The Briefing Room
General Category => World News => Topic started by: mystery-ak on March 13, 2014, 06:53:42 pm
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http://washingtonexaminer.com/john-kerry-russia-has-until-monday-to-reverse-course-in-ukraine/article/2545610 (http://washingtonexaminer.com/john-kerry-russia-has-until-monday-to-reverse-course-in-ukraine/article/2545610)
John Kerry: Russia has until Monday to reverse course in Ukraine
By Susan Crabtree | MARCH 13, 2014 AT 1:11 PM
Secretary of State John Kerry warned of serious repercussions for Russia on Monday if last-ditch talks over the weekend to resolve the crisis in Ukraine failed to persuade Moscow to soften its stance.
Kerry will travel to London for a Friday meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ahead of a Sunday referendum vote in the Crimea region to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation.
U.S. and European officials argue that Moscow is orchestrating the referendum and waging an intimidation campaign with thousands of Russian troops controlling the region. If Russian-backed lawmakers in Crimea go through with the Sunday referendum, Kerry said the U.S. and its European allies will not recognize it as legitimate under international law.
The U.S. and Europe on Monday would then unite to impose sanctions on Russia, Kerry told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Thursday during a hearing on the State Department's budget.
“There will be a response of some kind to the referendum itself,” Kerry said. “If there is no sign [from Russia] of any capacity to respond to this issue ... there will be a very serious series of steps on Monday.”
“Our hope is to have Russia join in respecting international law. ... There is no justification, no legality to this referendum that is taking place,” he said. “The hope is that reason will prevail but there is no guarantee of that.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and a top critic of President Obama's foreign policy, asked what the administration would do if Russian forces advance farther into the eastern area of Ukraine, and the new government in Kiev asks the U.S. for weapons to fight the Russians.
Kerry responded carefully, saying “we have contingencies – we are talking through various options that may or may not be available.”
“Our hope is not to create hysteria or excessive concern about that at this point in time,” he said. “Our hope is to avoid that, but there's no telling that we can.”
U.S. authorities are closely monitoring the number of Russian troops in Crimea, as well as their movements, he said, noting that Moscow is allowed to have a total of 25,000 troops in Crimea.
He said that currently Russia does not have the assets positioned to “march in and take over all of Ukraine but that could change and we recognize that.”
“I've been impressed on how united our European allies are on this… to a person, to a country, they are very, very committed to make sure there is accountability,” he said.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat who was chairing the hearing, asked how this showdown with Russia in Ukraine is impacting efforts to destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.
When Obama threatened to make good on his red-line threat to Syrian leader Bashar Assad, Russia helped avert U.S. military strikes by offering to step in and negotiate arrangements to have Damascus destroy its chemical weapons.
Kerry said Russia had been helpful in pushing Syria on tighter deadlines for locating, moving and destroying its stockpile, but considering the crisis in Crimea, their cooperation going forward is an open question.
“Now there's a question mark about where that's going to go,” he said.
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Monday of what month or year?
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Just what does Hanoi John Effin Kerry plan on doing when (not IF) Putin tells him to go screw himself? Throw some medals at him? Hold his breath? Tell his Mommy?
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http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140301062201AA5kxoq (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140301062201AA5kxoq)
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This is going to get interesting, isn't it? :pondering:
Wonder what the Vegas odds are that Putin folds? LOL! Gotta be a long shot.
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Or what? Going to Home Depot to buy red paint to draw a line somewhere? Have the Putter in Chief make a collect call? Write a stiffly worded note? Conjure up CHENNGGGHHHIS Khan and a horde of Viet Vets? WHAT exactly are you assclowns gonna do? To quote Admiral Nimitz out of context: "The world wonders". :pondering: :pondering:
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Just had a sickening thought.
Obama demonstrates a new orbital weapons system...and Putin shrinks back to Moscow. Obama's numbers skyrocket.
It explains all the military cutbacks....etc..
Dear Lord....please make this a normal hallucination. :0001:
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Just had a sickening thought.
Obama demonstrates a new orbital weapons system...and Putin shrinks back to Moscow. Obama's numbers skyrocket.
It explains all the military cutbacks....etc..
Dear Lord....please make this a normal hallucination. :0001:
I thought something similar, like Obama going overboard and doing something too drastic that the entire world will come raining down on us.
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Just had a sickening thought.
Obama demonstrates a new orbital weapons system...and Putin shrinks back to Moscow. Obama's numbers skyrocket.
It explains all the military cutbacks....etc..
Dear Lord....please make this a normal hallucination. :0001:
Worry, not.
Obama will never do anything that could even be remotely seen as being in the interests or benefit of the United States.
Something like that is just not in his dna.
Put that in the bank and start drawing interest on it.
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Worry, not.
Obama will never do anything that could even be remotely seen as being in the interests or benefit of the United States.
Something like that is just not in his dna.
Put that in the bank and start drawing interest on it.
I wouldn't interpret that as being in the interests of the US....it would be in the interests of Barack Obama.
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I wouldn't interpret that as being in the interests of the US....it would be in the interests of Barack Obama.
Perhaps you wouldn't see it that way. It's a safe bet that someone else might. That being the case, you are needlessly worrying.
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---------------------------------------------------------- Another one?
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---------------------------------------------------------- Another one?
Yep.
The asshats are Stuck On Stupid, for sure.
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Can't wait to see tomorrow afternoon's Friday news dump material.....LOL!
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Maybe Vladimir will interpret Kerry's Monday deadline differently?
That maybe he has until Monday to add the Ukraine to his booty.
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Maybe Vladimir will interpret Kerry's Monday deadline differently?
That maybe he has until Monday to add the Ukraine to his booty.
Perhaps that is Hanoi John's intent? He's just too damned smart for the rest of us!
"HALP, Jon CAREY!!...."
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This is such utter bullshit. There is nothing that Obama is going to do no matter what Lurch says that will intimidate Vlad Putin one whit, and everyone knows it. No player on the world stage is going to jump into this to back Obama and Kerry's empty threats.
:smokin:
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This headline made me chuckle outloud when I read it. If it made me laugh, imagine the laughter in Moskow right now, and all over the world.
Obama is a joke. Obama/Kerry is a bigger joke.
Glad to be out of the military. I don't not trust either of these bozos one bit.
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This headline made me chuckle outloud when I read it. If it made me laugh, imagine the laughter in Moskow right now, and all over the world.
Obama is a joke. Obama/Kerry is a bigger joke.
Glad to be out of the military. I don't not trust either of these bozos one bit.
Thank you for your service and we're glad to have you home.
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“I've been impressed on how united our European allies are on this… to a person, to a country, they are very, very committed to make sure there is accountability,” he said.
Yeah, if you're talking about being committed to business as usual. Otherwise, it's a long walk off a short plank for Obama and the US.
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Yeah, if you're talking about being committed to business as usual. Otherwise, it's a long walk off a short plank for Obama and the US.
Yep. :Odance: