Posted on 04/19/2014 2:58:21 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
OTTAWA – Russian actions against Ukraine are “aggressive, militaristic and imperialistic” and pose a grave threat to world peace, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said today.
Pro-Russian groups have occupied buildings in 10 cities in eastern Ukraine in recent days, prompting Harper to use his harshest words yet against what he called “Russian provocateurs sent by the Putin regime.”
It’s time to rally the world against the danger posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Harper said at a hastily assembled photo-op event with ambassadors from Ukraine, Estonia, Poland and Latvia.
“I know this is of great concern to our NATO allies in the region, but it should be a great concern to all of us,” Harper said.
“When a major power acts in a way that is so clearly aggressive, militaristic and imperialistic, this represents a significant threat to the peace and stability of the world and it’s time we all recognized the depth and the seriousness of that threat.”
He said he’s dispatching Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to talk with allies in eastern Europe. Baird will then head on to the Middle East.Baird echoed the prime minister in blaming Russia for the latest events, scoffing: “I don’t know who the Russian federation thinks it’s kidding when it tries to pretend that it has nothing to do with them.”
“There are very clear and disconcerting parallels between what is happening in eastern Ukraine and events leading up to Russia’s illegal invasion and annexation of Crimea,” Baird continued, urging Russia to back down.
Canada is prepared to impose stronger sanctions against Putin’s regime, Harper said.
“But as I say, the most important thing we need to do is to rally all of our allies throughout the western world and throughout the greater global community to understand that peace and stability is being threatened here in a way that has not been threatened since the end of the Cold War.”
Putin is fighting history and will lose, he added.
“We also know from history that anybody who makes it their historical mission to turn the clock back, as Mr. Putin has determined to do, that those kinds of missions always fail in the end. But we will do all in our power to make it fail.”
Harper also paid tribute to the people of Ukraine, saying their determination to secure their freedom and independence has no limit.
Russia and Canada have had a running issue about rights to Arctic Oil and Gas for about 3 years now.
And just Yesterday:
Russia Ships The World’s First Load of Offshore Arctic Oil
NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia, April 18 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin hailed Russia’s first shipment of Arctic offshore oil on Friday, saying the platform decried by environmentalists will help Moscow expand its global energy markets share.
Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russia’s top gas producer Gazprom, shipped the first 70,000 tonnes of oil by tanker from the Prirazlomnoye platform, the site of a protest by 30 Greenpeace activists who were arrested last year.
The launch of oil production in the Arctic, seen by Russia as one of the key sources in the gradual replacement of output from its depleted West Siberian fields, has long been delayed due to cost overruns and technical difficulties.
“This, in essence, is the beginning of great and large-scale extraction of minerals and oil by our country in the Arctic,” Putin said, speaking from his residence outside Moscow via a video link with workers at the platform, including Gazprom’s head Alexei Miller.
“The whole project will positively influence Russia’s future presence on the global energy markets and will strengthen both the whole economy and the energy sector,” said Putin, who personally oversees all the major energy projects in country.
The problem is both of our political parties have been sold out to China.
Both of them. Completely.
Starting in the Bush years, the trade deficit became terrible. And it’s gotten worse under Obama.
Both parties are selling out America.
Someone needs to turn around, make a decision and start to do things for America once again.
I really worry, it will eventually be Democrats who finally stand up and do something.
That will be tragic.
Republicans, really really need to stand up for America.
For real. Now.
Our government is a grave threat to the American people, tell you what, give me back my Republic and I`ll give a sh!t about the world.
Oh, I read (for some reason) Macleans, and you would think that Justin Trudeau was Jesus denied his rightful place as ruler of Earth, and Harper was robing old ladies in Ottawa every night.
We did get lucky.
His support of Israel makes me so glad that he’s ours.
I like Harper. I would take him for US prez over many if not most of our current contenders. I even joke with my Canuk nephew that the US will simply “take” Harper as our prez. He said that would not be right or possible but I ask him exactly how it is his country would stop us if we really wanted to “take” his PM.
Which is my point here. Every small country that under-spends on defense while relying on the US to ride to its rescue, should the SHTF, is now clamoring for the US to stand up to Putin. Harper is sadly in that category.
Ukraine has had a decade to get ready for this day. They did not prepare for it and even to this day do not seem willing to sacrifice their own blood or treasure in their own self-defense. They seem to think defense can be outsourced.
Canada had better bulk up its defenses and even consider acquiring a few nukes. If not the kiss the Arctic resources goodbye. The US will not help. But is better to have Obama in charge of Arctic resources or a “drill here drill now even if I have to steal it” Putin?
What’s wrong with robing old ladies? :)
For over 70 years we’ve been told that fears of Soviet Communism were overblown. That US imperialism was the threat in the world, that Communist Imperialism was just nations (like Cuba, China, Russia) helping other countries (like Vietnam).
One of few western leaders still making some sense, too bad Canada is not a major power.
The beauty of running a totalitarian regime is that you can obfuscate or modify your own published numbers. I suspect both China and Russia engage a lot more of their money to nuclear weapons, and their military in general, than we are aware of. This we know with the Chinese, who routinely forge their economic numbers to such a degree that China watchers try to watch other factors to determine the actual growth of the Chinese economy.
Yanukovych stripped the Ukrainian military, most likely on Moscow’s order. It was also Moscow, in cohoots with the gullible west, which stole their nuclear weapons from them, protected by an “agreement,” which Lenin compared to pie crusts, “meant to be broken”. Do not blame the Ukrainians. Blame Russian disinformation, secret agents, and western weakness and shortsightedness.
I guess it does get cold up there. :P
Everything you say is true. But it does not absolve the Ukrainians from defending their country or at least trying to. They did not try to stop the looting of their country by Yanukovych or any of the other kleptocrats so why quibble now over the bones?
~Yanukovych stripped the Ukrainian military, most likely on Moscow’s order~
At least a couple of pro-Western administrations before Yanukovysh did exactly the same. Most of the Ukrainian airforce wasn’t airworthy and navy could barely float by late 1990s, about a decade before he was elected.
Tons of Canadians hate Harper and speak vile about him, mostly leftists heh.
Is there an all of the above answer?
OTTAWA – Russian actions against Ukraine are “aggressive, militaristic and imperialistic” and pose a grave threat to world peace, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said today. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Harper has reason to be a might touchy. Russia maintains two brigades of Russian Army troops in Russias far North
totalling 20,000 men.
If one reads the current poofter liberal based Security Assessment of Canada about the Russian Northern threat to Canada , its laughable given the current military expansionsim of Putin:
http://www.casr.ca/as-arctic-russian-risk-assessment.htm
The Russians are just a few short hours away from invading Canada via an open Northern Gateway, and there is not one thing Canada or anyone would be able to do to stop them.
Putin also has Harper by the short hairs, which is why he is squealing so much. Soon Harper will have to choose to continue Socailized medicine in Canada or to ramp up Canada’s military. Haroper does NOT want to have to make such a decision.Harper will continue to squeal.
Canada is part of NATO and if Russia attacked them it would definitely start world war 3.
It has been a long hard slog. We had to destroy the PC's, build up Reform, merge them, and find this man to lead the country in some perilous times.
Canadians can thank their fellow citizens who were politically active enough to pull this off. This is one country where there is a clear, distinct difference in political parties.
For our American friends, please note. Stephen Harper is NOT a lawyer, a constitutional professor, a community organizer or even a career politician. He is an economist, and our economy is doing fine now.
I think you are dead wrong. If recent wars in the middle east have taught us anything it is that air supremacy produces success on the ground. Russia would have NO air support for an invading army. I think NORAD (combined forces of the USAF and the RCAF) could handle any threat, for now.
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