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Russia: We may move into eastern Ukraine to protect ethnic Russians there too
Hotair ^ | 03/14/2014 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 03/14/2014 6:45:00 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Will the “responsibility to protect” mandate backfire on the West, who used that claim of authority to depose Moammar Qaddafi in Libya? Russia warned the West this morning that it may have to intervene on behalf of ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine next, which has been roiled by demonstrations in Donetsk in particular, because Moscow “reserves the right to take people under its protection.” Sound familiar?

As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart met in London Friday in a last-ditch effort to find some common ground over theRussian invasion of Crimea, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a warning suggesting Moscow was willing to expand its military actions in Ukraine into another region.

The Foreign Ministry released a statement, according to the Reuters news agency, saying Moscow “reserves the right to take people under its protection” in light of clashes between pro-Moscow and pro-Western demonstrators in the city of Donetsk on Thursday.

One person was killed Thursday evening as the clashes — which have occurred almost daily in the majority-ethnic Russian region — became violent for the first time.

“Russia is aware of its responsibility for the lives of compatriots and fellow citizens in Ukraine,” said the statement obtained by Reuters.

Russian forces have massed along the eastern border of Ukraine, and acting president Oleksandr Turchynov — recognized by the West but not Russia — warned yesterday that Moscow was on the cusp of invading his country. He publicly held out hope that it could be prevented, but pleaded for support in forcing Russia to stand down:

Russian forces on the border with Ukraine were “ready to invade,” Ukraine’s acting president said Thursday, but he also believed that Moscow’s “aggression” could be stopped.

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov made the statement to a Ukrainian television channel, the Reuters news agency reports, citing a statement posted to the presidential website.

We are doing all we can to avoid war, whether in Crimea or in any other region of Ukraine,” Turchynov said, adding that the country’s forces were at full combat readiness. …

“All of civilized humanity supports our country,” said Turchynov. “All the leading countries of the world are on the side of Ukraine, and I am sure that this united effort in the international arena, bringing together all democratic countries, can still allow us to halt this aggression.”

So far, though, the US has stalled on offering anything but rhetorical support. Congress froze on an aid package after the White House and Senate Democrats insisted on adding unrelated IMF funding to the bill, and won’t take it up again until at least March 24th. Investors Business Daily argues that Barack Obama could have led an energy-supply offensive on Russian economics, but that he’s failing to learn from Ronald Reagan:

President Obama should have stunned Putin with a massive unleashing of fracking activity, both in the U.S. and Europe, as a way to undercut Russia’s energy cash stream. He should have pursued sales of U.S. natural gas to Europe to underscore his seriousness. But right now, those moves are not even on the table.

And that’s a shame because, historically, huge moves on energy have had real power to check Russia.

One of the most powerful factors in President Reagan’s breakup of the Soviet Union was then-CIA director Bill Casey’s personal persuasion of Saudi Arabia to slash the price of oil in 1982 to cut into Russia’s energy earnings and loosen its stranglehold on Europe.

That move bankrupted the Soviet Union.

We see no such leadership now from the Obama administration. From the stoat-like eyes of Vladimir Putin, the U.S. refusal to whip out its biggest trump cards immediately signals a flatfooted opponent not nimble enough or willing enough to act while the glow of history beckons.

Angela Merkel spoke out against Russian activity on Ukraine’s border, predicting a “catastrophe,” and warning of “massive” economic and political consequences for Moscow:

In an unusually robust and emotional speech, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of “catastrophe” unless Russia changes course, while in Ukraine a man died in fighting between rival protesters in a mainly Russian-speaking city.

In Berlin, Merkel removed any suspicion that she might try to avoid a confrontation with Russian President Vladimir Putin,

“We would not only see it, also as neighbors of Russia, as a threat. And it would not only change the European Union’s relationship with Russia,” she told parliament. “No, this would also cause massive damage to Russia, economically and politically.”

We’ll see if that has any effect, although Russia did agree to international monitors in eastern Ukraine and Crimea yesterday. So far, though, the West has been all talk and very little real action.

Yesterday, Ukraine and Russia went toe-to-toe at the UN. What do you think the chances are of the UN doing anything significant about it? Er … yeah, me too:

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Russia
KEYWORDS: russia; ukraine
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1 posted on 03/14/2014 6:45:00 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Shocking, I tell you! Shocking!!!


2 posted on 03/14/2014 6:48:22 AM PDT by cld51860 (Oderint dum metuant)
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To: cld51860

Ron Paul’s foreign policy prescription: LET THEM...


3 posted on 03/14/2014 6:49:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Russian forces on the border with Ukraine were “ready to invade,” Ukraine’s acting president said Thursday, but he also believed that Moscow’s “aggression” could be stopped.

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov made the statement to a Ukrainian television channel, the Reuters news agency reports, citing a statement posted to the presidential website.

We are doing all we can to avoid war, whether in Crimea or in any other region of Ukraine,” Turchynov said, adding that the country’s forces were at full combat readiness. …

“All of civilized humanity supports our country,” said Turchynov. “All the leading countries of the world are on the side of Ukraine, and I am sure that this united effort in the international arena, bringing together all democratic countries, can still allow us to halt this aggression.”

Until Ukraine puts up a fight, no help will be forthcoming. Uncle Sam is not going to commit resources for a country that isn't a NATO ally and won't even defend itself, especially in the face of an EU that has to be dragooned into levying even the most trivial economic sanctions against Russia. The EU's stance appears to be that this is Uncle Sam's problem. I'm gonna be real amused when Russian troops make a re-appearance in Berlin.

4 posted on 03/14/2014 6:57:09 AM PDT by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: Zhang Fei

Crimea 2014: Czechoslovakia 1938 Redux. In this drama, Putin plays Hitler while Obama is Chamberlain.

SEE HERE:

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/joseph-puder/crimea-2014-czechoslovakia-1938-redux/


5 posted on 03/14/2014 6:59:13 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Future maps may end up looking like this.

Shades of the Cold War

6 posted on 03/14/2014 7:00:04 AM PDT by McGruff (I do not like the current Uncle Sam...)
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To: SeekAndFind

Russia has the veto at the UN as a permanent member. No resolution in the Security Council is going to be adopted.

As I pointed out on the IBD thread, stop blaming Russia for American impotence. Its growing old fast and makes no one respect America. As long as you are focused on the trivial and unimportant, one is not going to take a great power seriously.

Like they say in Texas, Americans are all hat and no cattle these days. You sound like hysterical women with none of the confidence of real men. I’m not excusing Putin by any means but he knows why Ukraine is important. By the looks of it, Obama doesn’t and here we are with America reduced to the sight of being an impotent onlooker on the world stage - when its not being a pathetic bully punching below its weight - today.


7 posted on 03/14/2014 7:01:37 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: SeekAndFind
“All of civilized humanity supports our country,” said Turchynov.

If "civilized humanity" includes Obama, Juan McVain, George Soros and the sodomite EU why would any decent American want to be part of it?

8 posted on 03/14/2014 7:03:12 AM PDT by Count of Monte Fisto (The foundation of modern society is the denial of reality.)
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To: SeekAndFind

The Heinz factory prepares for another of Obama's red lines.

9 posted on 03/14/2014 7:06:18 AM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: McGruff

If Russia is going to “protect” ethnic Russians and move in to Eastern Ukraine... what’s to stop them from protecting all ethnic Russians in places like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and other eastern European countries?

And while, he’s at it (and Obama is still President), he might want to consider the millions of Russians living in the USA ...


10 posted on 03/14/2014 7:07:09 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
...the White House and Senate Democrats insisted on adding unrelated IMF funding to the bill...

President Obama should have stunned Putin with a massive unleashing of fracking activity, both in the U.S. and Europe, as a way to undercut Russia’s energy cash stream. He should have pursued sales of U.S. natural gas to Europe to underscore his seriousness.

One of the most powerful factors in President Reagan’s breakup of the Soviet Union was then-CIA director Bill Casey’s personal persuasion of Saudi Arabia to slash the price of oil in 1982...

The New America can't afford to endanger Saudi funding of Islamic terrorist operations, worldwide, the the killing of Christians, and the emerging World Caliphate.

11 posted on 03/14/2014 7:15:41 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: SeekAndFind

The Soviet Union officially rises from the dead in five, four, three, two.........


12 posted on 03/14/2014 7:23:08 AM PDT by elcid1970 ("In the modern world, Muslims are living fossils.")
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To: SeekAndFind
Russia: We may move into eastern Ukraine to protect ethnic Russians there too

Yea right. And Obama will buy it if the Chinese invade Amercia to protect the Chinese living here.

13 posted on 03/14/2014 7:25:14 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: SeekAndFind

Well, the Baltic states are in NATO. Personally, if I were running the show, I’d put nukes in the Baltic states; I’d also let Ukraine split, roughly along the line of the Dnieper River, and then I’d damned well see to it that the new-fangled West Ukraine not only becomes NATO, but nuclear-armed as well.

If Russia feels the need to expand, they’re welcome to do so in a southerly direction.


14 posted on 03/14/2014 7:26:16 AM PDT by AnAmericanAbroad (It's all bread and circuses for the future prey of the Morlocks.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I think John Kerry wants to run for president again which is why he’s suddenly a man on the move.


15 posted on 03/14/2014 7:33:11 AM PDT by floriduh voter (My ducks are not on the menu. They're funny looking dogs.)
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To: SeekAndFind

The relevant precedent, which NATO enthusiastically created for this, was Kosovo, where the “duty to protect” ethnic Albanians, some of whom had been Yugoslav citizens, some of whom were illegal immigrants, was propped up with breathless, false accounts of genocide. The nadir of false pretenses to justify military action has to have been the account of Pristina stadium being used as a concentration camp given in all seriousness at a NATO press briefing and promptly debunked by Agence France-Presse reporters walking around on the empty soccer field of said stadium later the same day.

It not only created a precedent that Russia can apply to justify all manner of military action in the “near abroad”, but was a deliberate provocation of Russia — stealing land from Slavic Orthodox Christians to give to Muslims. Not only the precedent, but the provocation are still remembered in Moscow.


16 posted on 03/14/2014 7:34:06 AM PDT by The_Reader_David (And when they behead your own people in the wars which are to come, then you will know...)
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To: cld51860

Yep, I guess Pooty is scared to death about Sec. Slab Face’s threat about Monday being the deadline?????????????


17 posted on 03/14/2014 7:34:11 AM PDT by biff (WAS)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

I think our problem was that we expanded NATO. A NATO of 28 to 30 countries is too big to get anything done. And its sheer size is a recipe for institutional paralysis. The Russians would not mind West Ukraine becoming the 29th member. NATO is what - the military arm of the EU. Which is about as frightening to Russia as Casper the Ghost.


18 posted on 03/14/2014 7:36:51 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: SeekAndFind

Putin will say that he is there to protect Slavs, Communists, Soviet veterans, and Russian speakers.


19 posted on 03/14/2014 7:39:11 AM PDT by Thunder90 (All posts soley represent my own opinion.)
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To: Thunder90

RE: Putin will say that he is there to protect Slavs, Communists, Soviet veterans, and Russian speakers

There are over 3.1 Million Russians living in America.... does he want to “protect” them too?


20 posted on 03/14/2014 7:40:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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