It’s clear Russia / Putin interfered mightily in the US presidential election with a goal of getting Trump elected. The question is, why? Some ask, what does Russia expect in return? However, to me, that’s the wrong question. Putin essentially is a mafia / organized crime leader who happens to be head of a state. Russian organized crime needs money laundered and the various hidden interests in their huge oil company, which was recently sold, will make additional huge fortunes if sanctions on Russia are lifted. This is where Trump becomes a useful idiot.
There have been huge and rightful protests in Russia against corruption. Their country is being looted by mafia at the top. Trump would happily do that here if he could. However he is Fredo Corleone, the bumbling, weak brother of crime lord Michael Corleone (from the movie The Godfather), and doesn’t really have the chops to do it. In addition, Trump is vain and stupid, and Putin almost certainly has compromising information to use against him. This is not a partnership of equals.
Sooner rather than later, this will explode in Trump’s face. Being a useful idiot lasts only as long as the idiot benefits the puppet master.
But important facts about the deal either have not been disclosed, cannot be determined solely from public records, or appear to contradict the straightforward official account of the stake being split 50/50 by Glencore and the Qataris.
For one: Glencore contributed only 300 million euros of equity to the deal, less than 3 percent of the purchase price, which it said in a statement on Dec. 10 had bought it an “indirect equity interest” limited to just 0.54 percent of Rosneft.
In addition, public records show the ownership structure of the stake ultimately includes a Cayman Islands company whose beneficial owners cannot be traced.