Washington’s communication channels with Moscow have been flung open, writes M.K. Bhadrakumar, as Rubio’s swiftly arranged meeting with Lavrov on Tuesday makes clear.
U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio arriving at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Monday ahead of talks there with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. (State Department, Freddie Everett)
By M.K. Bhadrakumar
Indian Punchline
What emerges from the dramatic happenings of the past week is that the three-year chronicle of the U.S.-Russia rivalry and NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine was a crisis engineered with great deliberation by an Anglo-American nexus, with a pernicious agenda conceived by globalist neocon liberals in Washington and London, to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.
In less than a month since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office, in a series of bold moves, he began dismantling the Iron Wall that had descended on Central Europe. Its impact is already visible, as communication channels with Moscow have been flung open, as evident in the new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s call to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Saturday and their meeting at delegation level in Saudi Arabia Tuesday.
Rubio and the rest of the U.S. team, including U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and the president’s Middle East envoy (who also works on Ukraine-Russia issues) Steve Witkoff, met a Russian team led by Lavrov Tuesday.
The inclusion of Witkoff, a “result-oriented,” pushy negotiator and old friend of Trump is particularly interesting. Witkoff flew into Moscow for an unpublicised solo visit earlier this month, which appears to have been productive. Clearly, Trump has drawn lessons from this first term and is determined not to get emasculated again in the Washington “swamp.” This is where Witkoff comes in.
From left at the meeting Tuesday at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh: Witkoff, Rubio, Waltz, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban, the Russian president’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov and Lavrov. (State Department, Freddie Everett)
The Trump administration will allow the resumption of normal diplomatic work and will discuss the early return of diplomatic properties unilaterally seized by the Obama and Biden administrations in wanton acts of malignity and hubris, in violation of Vienna accords. Trust Russia to reciprocate!
The readouts in Moscow and Washington, here and here, on the Rubio-Lavrov phone conversation last weekend show that the agreement between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for U.S.-Russian interactive exchanges to improve relations at various levels are being followed through, including “on key international issues, including the situation in Ukraine, developments in Palestine and the broader Middle East, as well as other regional matters.”
Deep State Loyalists
Trump’s approach and political style is utterly fascinating. Trump began shifting gear no sooner than he managed to put together a team of like-minded people who are “loyalists” to head the Justice Department, Pentagon, the Treasury, etc. — and, importantly, to forcefully regenerate the authority of the attorney general and national intelligence agencies to serve his agenda.
Thus, in the final analysis, it is immaterial that his administration is packed with pro-Israel figures or has a sprinkling of hardliners on China. For, it is Trump who will call the shots. Surprises could be in store in policy twists and turns.
This should already give sleepless nights to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whom Trump has sensitised apropos his intention to improve relations with Iran. To my mind, Trump may not even follow through his dramatic announcement of “taking over” Gaza, et al.
The pattern appearing with regard to relations with Russia is that Trump levels with Putin first and passes down decisions to the State Department and other agencies to follow through. Equally, the mechanism of summitry is being revived as the locomotive of big-power relations. There is already talk of Trump holding summit meetings with Putin in Saudi Arabia and with China’s leader, Xi Jinping. Trump will likely look for a deal with Xi at some point.
Such an approach necessitates cutting down the role and influence of the Deep State which had throttled Trump’s presidency through his first, 2016-2020 term.
The challenge facing Trump is formidable, given the nexus between the Democratic Party and the Deep State, and the mischief potential of mainstream media which is largely under their control and hostile towards Trump.
In a glaring instance last week, The Wall Street Journal misrepresented certain remarks by Vice-President J.D. Vance to vitiate the air in the nascent U.S.-Russia tango.
According to the story, Vance said that the U.S. might use economic and military leverage against Russia, and the option of sending the U.S. military to Ukraine “remains under consideration” in case Moscow refuses to resolve the conflict in good faith.
Moscow immediately sought clarification and a rebuttal had to be issued by Vance himself to set the record straight.
Vance wrote on X: “The fact that the WSJ twisted my words in the way they did for this story is absurd, but not surprising considering they have spent years pushing for more American sons and daughters in uniform to be unnecessarily deployed overseas.”
The fact that the WSJ twisted my words in the way they did for this story is absurd, but not surprising considering they have spent years pushing for more American sons and daughters in uniform to be unnecessarily deployed overseas.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 14, 2025
Trump has repeatedly expressed distrust of U.S. intelligence agencies. According to CNN, all employees (approximately 22,000 people) at the C.I.A. have received emails giving them two options: to continue his/her service without guarantees of job retention in the future or to leave under the so-called deferred dismissal program at their own request, while retaining salary and additional preferences until end-September.
The disbandment of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which traditionally worked as the “B Team” of the C.I.A. to promote colour revolutions and regime changes, etc. can also be seen in the light. According to Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of U.S.A and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who closely studies this topic, Trump has declared war on the C.I.A., which he blames for his electoral defeat in 2020.
Vasiliev estimates that so far, the fight against the Deep State in foreign and domestic intelligence is proceeding steadily, but will now “accelerate” with the confirmation of former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as head of national intelligence and Kash Patel as F.B.I. director.
Trump and Gabbard last week at the White House, during her swearing-in ceremony as director of national intelligence. (White House, Daniel Torok)
On the other hand, the Delhi grapevine, which is dominated by fellow travellers of the defunct Biden regime, is that the Deep State will ultimately have the last laugh and Trump may not even be allowed to complete his four-year term. But to my mind, that is wishful thinking.
Trump’s grit should not be underestimated. Nor the resources and tools at his command to exploit disarray within the Democratic Party, which traditionally provided the requisite political cover for the Deep State.
Stirring Up European Politics
There is, conceivably, a method in Trump’s provocative moves, with some able help from Elon Musk and Steve Bannon. Stirring up the pot of European politics, including Germany and Britain, which hold the high ground of Euro-Atlanticism, may fracture liberal-globalist cliques within the trans-Atlantic system.
Patel has hinted that sufficient incriminating evidence of misuse of power is available to damn the Old Guard all the way up to former President Joe Biden himself.
Trump must be aware of the high importance of pre-empting a Democratic backlash. The federal judges in Democrat-ruled states are openly challenging Trump’s methods. Suffice it to say, Trump’s ability to entrap the Old Guard in a cobweb of protracted litigation will be a game changer.
Polls shows that Trump enjoys a high approval rating so far. The optics of this crusade is going to be hugely consequential to Trump’s ability to push both his domestic and foreign policy programme.
M.K. Bhadrakumar is a former diplomat. He was India’s ambassador to Uzbekistan and Turkey. Views are personal.
This article originally appeared on Indian Punchline.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
“Polls show that Trump enjoys a high approval rating so far. The optics of this crusade is going to be hugely consequential to Trump’s ability to push both his domestic and foreign policy programme.”
Well I’ve heard this before. Long ago . If I were Trump or any of his well known ‘ Boot licker’s ‘ I’d be cautious about where I got my Big Macs..
On those “programmes”, let me remind everyone , “The Road To Hell” is paved with ‘good’ (?) intentions.
You must remember the great Mel Brooks song “It’s Springtime for Hitler.”
Interesting perspective with which, in large part, I agree, except with reference to the Middle East. Aipac’s grip on Mr. Trump seems all too solid and that means, that despite all the positives, and there are many, the Middle East negatives predominate, sadly. Hope you’re right and that I’m wrong.
Russia talking with Washington is the worst thing that could happen after Washington has hit them with ruinous sanctions (acts of war) and has stolen Russian state funds. Washington is also an equal co-belligerent in the Israeli genocide underway (currently at reduced rates).
There is but one way to handle an out-of-control regime like this.
as someone who doesnt believe US Presidents are much more than sugarcoating for the CIA its amazing how excited everyone is…it was decided to move against China at least 5 years ago and T has agreed which is why he was allowed to win.Watch if the full unredacted JFK files are released THIS TIME and where the supposed UKr audit goes ….
Wintertime for US – Transatlantic/NATO relations.
If the Democratic Party was worth mourning, I would. But it’s not. Nearly a million dead or seriously injured Ukrainians. 70 or 80 thousand Russians as well. Millions more lives destroyed and families torn apart all for the sake of the Democratic Party’s neocon “Project Ukraine.” You have to wonder if HRC was behind this debacle. I’m sure she was a cheerleader. As for the tragedy of Ukraine, John Meersheimer put it concisely, “Led down the primrose path…” Indeed. And, of course, the little z was elected overwhelmingly because he was going to bring peace. The misery that Project Ukraine has wrought is far reaching. But then, just what neocon plan does not end up like this? None in my memory. Everything they touch turns to mud. The Democrats have now outdone even the Bush/Cheney neocons in their sheer stupidity and banality of evil; the golden status quo.
Success with the cleaning. A light dusting was never going to do it.
“Trump may not even be allowed to complete his four-year term. But to my mind, that is wishful thinking.”
Trump is close to 80 years old and still eats Big Macs. It won’t take a Deep State to make Peter Thiel President.
If he had ordinary American healthcare instead of oligarch premium healthcare, DT may not have survived this long. In an age where most Americans may not see a single MD, but only PA’s and NP’s, DT will of course have a legion of doctors responding to any health crisis, and sending us the taxpayers the bills, dang socialist that DT is. But, even modern medicine-for-oligarchs can’t perform miracles. And, contrary to the American Christian Right, I have faith that Jesus would go on strike before doing the Lazarus bit again on DT.
I wonder if Peter Thiel will keep Elon Musk? They could agree on enough to be partners in creating heck for all non billionaires, but usually with those sorts of people you can count on the ego being a problem.
Peter Thiel, born in Frankfurt, Germany, is not eligible for election to the U.S. presidency. An error like this lowers the credibility of your opinions on this topic. (Elon Musk, born in South Africa, is also disqualified, by the way.)
I think we are too optimistic here, honestly, though it will be interesting to see how things play out. The enemy of an enemy is not necessarily nor even usually a friend. While it is clear enough that Trump does not get on with the neoconservative-neoliberal contingency, it is not so easy to identify any humanitarian motive for the dissonance.
Though a lot remains to be seen, it seems to me that what we have here is a nationalist movement that is quite ready to play to racist concerns, to stigmatize labor, and to criminalize poverty. To the extent that it might, it replaces the criminal internationalist and corporatist “globalist” agenda with a partially self-conscious nationalist one with some pretenses to older hierarchy.
I suppose it will take a bit to sort out who gets damaged worse by which approach, but I suspect that we should all be on guard if not on edge.
What was unusual was how the Democrats had exceeded even McCarthyist extremes of cutting all contact. Even during Cold War 1.0, the sides kept channels open. Sometimes backchannels, like in the Cuban Missile Crisis. They weren’t friends, but they never completely cut contact. Of course, after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the old-school Democrats even saw the wisdom of a “Hotline” between the leaders so they didn’t have to rely on backchannel contacts.
The modern Biden/Harris/Clinton Democrats are the ones who at least equaled the first Cold War and in many ways tried to go much further in seeing the “isolation” of Russia as a goal to be achieved. Now that we see the first steps towards restoring at least ‘tense’ contacts between the nuclear powers, we can see how koo-koo this brilliant plan of the Cia-Democrats really was.
we used to have a saying: Democrats-R-Republicans. Not completely true but mostly. One thing for sure: if neither the dems nor the repubs are talking about some policy issue, then they are in agreement. See Venezuela, attacks on whistle blowers, increased security state use of surveillance of citizens, and spying on foreign allies, the selling weapons to people who shouldn’t have them, and supthe world, port for terrorist and dictators among other things. not much winning here.
O mi’ gawd! What about our system’s most esteemed value – “to get along, go along”? By my brain and soul’s agreeing with this article so much, have I committed treason?
Thanks for this overview. I did not know about the wsj gambit. I am relieved to read this. I cannot express how sick I have been of Russia-bashing.