The Moscow Izvestia newspaper reported the sensational news: the Kremlin is preparing to expel 30 US diplomats and the imposition of arrest on US diplomatic property in Russia. The publication claims that this decision will be a "response" to the US refusal to return Russian facilities in America. But in fact, Vladimir Putin should - in terms of "mirror" Russian foreign policy - respond even when outgoing President Barack Obama introduced unprecedented sanctions against Russia, accusing Moscow of interfering in the American elections.

However, Putin then refrained from answering, and Donald Trump, who is preparing for the move to the White House, praised him for it. Then the Kremlin was confident that the new president would quickly correct Obama's "mistakes", and Trump made it clear that he was ready for a "constructive dialogue". This lack of Russian reaction allowed then to assume that the Kremlin is aware of the intentions of the new administration better than the Americans themselves. Now it is clear that Putin not only believed in his own illusions, but trusted people like former national security adviser General Flynn. Flynn, as it later became known, assured the Russian Ambassador Kislyak that the Kremlin does not need to get excited, but you just have to wait until Trump moves into the White House and decides everything. The fact that both the Russian ambassador, the Russian foreign minister, and the Russian president listened to these assurances, demonstrates how much the Kremlin does not understand the laws of the functioning of the American political system. And if it is still forgivable for Putin, then for those who lived in the USA for many years, Lavrov and Kislyak are the real diagnosis - not only did they turn out to be full non-professionals, they also let their "master".

If Putin now decides on retaliatory measures that he did not take at the time of promulgation of sanctions, this will mean the end of this very "constructive dialogue" - after the very first meeting between the American and Russian presidents. This does not even mean that Putin was disappointed in Trump. This will mean that he is furious.

I do not have any confidence that this will happen exactly because I do not trust the sources of Izvestia,. I just do not doubt that the newspaper close to the Kremlin was instructed to publish information about a possible expulsion. But this may be the most elementary blackmail on the eve of the Russian-American consultations on diplomatic ownership. Like, do not go to meet us, do not give us a residence - retaliatory measures are already ready.

But even such blackmail is not a sign of restoration of trust. As has already been noted after the meeting between Trump and Putin, there is no trust between them and will not be. It is no accident that right after this meeting - allegedly confidential, without stenographers - the participants began to refute each other.

And they will do it tirelessly for a very long time. Because Trump needs to prove that he did not agree with Putin about anything that could be regarded as concessions to the Russian ruler. And Putin needs to demonstrate that Trump agreed with him about everything, but was frightened and turned back under the pressure of "Russophobes" from the political establishment.

And now for this frightened Kremlin by Putin and punishes Trump - will finally answer on Obama's sanction.

Original.