroiled in Ukraine also
want a military face-off with China - the "Pivot to Asia."

Wars and rumors of wars all over the planet . .

What could possibly go wrong?

Veterans For Peace