Won't happen now....A deal will be struck with sanctions on Russia lifted.
Putin's playing ball in the media yesterday puts that puppy to bed....They've squeezed him into a corner & he's conceded.
The expansion ambitions of Putin are entirely a USA neo-con beat up by the same frustrated forces behind the Ukrainian color revolution. There is zero reason to believe Putin has any ambitions In Eastern Europe.
Nor is there any reason believe Putin has been caged in by anyone.
The Ukraine was understandably the line in the sand for Putin with the constant expansion of NATO - since the fall of the USSR. and the USA indiscriminate policies in the Middle East.
At Putins annual global media presser 18 months two years ago - he rightfully asked whether the west has any idea what harm it is doing destroying country after country. Shortly after we saw some 4 million refugees heading for Western Europe - this is before Putin went to Syria.
Since then Putin has engaged in a full spectrum response to the USA by forming strategic financial partnerships with China, Iran and others.
This includes major threats to the US dollar. The formation of an Alternative to the world bank.
He has embarrassed the USA in Syria.
RT has expanded exponentially its audience even in the USA itself.
On the internet there is evidence of a whole army of Russian sponsored bloggers and posters undermining the MSM narratives.
And like Trump - Putin is getting a lot of bang for his buck.
By any measure Putin has run rings around the USA geo politically during the last 2 years.
It seems that Trump and those behind him see China as much more of a threat and are pivoting for a shift towards Russia and against China.
A strong china Russia alliance is arguably overwhelming to USA hegemony. A USA Russia alliance on the other hand contains China and preserves the USA global unipower status for a while longer.
Of course not everyone is happy with this shift particularly the incumbents but the current course has been well and truly discredited.
I suspect The USA oligarchs behind Trump will deliberately raise tensions with China, the objective will be to slow and reverse China's growth and destabilize their government. I suspect the specter of China's human rights abuses will be used to justify economic sanctions.
If jobs are to return to the USA the only place where they can come from in sufficient number is china.
Turbulent times ahead