Mueller report: Erik Prince's secret meeting with Russia fell apart after its aircraft carrier went to Libya

The release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report revealed that a meeting between former Navy SEAL Erik Prince and a Russian financier with ties to the Kremlin fell apart because of exercises by Russia's decrepit aircraft carrier off the coast of Libya. According to the report, Prince, who is the brother of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and founder of military contractor Blackwater, traveled to the Seychelles on Jan. 11, 2017. There he met with Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a known contact of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting was reportedly orchestrated on Dmitriev's behalf by businessman George Nader as part of Dmitriev's effort to reach out to the incoming administration. "[W]e want to start rebuilding the relationship in whatever is a comfortable place for them," Dmitriev told Nader, according to the report. "We understand all of the sensitivities and are not in a rush."

Prince reportedly told Dmitriev he was looking forward to resolving conflicts between the two countries, and spent the initial meeting explaining his relationship to Steve Bannon and the transition team. Prince returned to his hotel room, where he learned that a Russian aircraft carrier had arrived off the coast of Libya. He then called Nader and asked him to arrange another meeting with Dmitriev, according to the report. The second meeting took a different tone, with Prince telling Dmitriev that Libya was "off the table" and that Russian involvement in the country was unacceptable.

Given the timing of the meeting, Prince was most likely referring to military drills conducted by the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's sole, decrepit aircraft carrier. The ship received media attention after belching smoke over the English Channel in October 2016, and has a history of maintenance issues that have plagued it during its 30 years of service. The Kuznetsov welcomed aboard Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army, during its trip to Libya. While on board, Haftar reportedly discussed countering international terrorist groups with Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu in a closed video conference.

According to the report, Dmitriev was disappointed with his meeting with Prince for two reasons. First, he had hoped to speak with someone with closer ties to the administration. Second, he had hoped to have outlined a strategic road map for the U.S. and Russia. Prince met with Bannon to report the meeting's events, and got the impression he was "relatively uninterested" in what had transpired.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/mueller-report-erik-princes-secret-meeting-with-russia-fell-apart-after-its-aircraft-carrier-went-to-libya

Mexican troops drew weapons on American soldiers on US side of the border

Mexican troops questioned two U.S. soldiers along the two countries' border earlier this month. The American soldiers were on the U.S. side of the border conducting a routine surveillance operation, defense officials say. Military officials from the U.S. Northern Command said that "five to six Mexican military personnel questioned two U.S. Army soldiers who were conducting border support operations." The soldiers were in an unmarked Customs and Border Protection vehicle near the southwest border in the vicinity of Clint, Texas.

Officials confirmed that the Mexican troops were armed with what seemed to be assault riffles. They drew their weapons when they saw the two U.S. soldiers and ordered the U.S. troops to return their weapons to a military vehicle. According to officials, the two Americans obliged "in an attempt to de-escalate a potential volatile situation." "Throughout the incident, the U.S. soldiers followed all established procedures and protocols," Northern Command said in a statement.

While the two U.S. troops were on the south side of the security perimeter, officials say that they were still north of the Rio Grande and thus were firmly inside American territory. After the incident, military and Department of Homeland Security officials sent an inquiry to the Mexican government demanding an explanation. "An inquiry by CBP and DOD revealed that the Mexican military members believed that the US Army soldiers were south of the border," said Northern Command, referring to Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Defense.

"Though they were south of the border fence, U.S. soldiers remained in U.S. territory, north of the actual border," the statement said, adding that "after a brief discussion between the soldiers from the two nations, the Mexican military members departed the area."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/mexican-troops-drew-weapons-on-american-soldiers-on-u-s-side-of-the-border