Author Topic: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates  (Read 987 times)

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Offline Gazoo

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Friday, 07 Mar 2014 05:31 AM
 
President Vladimir Putin rebuffed a warning from U.S. President Barack Obama over Moscow's military intervention in Crimea, saying on Friday that Russia could not ignore calls for help from Russian speakers in Ukraine.

After an hour-long telephone call, Putin said in a statement that Moscow and Washington were still far apart on the situation in the former Soviet republic, where he said the new authorities had taken "absolutely illegitimate decisions on the eastern, southeastern and Crimea regions.

"Russia cannot ignore calls for help and it acts accordingly, in full compliance with international law," Putin said.

The most serious east-west confrontation since the end of the Cold War escalated on Thursday when Crimea's parliament, dominated by ethnic Russians, voted to join Russia. The region's government set a referendum for March 16 - in just nine days' time.

European Union leaders and Obama denounced the proposed referendum as illegitimate, saying it would violate Ukraine's constitution.

Before calling Putin, Obama announced the first sanctions against Russia since the start of the crisis, ordering visa bans and asset freezes against so far unidentified persons deemed responsible for threatening Ukraine's sovereignty.

http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/putin-rebuffs-obama-ukraine/2014/03/07/id/556590
"The Tea Party has a right to feel cheated.

When does the Republican Party, put in the majority by the Tea Party, plan to honor its commitment to halt the growth of the Federal monolith and bring the budget back into balance"?

Offline Gazoo

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2014, 02:21:25 pm »
Remember... Putin said the other day he was trying to stop the nazi-influence from escalating by his invasions.

"The Tea Party has a right to feel cheated.

When does the Republican Party, put in the majority by the Tea Party, plan to honor its commitment to halt the growth of the Federal monolith and bring the budget back into balance"?

Offline Relic

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2014, 02:46:49 pm »
The Ukraine situation is a good thing for America. This is the wake up call. As Obama guts the military, we get a vivid example of just how dangerous the world is. Russia can, and will use it's strength to whatever end it feels benefits Russia. America, led by Obama, is retreating and disarming as fast as it possibly can.

If Americans are fine with this, and continue to elect those that further Obama's policies, all is lost. Really.

Oh, and as an aside, America isn't really in a position to do much about Ukraine. But that happened long before the invasion, and you can be sure that was part of the calculus Putin used.

Offline mountaineer

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2014, 04:14:58 pm »
On Pittsburgh visit, European Union ambassador says $15B in aid to Ukraine shows support

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Published: Friday, March 7, 2014, 12:01 a.m.
 Updated 4 hours ago

European leaders want to signal their support for Ukraine's new government by providing a $15 billion aid package for the country as it seeks to fend off Russian aggression, the European Union's ambassador to the United States told the Tribune-Review.

João Vale de Almeida, who heads the EU's delegation in the United States, monitored developments across the Atlantic while visiting Pittsburgh on Thursday. He met with Mayor Bill Peduto, spoke at the University of Pittsburgh and attended a World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh reception.

“We were quite impressed by the number of EU flags we saw in Maidan Square in the last couple of months,” Vale de Almeida said, referring to the plaza in Kiev, Ukraine, where protesters forced a change in government. “We see this as a clear expression of the Ukrainians peoples' wish to move closer to the European Union.”

Almeida's visit occurred as U.S. and European leaders continued to push diplomatically against Russian military forces, which have occupied Ukraine's Crimean peninsula since Saturday.

In Washington, President Obama authorized the Treasury Department to impose sanctions against “individuals and entities” who are responsible for Russia's military takeover in Crimea or responsible for “stealing the assets of the Ukrainian people.”

The financial measures, and a separate ban on U.S. visas for some top Russian officials, are part of the administration's effort to squeeze the Kremlin into pulling back its troops from Crimea, a largely pro-Russian region that does not recognize the country's new, Western-backed leadership. U.S. officials want Russia to pull its troops back to designated bases in Crimea, allow international monitors into Crimea and open talks with the Ukrainian government.

Obama dismissed as “unconstitutional” a planned referendum in Crimea over whether people there want to remain part of Ukraine.

EU leaders gathered at their Brussels headquarters to consider similar consequences. In a communique, they said they would “decide on additional measures, such as travel bans, asset freezes” and cancellation of an upcoming EU-Russia summit.

Europe has been divided between those countries with financial ties to Russia, and Eastern European governments that fear a Soviet-style expansion.

Vale de Almeida described the EU as “rational rather than emotional” during a ceremony at Pitt to name its EU documents collection for Barbara Sloan, a volunteer at the university library who worked at the EU's library in Washington for 35 years.

Europeans, so far, are not discussing military action for Ukraine, Vale de Almeida said after the event.

“We are working very hard to find a diplomatic solution to avoid an escalation of the conflict,” Vale de Almeida said. “... But we are also saying, any further escalation of the conflict will have consequences.”

The ambassador praised Ukrainians for their restraint in not fighting the Russians. He said any resolution of the crisis needs to include accommodations for Ukraine's Russian-speaking minority.

After a meeting in Brussels, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arsenii Yatseniuk said “no military option is on the table.”

“It's clear that it's up to the Russian government to make the first step back,” Yatseniuk said. “They need to put an end to this.”
Tribune-Review
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Offline Gazoo

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2014, 04:20:27 pm »
So did we just give 15 billion dollars to nazi's? Hey with Obama and Putin, you never know.
"The Tea Party has a right to feel cheated.

When does the Republican Party, put in the majority by the Tea Party, plan to honor its commitment to halt the growth of the Federal monolith and bring the budget back into balance"?

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2014, 09:02:59 pm »
Putin desperately needs The Ukraine. Not just for the warm water port, but for their grain - Ukraine was the breadbasket of the former Soviet Union.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Oceander

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #6 on: March 07, 2014, 11:41:17 pm »
The Ukraine situation is a good thing for America. This is the wake up call. As Obama guts the military, we get a vivid example of just how dangerous the world is. Russia can, and will use it's strength to whatever end it feels benefits Russia. America, led by Obama, is retreating and disarming as fast as it possibly can.

If Americans are fine with this, and continue to elect those that further Obama's policies, all is lost. Really.

Oh, and as an aside, America isn't really in a position to do much about Ukraine. But that happened long before the invasion, and you can be sure that was part of the calculus Putin used.

Actually, the US is in a position to do something about Ukraine, if only it had the wits and the will to do so.  How?  Economic.  Russia has devolved into a petrocracy - it lives, and dies, on its oil and gas exports - and the US possesses sufficient reserves of natural gas that we could step into the breach and replace most or all of the gas Ukraine and Europe currently buy from Russia.  Second, Russia is also an oligarchy; Putin stands or falls on the continued will of the wealthiest Russians to support him.  If they decide to no longer support him, down he goes.  Those folks all have lots and lots of assets outside of Russia - huge bank accounts, NYC apartments, Paris apartments, etc, etc, etc, and they would be hoppin' mad if all of their assets were frozen by the US and Europe.  Freeze those assets and condition the unfreeze on Russia withdrawing from Ukraine, and there would probably be some movement.

Oceander

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #7 on: March 07, 2014, 11:42:50 pm »
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where he said the new authorities had taken "absolutely illegitimate decisions on the eastern, southeastern and Crimea regions.

possibly a roadmap to Putin's next steps in Ukraine?  once his ownership of Crimea becomes uncontested, will he next go after eastern and southeastern Ukraine?

Offline EC

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #8 on: March 08, 2014, 06:24:57 am »
possibly a roadmap to Putin's next steps in Ukraine?  once his ownership of Crimea becomes uncontested, will he next go after eastern and southeastern Ukraine?

I should imagine that is well in hand, using the same or similar tactics to the Crimea justification. Eastern Ukraine is not only heavily Russian in population, it is a completely different animal from western Ukraine. Much more mining and heavy industry and significantly less agriculture.
I can see Eastern Ukraine agitating for secession from Kiev in a couple of years (no doubt with funding and training provided by Moscow), then requesting client status in the Russian Union. It would explain the strangely muted response to the deposing of a pro-Russian president by Putin. He's setting the new government up to create the conditions he wants.
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Oceander

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Re: Putin Rebuffs Obama in Hour-Long Call as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
« Reply #9 on: March 08, 2014, 06:32:43 pm »
I should imagine that is well in hand, using the same or similar tactics to the Crimea justification. Eastern Ukraine is not only heavily Russian in population, it is a completely different animal from western Ukraine. Much more mining and heavy industry and significantly less agriculture.
I can see Eastern Ukraine agitating for secession from Kiev in a couple of years (no doubt with funding and training provided by Moscow), then requesting client status in the Russian Union. It would explain the strangely muted response to the deposing of a pro-Russian president by Putin. He's setting the new government up to create the conditions he wants.

agreed