Why does Russia know Trump’s ‘official position’ on Syria but no one in his administration does?

[SueEllenRules!]

Russia slams US general, says he 'discredited' Trump

Washington (CNN) — The Russian Ministry of Defense slammed US Gen. Joseph Votel ‘’Tuesday, accusing America's top military commander in the Middle East of discrediting President Donald Trump's position after Votel expressed hesitancy about working with Russia in Syria.

"With his statements, General Votel not only discredited the official position of his supreme commander-in-chief, but also exacerbated the illegality under international law and US law of the military presence of American servicemen in Syria," the Russian Ministry said in a statement published on social media in response to an interview Votel gave to ABC News.

"I would want to make sure that this isn't something that we stepped into lightly," Votel, the commander of US Central Command, said when asked about the idea of the US and Russia working together to facilitate the return of refugees.

"I am not recommending that. And that would be a pretty big step at this point," Votel added.

On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that the issue of refugee return had been discussed during last week's meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin but did not say that any agreements had been reached.

"There was a discussion between President Trump and President Putin about the resolution in Syria and how we might get the refugees back. The President shared with me the conversations that they'd had. It is important to the world that at the right time, through a voluntary mechanism, these refugees are able to return to their home country," Pompeo told reporters at the United Nations.

"There's lots of work to do to figure out how to implement that, but the United States certainly wants to be part of help achieving that resolution in Syria, make no mistake about it," he added.

Votel told reporters at the Pentagon that he had received no new direction following the Trump-Putin meeting and Trump has also appeared to suggest that while many issues related to the region had been discussed, the implementation of any agreements would not take place until a second meeting between Trump and Putin.

The UN estimates that over 5 million Syrians have fled that country since the outbreak of the civil war there in 2011.

On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense James Mattis also confirmed that the US was not cooperating with Russia in Syria while speaking with Pompeo in Palo Alto, California, alongside their Australian counterparts.

"In regard to Syria, what we do with the Russian Federation is we de-conflict our operations, we do not coordinate them," Mattis said.

"We will not be doing anything additional until the secretary of state and the President have further figured out at what point we're going to start working alongside our allies with Russia in the future, that has not happened yet and it would be premature for me to go into any more detail at this point because we're not doing any more than this," he added.

The Russian ministry's statement on Votel also criticized the US presence in Syria, saying that "US forces are left with only one option to stay in Syria -- to engage in cooperation with Russia and the country's legal leadership in the process of assisting the return of refugees and temporarily displaced persons to their homes."

On Monday, the House and Senate armed services committees released the final version of their compromise defense bill for 2019 that once again renewed a prohibition on "military-to-military cooperation" with Russia.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/russia-slams-us-general-votel/index.html

 

[SueEllenRules!]

Unlike Trump, Haley says the US doesn't trust Putin

Washington (CNN) — As President Donald Trump continues to defend his pursuit of warmer relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley made it clear on Monday that the US does not trust Moscow and "never will."

"We don't trust Russia; we don't trust Putin; we never will," Haley said in an interview with CBN News. "They're never going to be our friend. That's just a fact."

Haley's comments stand in stark contrast to those made by Trump following his one-on-one summit with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, where he sided with the Russian leader over his own intelligence community on the issue of Russian election interference.

News that the US has invited Putin to Washington for a second meeting with Trump later this year has only further fueled criticism over the President's remarks and prompted warnings from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Trump, however, has defended his first meeting with Putin as "a great success."

But he has also tried to correct the record on Russian election interference, tweeting Tuesday: "I'm very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely don't want Trump!"

Defending Trump's 'style'

Despite her harsh words about the Russian leader, Haley was also quick to point out on Monday that there is a need for dialogue between Washington and Moscow -- adding that it is Trump's "style" to meet face-to-face with leaders like Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

"What I do think is, whether it's the President sitting down with Kim or whether the president sits down with Putin, those are things that have to happen," she said. "You can't get to the end of the other side if you don't have those conversations."

"He did that with Kim. He's done it with other leaders. He did it with President Xi of China and that's just his way. He feels like he can get more out of them if he goes one-on-one like that. It's his style. It's the way he does it," she added.

But plans for Putin to travel to Washington for another meeting with Trump are already prompting warnings from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Rep. Mike Coffman, a Colorado Republican in a tough primary race, told CNN on Tuesday: "I think the first summit was a terrible mistake. The second summit would be equally as bad."

Republican Rep. Rodney Davis also highlighted his concern over another meeting saying, "I don't necessarily know it's a good idea ... I don't trust Russia or North Korea or some of the other dictators we have seen in the world as much as others do."

In her interview with CBN News, Haley said she expects future meetings between Trump and Putin to have a different dynamic than what was seen in Helsinki.

"You're going to see their next meetings are going to have people in them, the working groups are going to come together, all of those things," she said. "But he's always thought just to create that genuine reality of the two of them talking, he feels like he needs to do it face-to-face."

'Own the libs'

Haley also struck a different tone to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday while speaking about free speech and conservative principles at a conservative group's high school leadership summit in Washington.

Encouraging chants of "lock her up," Sessions told the crowd of students that the "hard left" has "openly and systematically justified action to deny Americans the right to speak their mind," adding,"Donald Trump doesn't believe anyone can tell him how to speak."

But Haley urged the same group to rise above rhetoric intended to intentionally upset the liberal base or efforts to "own the libs."

"Raise your hand if you've ever posted anything online to quote-unquote 'own the libs,'" Haley said, the remark drawing laughter and applause.

"I know that it's fun and that it can feel good, but step back and think about what you're accomplishing when you do this—are you persuading anyone? Who are you persuading?" Haley asked. "We've all been guilty of it at some point or another, but this kind of speech isn't leadership—it's the exact opposite. It is a recipe for both sides to dig in."

"What you say, how you use it is more important and difficult. Real leadership is about persuasion. It's about movement, it is bringing people around to your point of view," she added. "Not by shouting them down but by showing them it is in their best interest to see things the way you do. We're losing that kind of leadership these days."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/nikki-haley-russia-putin-cbn-interview/index.html