Posted originally on CTH on July 3, 2025 | Sundance

You guys know the background.  You know the context. You know the history.  You know all the nuances and Machiavellian manipulations that have brought us to this very specific moment.

Now, you are President Donald Trump and you are in a conversation with Vladimir Putin; a geopolitical ‘adversary’ whose current status was created by the same intelligence system operators that created your defined ‘enemy’ status within your own country.  You and Putin were both targeted by the same intelligence system, the CIA.

President Putin is essentially ambivalent to your targeted position, but defines his adversary as your Central Intelligence Agency.  You want to cut the Gordian knot, change the geopolitical world, create a strategic alignment; but to do that you need Putin to accept you do not view him as the enemy.  You also need to prove you have control over the apparatus he views as a threat.  How do you prove you have control over the agency?

Perhaps President Trump instructs the CIA to send one public message.  A message that: #1) outlines the CIA’s dual targeting of Trump and Putin; #2) that simultaneously proves your control over the CIA silo.

Was this the motive for the timing of the message from CIA Director John Ratcliffe?

As a singular datapoint a message to Putin through the CIA proving control sounds crazy.

However, when added to the timeline and overlaying even more events today, its not so crazy.

After the House sent the BBB to the Senate, President Trump went completely quiet about Russia-Ukraine conflict.  However, as soon as the Big Beautiful Bill was completed, President Trump notes a call with President Putin.

On the other side of the dynamic, Vladimir Putin said this:

Vladimir Putin does not view Americans as his enemy. Vladimir Putin views the CIA as his enemy.

Let’s look at the timeline with new datapoints to add.

• President Trump said publicly he had no prior knowledge of the Ukraine drone attack against Russia’s long-range bomber fleet.
• President Trump then held a phone call with Vladimir Putin to affirm his lack of forewarning.
• President Trump then holds another phone call with Putin to discuss the Iran nuclear issues.
• President Trump then publicly says at the G7 in Canada, it was a big mistake to take Russia out of the G8; further saying -repeatedly- that sanctions hurt both sides, and there is a cost to sanctions.
• President Trump then bombs the Iranian nuclear facilities; and two days later Putin says there is no doubt in his mind that President Trump is committed to peace.
• The U.S. then delays sending additional patriot missiles to Ukraine.
• Yesterday the U.S. says the 2016 predicate for removing Russian officials from the USA was based on fraud within the intelligence community, per CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
• Today, after the BBB bill exits the Senate and is through the rules committee in the House – looking like a certain vote to approve; and after the CIA public statement outlining the false case against Russian diplomats, President Trump holds another phone call with Vladimir Putin.

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If the CIA announcement was the ‘one ping‘ message to Putin highlighting the dynamics of control, it would make sense Putin and Trump would speak immediately thereafter.  This timeline does not appear to be coincidental.

ADD: In much the same way that President Obama previously told outgoing Russian President Dimitri Medvedev: “This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.” To wit Medvedev replies: “I understand. I transmit this (inaudible) to Vladimir,” President Trump is directly telling Putin a similar message after the BBB is beyond the Senate.

The difference between President Obama and President Trump in these geopolitical resets is the openness of Trump in his public communication toward similar issues.

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