Posted on 11/27/2004 12:15:30 PM PST by jimbo123
KIEV, Ukraine - (KRT) - In a speech to campaign workers before his re-election last March, Russian President Vladimir Putin chillingly hinted at what is clearly now a foreign policy crusade.
"The collapse of the Soviet Union is a national tragedy on an enormous scale," the former KGB agent told the gathering at Moscow State University. "We cannot only look back and curse about this issue."
Putin's remarks were more than just lamentations. In nearly five years as president, Putin has seen the Baltic states join NATO and the European Union and the U.S. establish military bases in Central Asia. And he watched helplessly as last year's bloodless "Rose Revolution" nudged Georgia into the sphere of the West.
The Kremlin needed a Maginot line, and its behavior before and after the widely disputed presidential election in Ukraine suggests the former Soviet republic has become that.
Opposition leaders in Ukraine say the Kremlin sank millions of dollars into the campaign of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russia candidate who last week was formally declared president before a court appeal put the election result in limbo. It also dispatched an army of political advisers who helped Yanukovych in his campaign against Western-leaning reformer Viktor Yushchenko.
And as demonstrators massed in the streets of Kiev and international leaders condemned the election as rigged, Putin twice went out of his way to congratulate Yanukovych on his victory - before and after official results were announced.
Analysts say Putin is bent on stanching the creep of Western influence into former Soviet republics that the Kremlin has regarded as under Moscow's wing. Ukraine, they say, makes for a perfect line in the sand.
(Excerpt) Read more at charlotte.com ...
The Russian border sounds good enough to me..
Trust but verify. Putin's relationship with Iran is unacceptable. We may need to work on upgrading our nuclear capabilities.
Time to stop bashing Putin. Yes, he is quite a character... yes, he has some issues with democracy... but isn't he one of the few World leaders that have recognized the danger of Islamic proliferation?
So? Obviously you are not too familiar with diplomatic protocol. Russia is still on a bargaining level with North Korea, Iran et al.
And Putin is going to start shipping nuclear fuel to Iran. Why do you want Iran to have the bomb? Are you a muzzie?
That can mean a lot of things.. Russia needs to be on an arm-twisting level with North Korea, Iran et al. - not a french-kissing level like they are now.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) (L) and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shakes hands in Brasilia. Brazil and Russia signed an agreement on space cooperation here that calls for development of a launch vehicle for Brazil, production of geostationary satellites and other projects(AFP/Evaristo Sa)
Russia is bargaining with Iran to start shipping nuclear fuel to the mullahs in the next month. Russia built Iran a nuclear reactor. Now Putin is getting ready to start shipping them nuclear fuel.
It's sad how all the Putin groupies are rooting for their KGB hero to arm Iran with nukes.
What will happen when Iran nukes DC?
What excuses will the Putin groupies make? That Iran lied to Russia and it's not his fault for building the reactor and shipping the muzzies the fuel?
When Iran nukes Americas, the blood will be on the hands of Putin and his enablers both here and abroad.
Tony Blair seems to also be on friendly terms with Iran. He visited there a little over a year ago. A lot of these European countries have large numbers of Muslims and they can't be seen to be against all Muslims or they will have trouble in the streets.
Did Tony Blair build Iran a nuke plan and is he going to start shipping fuel to the reactors next month? And who do you think Iran will nuke first? The U.S. or the U.K.?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3019316.stm
Blair comments outrage Iran
By Jim Muir
BBC correspondent in Tehran
The British Ambassador in Tehran, Richard Dalton, has been called in by the Iranian foreign ministry to receive a verbal protest over remarks made in the UK Parliament yesterday by Prime Minister Tony Blair.
We still need to try to deal with Putin, but he's making it harder and harder.
He should get the clue. A captive Ukraine under Russia's thumb will not be a reliable defense against the remote possibility of a western attack. A friendly neighboring Ukraine would be very good for Russia to have, both for defense and for trade.
If he takes over Ukraine, he will likely put the fear of Russia into the Euros and scare them into preserving NATO. If he lets Ukraine go, NATO will almost certainly go too.
And England, France, Germany signed off on it and our ally Pakistan is giving them missile technology and our favorite trading partner China is giving them nuclear weapons technology and our ally Saudi Arabia has some 120 chemical tipped medium ICBMs. Shall we keep going?
By the way, you never did document your Yanukovich is a rapist line, still waiting, since you yelled enough.
What level should we be with China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, KLA, Bosnia, Egypt and the PLO? And what level are we on?
You see, that's where you step over into propaganda. Sending civilian fuel rods with a return agreement is not giving them nukes, unless every nuclear station near every American city is a "nuke". Less then 1% of Uranium can be enriched to nuclear weapons grade. Further, it is our nuclear ally Pakistan that is giving away the technology through China.
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