Reuben Johnson speculates,
Exiles: Putin Could Offer Trump a Deal on Cuba. Putin seeking to take pressure off deteriorating Russian economy
Post-Fidel Castro Havana may lose its long-time protector and guarantor of security, Russia, according to Cuba-watchers in Miami’s community of exiles and dissidents.
They predict Russian President Vladimir Putin will offer the incoming Trump administration a free hand to deal with Cuba as it sees fit in return for the United States recognizing Moscow’s invasion and annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea.
The assessment comes from former Cuban officials who fled the island nation under the rule of Fidel Castro. They said Putin is seeking to use the recent passing of Castro as an opportunity to take the pressure off a deteriorating domestic economic situation back in Russia.
It is an interesting premise, but my initial reaction while I read the article was, “Is this a trial balloon?”, and if so, from whom?
To say that I distrust reports based on unnamed sources, especially if those are “former Cuban officials” – and the report is not found elsewhere – is to put it mildly.
Reuben Johnson’s suggestion doesn’t make sense. Unless someone from the US side is looking for an excuse to dump Ukraine. It is the US, under Obama, not Russia, that started to save the Castro regime by loosening the diplomatic and trade links.
Russia is doing what Hitler did-claiming any land occupied by large numbers of people who speak their language. The Ukrainians hate the Russians because of the famine Stalin imposed in the 1930s and the Russians hate the Ukrainians because they initially saw the Nazis as liberators. Nice mess. Russians really think that any place that was part of the Soviet Union is still theirs.
The Muslims have the same idea. When civilization breaks down all you are left with is the power of the gun or commerce. Invade or blockade.
That’s another one of the reasons I’m skeptical