All Things Russia & Ukraine

[a fan]

It used to be chic to look at things from the perspective of the Russian people.

It still is.

I would lose zero---zero--- sleep if Ukraine or any other former Soviet satellite voted to become part of Russia. Knock yourselves out.

But at the point of Putin's guns? Hard pass. I have no idea why you think that's ok....or in your exact words "They feel the post Cold War order was imposed on them by the West. Their resentment is not without some merit."

Their resentment is absurd. No one is stopping them from being a part of Russia. Go right ahead.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Their national roots go back to the days of the Russian & Austro-Hungarian Empires.

I don't revert to the Soviet perspective.
Your (& mdlf76's) McCarthyite demagogy became baseless when Slick Willie & Boris toasted throughout the '90's.
B
It used to be chic to look at things from the perspective of the Russian people.

More blah blah blah.

[jhu72]

Their national roots go back to the days of the Russian & Austro-Hungarian Empires.

I don't revert to the Soviet perspective.
Your (& mdlf76's) McCarthyite demagogy became baseless when Slick Willie & Boris toasted throughout the '90's.

It used to be chic to look at things from the perspective of the Russian people.

I don't know about chic, but it is useful then and now to understand the perspective of the Russian people. I don't believe your perspective is really a significant perspective of the Russian people as a whole. They aren't worrying about warm water ports, supposed international slights, 70 year old death tolls anymore than Americans as a whole today are worried about Pearl Harbor or the Cuban Missile Crises or even their own Constitution.

Putin may, the Oligarchs may, American elites may but the masses in both countries are worried about living their own lives. Keeping it together.

[old salt]

It used to be chic to look at things from the perspective of the Russian people.

It still is.

I would lose zero---zero--- sleep if Ukraine or any other former Soviet satellite voted to become part of Russia. Knock yourselves out.

But at the point of Putin's guns? Hard pass. I have no idea why you think that's ok....or in your exact words "They feel the post Cold War order was imposed on them by the West. Their resentment is not without some merit."

Their resentment is absurd. No one is stopping them from being a part of Russia. Go right ahead.

The citizens of Crimea tried to vote their preference, but were not permitted to do so.
https://www.dw.com/en/crimeas-parliamen ... a-17488873
Look at the lack of resistance to Russia's little green men & the defections, en masse, of Ukraine's military.
First in Crimea, then in the Donbass.
https://www.dw.com/en/us-europeans-say- ... a-46095978
The EUroburghers, through the OECD & Minsk Agreements, have a stranglehold on the referendum process.
E Ukraine is predominately ethnic Russians who never wanted to be part of Ukraine.

I recommended this book when it came out. It's available in most public libraries :

https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/ ... -his-story

William Burns’ new book “Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for its Renewal” is a must-read for Russia watchers. No insider has offered more insights into the process by which a “strategic partnership” between the U.S. and a newly independent Russia under a president whose primary objective was to “bury Communism” deteriorated into the dangerous enmity we see today. A superstar of the Foreign Service in his generation, Burns served five presidents and 10 secretaries of state over a career of 33 years in which he rose to become the No. 2 official in the Department of State.

Among the most revealing strands in the book is Burns’ account of George W. Bush’s fateful push for NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine—and the not only predictable but predicted consequences. Newly declassified documents include a February 2008 memo from Burns to then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in which Burns warned clearly that if the Bush administration pushed ahead with its plans to invite Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO, Putin would veto that effort—by using Russian troops or other forms of meddling to splinter both countries.

Two months before Bush and Rice ignored his warning and orchestrated a communique at the April 2008 NATO summit declaring that Georgia and Ukraine “will become members of NATO,” Burns’ private memo to the secretary said clearly: If we do this, “today’s Russia will respond. The prospect of subsequent Russian-Georgian armed conflict would be high. ... It will create fertile soil for Russian meddling in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.”

From his account of his meeting with Putin in 2005 when he handed him his credentials as the new U.S. ambassador in Moscow—and some of Putin’s first words were “you Americans need to listen more”—to his report of the first meeting between Putin and the newly elected President Obama at Putin’s dacha outside Moscow, where Putin began with an “unbroken 50-minute … monologue filled with grievances, sharp asides and acerbic commentary,” the reader is treated to a real insider’s analysis of a leader who continues to command a superpower nuclear arsenal that could erase the U.S.A. from the map.

...brilliant review of Burns’ book in the past weekend’s Financial Times provocatively suggests an alternative title for the book: “Present at the Destruction.” While that may be a bit much, it serves as a stark reminder why this is a must-read not just for Russia-phobes or -philes, but for anyone trying to understand how the U.S. has managed, and mismanaged, the post-Cold War world in order to think seriously about where we can go from here.

History is revealing that, In our post Cold War triumphalism, we overreached, in the Middle East, in E Europe, & in the former USSR.
That's part of what's fueling the isolationist tendencies which helped propel Trump into office.

[a fan]

The citizens of Crimea tried to vote their preference, but were not permitted to do so.

Yes. But not by the West. They were not permitted by the Ukrainian Constitution.

From your citation:
In other words, only the entire Ukrainian population can legally decide whether Crimea should join Russia.


Their quarrel is with Ukraine.

Among the most revealing strands in the book is Burns’ account of George W. Bush’s fateful push for NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine—and the not only predictable but predicted consequences. Newly declassified documents include a February 2008 memo from Burns to then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in which Burns warned clearly that if the Bush administration pushed ahead with its plans to invite Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO, Putin would veto that effort—by using Russian troops or other forms of meddling to splinter both countries.

As I've stated before, it is perfectly lawful for NATO to invite whomever they wish to join their ranks. Putin doesn't own these countries. Moscow had more than their fair chance to control these nations at the point of a gun, and failed miserably. The Kremlin could have, at any time during the Cold War, simply renamed Crimea or Ukraine...and who would have either cared, or stopped them?

History is revealing that, In our post Cold War triumphalism, we overreached, in the Middle East, in E Europe, & in the former USSR.

As I said many times....the libs tried to tell the hawkish Republicans and some hawkish Dems that for 30 years. They were laughed at....

Whoops.

[old salt]

The citizens of Crimea tried to vote their preference, but were not permitted to do so.

Yes. But not by the West. They were not permitted by the Ukrainian Constitution.

From your citation:
In other words, only the entire Ukrainian population can legally decide whether Crimea should join Russia.

Their quarrel is with Ukraine.
That's why we're in year #5 of a civil war in E Ukraine, with Russia vs EU/US supporting different proxies.
The Germans & French, via Minsk II & the OSCE, could pressure Ukraine to hold a referendum, but they fear the result.

Among the most revealing strands in the book is Burns’ account of George W. Bush’s fateful push for NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine—and the not only predictable but predicted consequences. Newly declassified documents include a February 2008 memo from Burns to then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in which Burns warned clearly that if the Bush administration pushed ahead with its plans to invite Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO, Putin would veto that effort—by using Russian troops or other forms of meddling to splinter both countries.

As I've stated before, it is perfectly lawful for NATO to invite whomever they wish to join their ranks. Putin doesn't own these countries. Moscow had more than their fair chance to control these nations at the point of a gun, and failed miserably. The Kremlin could have, at any time during the Cold War, simply renamed Crimea or Ukraine...and who would have either cared, or stopped them?
That's not how the USSR was structured or functioned. Once Kruscchev ceded Crimea to Ukraine, there was no practical reason for change. The Politburo in Moscow still controlled Ukraine, it was just administered through Kyiv. The dissolution of the USSR was unimaginable... until it happened nearly 4 decades later.

History is revealing that, In our post Cold War triumphalism, we overreached, in the Middle East, in E Europe, & in the former USSR.

As I said many times....the libs tried to tell the hawkish Republicans and some hawkish Dems that for 30 years. They were laughed at....

Whoops. Remeber this next time you tell me I never criticize the (R}'s or a (R) President.

[a fan]

That's not how the USSR was structured or functioned.

Yes. Whoops. Bad decisions, right?

Remeber this next time you tell me I never criticize the (R}'s or a (R) President.

Happy to.

That makes two complaints in a over a decade. Well one, if you consider that you're rightfully blaming both Dem and Republican Presidents for this nonsense.

The other was the Syrian pull out that never materialized.

So we're back to one! (a fan scribbles a check mark in his notebook)

[a fan]

Btw, I greatly appreciate the recommended readings you listed. Thank you for the cites.

[OCanada]

Lol the perspective of the Russia. People??? Nope. The Russian people are seldom represented.

I fairly certain if we allowed Idaho to hold a vote they might vote to leave. The Confederacy did leave the USA by. vote of state legislatures. We went to war to prevent it. Crimea is not entitled under law to have a separate vote. They are part of another country. Using that logic Indians on Rez should be allowed to vote to leave the USA. Africa would fragment. Asia would fragment in many places . So would parr’s of Europe. Besides no election. In the Crimea would be legit with Russia involved

This constant anything for Russia is pathetic

[old salt]

Idaho ? Self-determination ? Referendums ?
How 'bout the Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Bosnians, Kosovors, & Serbs.
The reflexive double standard toward Russia is pathetic.

[MDlaxfan76]

Idaho ? Self-determination ? Referendums ?
How 'bout the Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Bosnians, Kosovors, & Serbs.
The reflexive double standard toward Russia is pathetic.

Yeah, we're just McCarthyite neocons when we consider armed taking of territory to be against international law.
Sure Virgil.

There's an enormous difference between being sensitive to the national identities and aspirations of others, and literally taking the side (as you reflexively do) of a kleptocracy which abuses human rights, jails or kills all political opponents, jails or kills or intimidates journalists, etc, etc.

[old salt]

There's an enormous difference between being sensitive to the national identities and aspirations of others, and literally taking the side (as you reflexively do) of a kleptocracy which abuses human rights, jails or kills all political opponents, jails or kills or intimidates journalists, etc, etc.

Yes, but Turkey is a NATO ally & we're economically intertwined & dependent upon China to finance our debt.

[OCanada]

A morality of convenience.

Just a reminder;

Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe for invading Ukraine. Since then it has killed more Ukrainians, used a nerve agent in the UK, planned a coup in Montenegro, interfered in elections, and imprisoned 1000s of dissidents. appeasement seems to be the order of the day. It’s interesting how so many OS posts support Russia’s Geo political goals

[OCanada]

OS is becoming a caricature. Czech? Havel and the Czech spring in 1968. The Hungarian Revolution in 1956 when Ike failed the Hungarians. The Slovenians? Might not surprise you to learn I have friends there. They want nothing to do with Russia. We sponsored a Croatian student. They don’t either. No country wants to be under the heel of the Russian boot you so much want to put them under. Pathetic and morally bankrupt

[OCanada]

Slovenia/Croatian travel commentary. Both countries are gorgeous. Croatia has the magnificent coast. Slovenia is also magnificent. The capital of LJ is beautiful and is Lake Bled. When Yugoslavia broke up Slo has maybe 12 casualties. Many will tell you the national hero is a drunk poet. The bears are rumored to be friendly. Economy is not strong but tourism is catching on. As it is in Croatia. Real estate investors have discovered both. I went into a library in Nova Gorica. I have yet to see a tech center in the USA vine close to it. University of Mirabor where my friends graduated is very good

If you are a party type on your 20s Pag Island in Croatia is a lot of hedonistic fun,

[OCanada]

Frank Vogel

A mysterious encounter on the side of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, is likely to take place between Russian president Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump.

Once again, as was the case when they met in Helsinki in July 2018, there may be no notes taken and no assistants in the room and, consequently, we may never know what was said and what was agreed.

Overshadowing this meeting are continuing concerns that Putin has found ways to compromise, indeed blackmail, Trump.

There is no hard evidence to support this view. However, Trump’s continuous friendly comments about Putin and his secretive conversations with him have generated suspicions.

The FBI remains silent about the findings of a counterintelligence investigation that it opened in early 2017.

Election support

Trump has publicly contradicted himself in various interviews and Tweets recently as to whether he would welcome foreign (that is Russian) information against his Democratic Party opponents as the 2020 U.S. presidential election campaign proceeds.

He has brushed aside suggestions that accepting such information would violate U.S. election laws.

The U.S. president has ignored all of the evidence in the April report by special counsel Robert Mueller of enormous Russian engagement in the years leading to the November 2016 election. Instead, he has stated that he trusts Putin who told him there was no interference.

Trump agreed, with a big smile across his face, in a long and wide-ranging interview with U.S. NBC TV reporter Chuck Todd that was fully aired on Sunday, June 23, that he would raise the subject of Russian interference in U.S. elections when he meets Putin in Japan.

Sanctions and cash

Mueller did not investigate the Trump Organization’s financial dealings with Russia, or large-scale acquisitions of Trump owned properties in the United States by wealthy Russians.

Investigations now being pursued by New York State authorities and by Congressional committees may provide information on such matters as Trump’s taxes, as well as his many ties to Deutsche Bank.

Some of these investigations have now been going on for more than a year.

In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank has been investigating whether Deutsche Bank was involved in transactions that saw it move Russian funds through the Estonian branch of Danske Bank into New York accounts. Deutsche is under a further set of investigations by European authorities.

And further aspects of the dirty cash investigations in the United States embrace Deutsche Bank’s involvement in possible transactions with Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who headed a family real estate firm and who is now a senior White House advisor.

It seems likely that Putin will try and convince Trump to lift U.S. financial sanctions on major Russian enterprises and the close circle of Putin’s multi-billionaire friends.

Few issues anger Putin as much as this one, but it is difficult to see just what Trump may ask for in return to pledging an effort to curb sanctions – perhaps a private Putin promise of further help to Trump in the 2020 U.S. elections.

Or perhaps Russian support for Trump’s strategy of “maximum pressure” against Iran?

Putin’s money

The importance to Putin of seeing the United States lift sanctions cannot be underestimated. The issue is prominent in the Mueller report. It is a critical and compelling feature of extensive research contained in a brand new book by Atlantic Council scholar Anders Aslund – “Russia’s Crony Capitalism.”

Drawing upon multiple sources, Aslund suggests that the private investments held by Russians in real estate and other assets in the West could be around $800 billion, and: “Putin personally holds tens of billions of dollars of assets abroad, probably in the range of $100 billion to $160 billion.”

Aslund notes that many of Putin’s friends and associates have created opaque complex sets of offshore holding companies to launder the cash and invest it and that a significant portion of these funds belongs to Putin himself.

So, when Putin forcefully argues against Western sanctions, he is not just doing this on behalf of his friends, but he sees himself as a victim as well.

Raising transparency

Many Trump properties are registered in the names of holding companies that mask the identities of the true owners, although Russians are thought to be particularly prominent at Trump properties in New York and in Florida.

Putin has every reason to try and see that the United States continues to allow such real estate investment secrecy and Trump may have personal financial reasons to share this view.

Surprisingly he has been silent, so far, as legislation to secure beneficial ownership of assets in the U.S. has recently been gathering bi-partisan support in both houses of the U.S. Congress.

The FACT Coalition, representing approximately 100 different organizations, has been lobbying hard for this legislation and secured formidable political and business support.

A transatlantic effort

This comes at a time when greater efforts to curb money laundering, investigate banks and pressure offshore havens to be more transparent are being seen on both sides of the Atlantic.

For example, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the UK’s House of Commons has recently warned that Putin is striving to undermine British security and it has argued that both sanctions on Russia and UK anti-money laundering regulations need to be strengthened.

If there is one thing that Putin and his cronies do not like it is transparency (while Trump is going to extreme lengths to keep his own finances secret).

The question is – will Trump in this week’s meeting provide Putin with any joy when it comes to lifting those sanctions and keeping a tight lid on Russian investments across the world?



About Frank Vogl
Frank Vogl is co-founder of Transparency International and author of Waging War on Corruption: Inside the Movement Fighting the Abuse of Power. [Washington D.C., United States]

[old salt]

OS is becoming a caricature. Czech? Havel and the Czech spring in 1968. The Hungarian Revolution in 1956 when Ike failed the Hungarians. The Slovenians? Might not surprise you to learn I have friends there. They want nothing to do with Russia. We sponsored a Croatian student. They don’t either. No country wants to be under the heel of the Russian boot you so much want to put them under. Pathetic and morally bankrupt.

It’s interesting how so many OS posts support Russia’s Geo political goals

The analogy was that the citizens of Czechoslovakia chose to divide their country along ethnic lines (not that they should be part of Russia), just like the Balkans did, just like the ethnic Russians in E Ukraine aspire to do. When the USSR came apart, the ethnic Russians of E Ukraine were among the millions of ethnic Russians trapped inside the borders of ersatz nation states that had no significant history of independence. Other than the 3 Baltic states, who received massive aid to join NATO & the EU, all the other former Soviet Republics have become corrupt authoritarian clones of the USSR, where life is no better than in Russia,

My posts are not based on supporting Russia's geopolitical goals. They're based on supporting long term US geopolitical goals (as opposed to revenge over attempted election interference). They're based on historical precedence & the best way to contain Russia moving forward, rather than slipping into another intractable Cold War. Putin won't be in power forever. We will need the good will of the Russian people when he passes from the scene. Trump's victory was celebrated by the Russian people because they anticipated improved relations & because they anticipated a President who would treat their country with the respect due a super power with a proud history who sacrificed greatly as an ally in the Great War. We are squandering a tremendous opportunity because of petty partisan politics. We already have an axis of enemies in China, Iran & N Korea. We're driving Russia into that axis. We will come to regret our current Russophobia, which has washed away 2 decades of good will following the Cold War. Putin's a bad actor, but so are the leaders of China, Iran & N Korea. We need to engage & deal with them all.

[MDlaxfan76]

OS is becoming a caricature. Czech? Havel and the Czech spring in 1968. The Hungarian Revolution in 1956 when Ike failed the Hungarians. The Slovenians? Might not surprise you to learn I have friends there. They want nothing to do with Russia. We sponsored a Croatian student. They don’t either. No country wants to be under the heel of the Russian boot you so much want to put them under. Pathetic and morally bankrupt.

It’s interesting how so many OS posts support Russia’s Geo political goals

The analogy was that the citizens of Czechoslovakia chose to divide their country along ethnic lines (not that they should be part of Russia), just like the Balkans did, just like the ethnic Russians in E Ukraine aspire to do. When the USSR came apart, the ethnic Russians of E Ukraine were among the millions of ethnic Russians trapped inside the borders of ersatz nation states that had no significant history of independence. Other than the 3 Baltic states, who received massive aid to join NATO & the EU, all the other former Soviet Republics have become corrupt authoritarian clones of the USSR, where life is no better than in Russia,

My posts are not based on supporting Russia's geopolitical goals. They're based on supporting long term US geopolitical goals (as opposed to revenge over attempted election interference). They're based on historical precedence & the best way to contain Russia moving forward, rather than slipping into another intractable Cold War. Putin won't be in power forever. We will need the good will of the Russian people when he passes from the scene. Trump's victory was celebrated by the Russian people because they anticipated improved relations & because they anticipated a President who would treat their country with the respect due a super power with a proud history who sacrificed greatly as an ally in the Great War. We are squandering a tremendous opportunity because of petty partisan politics. We already have an axis of enemies in China, Iran & N Korea. We're driving Russia into that axis. We will come to regret our current Russophobia, which has washed away 2 decades of good will following the Cold War. Putin's a bad actor, but so are the leaders of China, Iran & N Korea. We need to engage & deal with them all.

So, you're recommending that we should lift sanctions on Iran, perhaps have bunch of meetings between Khamenei and Trump with no notes, after all Khamenei "won't be in power forever".

What puzzles us is how you speak rather glowingly of Russia, as if it isn't a malign actor in the world, undermining democracy and American influence, a massive kleptocracy that kills and jails journalists, etc, etc, and instead want to emphasize a 'proud history' including that Russia fought against Hitler more than 70 years ago?

We'll get along just fine with 'the Russian people' once that doesn't mean kowtowing to a thug.

[old salt]

OS is becoming a caricature. Czech? Havel and the Czech spring in 1968. The Hungarian Revolution in 1956 when Ike failed the Hungarians. The Slovenians? Might not surprise you to learn I have friends there. They want nothing to do with Russia. We sponsored a Croatian student. They don’t either. No country wants to be under the heel of the Russian boot you so much want to put them under. Pathetic and morally bankrupt.

It’s interesting how so many OS posts support Russia’s Geo political goals

The analogy was that the citizens of Czechoslovakia chose to divide their country along ethnic lines (not that they should be part of Russia), just like the Balkans did, just like the ethnic Russians in E Ukraine aspire to do. When the USSR came apart, the ethnic Russians of E Ukraine were among the millions of ethnic Russians trapped inside the borders of ersatz nation states that had no significant history of independence. Other than the 3 Baltic states, who received massive aid to join NATO & the EU, all the other former Soviet Republics have become corrupt authoritarian clones of the USSR, where life is no better than in Russia,

My posts are not based on supporting Russia's geopolitical goals. They're based on supporting long term US geopolitical goals (as opposed to revenge over attempted election interference). They're based on historical precedence & the best way to contain Russia moving forward, rather than slipping into another intractable Cold War. Putin won't be in power forever. We will need the good will of the Russian people when he passes from the scene. Trump's victory was celebrated by the Russian people because they anticipated improved relations & because they anticipated a President who would treat their country with the respect due a super power with a proud history who sacrificed greatly as an ally in the Great War. We are squandering a tremendous opportunity because of petty partisan politics. We already have an axis of enemies in China, Iran & N Korea. We're driving Russia into that axis. We will come to regret our current Russophobia, which has washed away 2 decades of good will following the Cold War. Putin's a bad actor, but so are the leaders of China, Iran & N Korea. We need to engage & deal with them all.

So, you're recommending that we should lift sanctions on Iran, perhaps have bunch of meetings between Khamenei and Trump with no notes, after all Khamenei "won't be in power forever"?

I'd recommend lifting some sanctions on Iran if it reopened negotiations on a long term JCPOA Treaty, that included ballistic missiles & nuc warhead development (that could attain Senate ratification).

I'd recommend lifting some sanctions on Russia to reopen negotiations on --
-- (1) an updated START & INF treaty
-- (2) a convention arms limitation agreement, demilitarizing both sides of NATO's E border

[MDlaxfan76]

OS is becoming a caricature. Czech? Havel and the Czech spring in 1968. The Hungarian Revolution in 1956 when Ike failed the Hungarians. The Slovenians? Might not surprise you to learn I have friends there. They want nothing to do with Russia. We sponsored a Croatian student. They don’t either. No country wants to be under the heel of the Russian boot you so much want to put them under. Pathetic and morally bankrupt.

It’s interesting how so many OS posts support Russia’s Geo political goals

The analogy was that the citizens of Czechoslovakia chose to divide their country along ethnic lines (not that they should be part of Russia), just like the Balkans did, just like the ethnic Russians in E Ukraine aspire to do. When the USSR came apart, the ethnic Russians of E Ukraine were among the millions of ethnic Russians trapped inside the borders of ersatz nation states that had no significant history of independence. Other than the 3 Baltic states, who received massive aid to join NATO & the EU, all the other former Soviet Republics have become corrupt authoritarian clones of the USSR, where life is no better than in Russia,

My posts are not based on supporting Russia's geopolitical goals. They're based on supporting long term US geopolitical goals (as opposed to revenge over attempted election interference). They're based on historical precedence & the best way to contain Russia moving forward, rather than slipping into another intractable Cold War. Putin won't be in power forever. We will need the good will of the Russian people when he passes from the scene. Trump's victory was celebrated by the Russian people because they anticipated improved relations & because they anticipated a President who would treat their country with the respect due a super power with a proud history who sacrificed greatly as an ally in the Great War. We are squandering a tremendous opportunity because of petty partisan politics. We already have an axis of enemies in China, Iran & N Korea. We're driving Russia into that axis. We will come to regret our current Russophobia, which has washed away 2 decades of good will following the Cold War. Putin's a bad actor, but so are the leaders of China, Iran & N Korea. We need to engage & deal with them all.

So, you're recommending that we should lift sanctions on Iran, perhaps have bunch of meetings between Khamenei and Trump with no notes, after all Khamenei "won't be in power forever"?

I'd recommend lifting some sanctions on Iran if it reopened negotiations on a long term JCPOA Treaty, that included ballistic missiles & nuc warhead development (that could attain Senate ratification).

I'd recommend lifting some sanctions of Russia to reopen negotiations on --
-- (1) an extended, updated START treaty
-- (2) a convention arms limitation agreement, demilitarizing both sides of NATO's E border

So, we tear up a deal, impose sanctions, and we offer what to the Iranians?
We go back to where we were before we tore up the deal?
Yeah, that's gonna work.

And we're going to do exactly what the Russians want, and in return we lift the sanctions?
Putin's chuckling on that deal.

We already did START, 2011. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_START

But, Trump tears up that one too:
Future[edit]
According to a Reuters report on February 9, 2017, in US President Donald Trump's first 60-minute telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Putin inquired about extending New START. President Trump attacked the treaty, claiming that it favored Russia and was "one of several bad deals negotiated by the Obama administration".[74]

Anyone actually think that Trump won't do exactly as Putin tells him to do?