Ukraine Crisis - Page 570

On June 04 2014 12:24 Ghanburighan wrote:


The notion of RT.com `confirming' something is ridiculous. But it's pretty clear that it was an airstrike. It's weird that the Ukrainian government is not owning up to it. It looks like they've decided to up the ante on the propaganda war.

***

There are reports from the Luhansk border that 20 trucks filled with fighters from Chechnya and elsewhere in Russia, together with 5 APCs have entered Eastern Ukraine. Looks like Russia is determined not to lose the non-war, which suggests it will be a protracted conflict.

***
Breaking down Obama's message.

On June 04 2014 16:46 Silvanel wrote:
More of symbolic gesture than anything but still...

Britain on Wednesday accused Russia of fomenting unrest in eastern Ukraine with "a torrent of disinformation" and called on Moscow to lean on pro-Russian separatists to end their conflict with government forces.

In some of its strongest comments on the subject yet, the British Foreign Office said it was not credible for Russia to deny responsibility for events in eastern Ukraine.

"We call upon Russia to use its influence to put an end to the instability. Russia has refused to condemn the illegal actions of armed groups that look to it for direction," the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

"We have heard a torrent of disinformation and inflammatory statements [from Russia] that fuel unrest and create unfounded fears. We have seen a military build-up and maneuvers on Ukraine's borders designed to intimidate."

Britain said Russia's annexation of Crimea had left Moscow isolated on the world stage. London had no wish to isolate Russia, the Foreign Office said, but it and others could not ignore attacks upon Ukraine's sovereignty.

Britain's intervention coincided with Ukrainian government forces pressing ahead with an offensive against pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

British Prime Minister David Cameron will hold rare face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in France at which he will urge Putin to help de-escalate the situation in Ukraine.

The meeting, which Cameron requested, was originally scheduled for Friday but was brought forward by a day for technical reasons. Both men will be in France for the 70th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in Normandy.

It will be the first time the two have met since Prince Charles sparked a diplomatic spat by likening Putin to Adolf Hitler.

British officials have said Cameron wants to use the meeting to encourage Putin to begin to build a working relationship with Ukraine's President-elect Petro Poroshenko.
Moscow Times

We welcome the successful conduct under difficult circumstances of the election in
Ukraine on 25 May. The strong voter turnout underlined the determination of Ukraine’s
citizens to determine the future of their country. We welcome Petro Poroshenko as the
President-elect of Ukraine and commend him for reaching out to all the people of
Ukraine.

In the face of unacceptable interference in Ukraine’s sovereign affairs by the Russian
Federation, we stand by the Ukrainian government and people. We call upon the illegal
armed groups to disarm. We encourage the Ukrainian authorities to maintain a
measured approach in pursuing operations to restore law and order. We fully support the
substantial contribution made by the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) to the de-escalation of the crisis through the Special Monitoring Mission and
other OSCE instruments. We commend the willingness of the Ukrainian authorities to
continue the national dialogue in an inclusive manner. We welcome the "Memorandum
of Peace and Unity" adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on 20 May and express the wish
that it can be implemented rapidly. We also encourage the Ukrainian parliament and the
Government of Ukraine to continue to pursue constitutional reform in order to provide a
framework for deepening and strengthening democracy and accommodating the rights
and aspirations of all people in all regions of Ukraine.

The G7 are committed to continuing to work with Ukraine to support its economic
development, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We encourage the fulfilment of
Ukraine's commitment to pursue the difficult reforms that will be crucial to support
economic stability and unlock private sector-led growth. We welcome the decision of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) to approve a $17 billion programme for Ukraine,
which will anchor other bilateral and multilateral assistance and loans, including around
$18 billion foreseen to date from G7 partners. We welcome the swift disbursement of
macro-economic support for Ukraine. We support an international donor coordination
mechanism to ensure effective delivery of economic assistance and we welcome the
EU’s intention to hold a high-level coordination meeting in Brussels. We welcome
ongoing efforts to diversify Ukraine's sources of gas, including through recent steps in
the EU towards enabling reverse gas flow capacities and look forward to the successful
conclusion of the talks, facilitated by the European Commission, on gas transit and
supply from the Russian Federation to Ukraine.

We are united in condemning the Russian Federation’s continuing violation of the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, and
actions to de-stabilise eastern Ukraine are unacceptable and must stop. These actions
violate fundamental principles of international law and should be a concern for all
nations. We urge the Russian Federation to recognise the results of the election,
complete the withdrawal of its military forces on the border with Ukraine, stop the flow of
weapons and militants across the border and to exercise its influence among armed
separatists to lay down their weapons and renounce violence. We call on the Russian
Federation to meet the commitments it made in the Geneva Joint Statement and
cooperate with the government of Ukraine as it implements its plans for promoting
peace, unity and reform.

We confirm the decision by G7 countries to impose sanctions on individuals and entities
who have actively supported or implemented the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity and who are threatening the peace, security and stability of Ukraine.
We are implementing a strict policy of non-recognition with respect to
Crimea/Sevastopol, in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262. We stand
ready to intensify targeted sanctions and to implement significant additional restrictive
measures to impose further costs on Russia should events so require.
Source.

What actually happened there? There was a conflict and that conflict arose because the former Ukrainian president refused to sign an association agreement with the EU. Russia had a certain stance on this issue. We believed it was indeed unreasonable to sign that agreement because it would have a grave impact on the economy, including the Russian economy. We have 390 economic agreements with Ukraine and Ukraine is a member of the free trade zone within the CIS. And we wouldn’t be able to continue this economic relationship with Ukraine as a member of the free trade zone. We discussed this with our European partners. Instead of continuing the debates by legitimate and diplomatic means, our European friends and our friends from the United States supported the anti-constitutional armed coup. This is what happened. We did not cause this crisis to happen. We were against this course of events but after the anti-constitutional coup – let’s face it, after all…

There are no armed forces, no Russian ‘instructors’ in southeastern Ukraine. And there never were any.

QUESTION: Mr President, Russian troops annexed Crimea recently. Will you ever give it back?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: It’s a delusion that Russian troops annexed Crimea. Russian troops did nothing of the kind. Frankly...

QUESTION: But Crimea has been included on the map of Russia, the kind of maps we used in school. It’s part of Russia now. What was it, annexation or reunification? Which word should we use?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: If you’ll let me finish, I think you’ll see what I mean.

Russian troops were in Crimea under the international treaty on the deployment of the Russian military base. It’s true that Russian troops helped Crimeans hold a referendum on their (a) independence and (b) desire to join the Russian Federation. No one can prevent these people from exercising a right that is stipulated in Article 1 of the UN Charter, the right of nations to self-determination.

QUESTION (via interpreter): Do you recognise Ukraine’s sovereignty and its neutral stance with respect to relations between Russia and the West?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Yes, we recognise its sovereignty. Moreover, we’d like Ukraine to act as a sovereign state. Joining any military bloc or any other rigid integration alliance amounts to a partial loss of sovereignty. But if a country opts for this and wants to cede part of its sovereignty, it’s free to do so. Regarding Ukraine and military blocs, this is what worries us, because if Ukraine joins, say, NATO, NATO’s infrastructure will move directly towards the Russian border, which cannot leave us indifferent.


Source.

Russia’s ambassador returns to Kiev, plans to attend Poroshenko inauguration

Russia’s ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov will attend the inauguration of Petro Poroshenko as Ukrainian president, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told ITAR-TASS on Thursday. It was decided that Zurabov will take part in the official ceremony of Ukraine’s presidential inauguration, which is due to be held on June 7. Zurabov will not participate in the reception after the ceremony, the news agency said. He is returning to Kiev to resume his work as ambassador after the Ukrainian presidential election.

Source - It's from RussiaToday, but I doubt they'd be fabricating something like this

On June 04 2014 20:07 Mc wrote:
They are convinced Russia won't escalate the conflict significantly (i.e. won't invade), and are fine with the destabilization of E. Ukraine.

On June 04 2014 20:07 Mc wrote:
So, I'd bet on Western Europeans not increasing their defence budget significantly.

A small team of American military advisers will soon head to Ukraine to assess that embattled nation’s “mid- and long-term needs for defense reform,” a Pentagon official said Thursday.

Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said senior U.S. defense officials met with senior Ukrainian officials earlier this week to discuss “ways our countries could strengthen our long-term defense cooperation to help Ukraine build highly effective armed forces and defense institutions.”

Lainez said that assessment is being viewed as a first step toward helping to “shape and establish an enduring program for future U.S. efforts to support the Ukrainian military through training, education, and assistance.”

Since early March, President Obama has approved more than $23 million in additional defensive security assistance to help the former Soviet republic maintain its borders and sovereignty in the face of provocative moves by Russian military forces on Ukraine’s eastern border and violence fomented by pro-Russian militants inside Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Obama announced he had approved $5 million in body armor, night vision goggles and additional communications equipment for the Ukrainian military.

That is just the latest wave of support; in March, the White House put in motion the delivery of about 300,000 Meals Ready to Eat, and work continues on various other procurement efforts on items ranging from medical supplies to personal troop gear such as helmets, sleeping mats and water purification units, as well as explosive ordnance disposal equipment and handheld radios.

“We are committed fully to getting the assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Lainez said.

The U.S. aid is not flowing only to Ukraine’s military; American funds also are supporting the purchase of supplies for that nation’s State Border Guard Service, including 20-person shelters, sleeping bags, fuel filter adapters, barbed wire, patrol flashlights, perimeter alarm systems, fuel pumps, concertina wire, vehicle batteries, spare tires, binoculars, excavators, trucks, generators, food storage freezers, field stoves, and communications gear.

***

Specifically, the G-7 is calling upon Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize Poroshenko as the new leader of Ukraine, stop shipping arms across the Ukraine-Russia border and stop supporting pro-Russian separatists in his neighboring country.

“Russia needs to seize that opportunity,” Obama said after a private meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the end of the summit.

“The next month will be vital in judging if President Putin has taken these steps,” Cameron said before leaving for Paris to personally present the G-7 plan with Putin.

Referring to the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, as well as violence in southern and eastern Ukraine, Cameron said Russia’s actions “are completely unacceptable and totally at odds with the values of this group of democracies.”

Obama said that “if Russia’s provocations continue,” then “the G-7 nations are ready to impose additional costs on Russia” in the form of more sanctions.
Source.

Reply to the Russian Federation regarding Ongoing Violations of OSCE Principles and Commitments by the Russian Federation and the Situation in Ukraine

I’d like to make four brief points:

First, I appreciate the range of issues that our distinguished Russian colleague has raised, some of which are real issues, some of which are a continuation of fiction, and it’s always hard to sort out the real issues from the fiction in these statements.

I would say that the Russian Federation has basically zero credibility on a number of the issues that were raised. I was interested to hear, for example, the Russian Federation’s concern about other States being accessories to the murder of civilians. And I wonder if that is a statement of policy the Russian Federation applies to Russia’s own behavior with regard to Syria?

I was interested to hear about Russia’s concern about the upholding of international law and I wonder whether that applies to Russia’s own illegal so-called annexation of Crimea? I was interested to hear about Russia’s concern about elections and unlawful authorities, given the fact that Russia’s own elections have been so deeply flawed. So there may be some real issues buried in the garbage that was spread out today. The Russian government is not a credible actor to opine on them, unfortunately.

Second, with regard to the incident in Luhansk -- because that was raised in particular -- we’ve also noted the conflicting reports about the June 2nd deaths at the Luhansk municipal administration building. Unfortunately, some reports indicate an accident with a separatists-fired MANPAD or other weapons may have caused the deaths. The OSCE SMM team, based on acknowledged “limited observation,” which I understand was not line-of-sight, reported the explosion could have been caused by a rocket fired from an aircraft. I would note that if one saw an aircraft flying by, that would not be inconsistent with a MANPAD gone astray if one then saw an explosion.

The team’s level of expertise in making such a determination is unknown, and we note that the Ukrainian government is proposing a resolution to investigate this incident.

Third, I think we should be careful: the Russian Federation continues to use the term “punitive operation.” This is not a “punitive operation,” this is about responding to a threat which emanates from, and is supported by, the Russian Federation.

And fourth, as I said, among the range of concerns that were raised by our distinguished Russian colleague are some legitimate concerns. Concerns about violence, certainly -- we are all concerned about violence, we all want a reduction of violence. However, it is important for all of us to remember: this would not be happening without Russia. Russia is THE critical ingredient. A solution, a de-escalation, will not happen until Russia decides to also be THE critical ingredient in that solution. If Russia is genuinely concerned by what is happening in Ukraine, Russia can take a range of actions which would start us down the path of de-escalation.
Source.

On June 07 2014 20:41 Ghanburighan wrote:
Also interesting statement by Putin. Note that these statements aren't to be taken as straightforward truth, but rather as a signal in the diplomatic game.

On June 07 2014 23:06 sgtnoobkilla wrote:

Assuming Russian authorities follow through on this, it pretty much seals the fate of the separatists.

Although the Kremlin probably only did this because they don't want any more incidents like Marinovka happening again (fighting there spilled across into Russian territory temporarily).

On June 07 2014 20:41 Ghanburighan wrote:
Also interesting statement by Putin. Note that these statements aren't to be taken as straightforward truth, but rather as a signal in the diplomatic game.

https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/475237879107825664

On June 04 2014 20:07 Mc wrote:
@noob
Given the lacklustre response to the recent increase in Russian terrorists in E. Ukraine, it seems as if the West is sorta bored of this conflict and doesn't really care anymore. They are convinced Russia won't escalate the conflict significantly (i.e. won't invade), and are fine with the destabilization of E. Ukraine.

So, I'd bet on Western Europeans not increasing their defence budget significantly.

Journalists of the Zvezda Russian TV channel were detained in the east of Ukraine by the National Guards who handed them over to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the National Guards press-service reports on Saturday. The journalists are suspected of watching a checkpoint of the Ukrainian forces and gathering information about it.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_06_07/Zvezda-TV-channels-journalists-detained-in-Ukraine-handed-over-to-SBU-National-Guards-5778/

On June 08 2014 07:45 Hazzyboy wrote:
What about two Russian journalists missing in Ukraine?

Superpower needs to scout an inferior army?! Any rookie can beat 7 military aircraft with 200 etc - dream on lil warmonger generals who want to bite more than they can chew.
Poland is defending not from Russia btw History shows during WW II that Ukranian Nazis did some good job in Poland and other neighbors...

P.S. If there is a law that allows a country to break border and install democracy then there sure is a law that allows a country to break the border and protect it's citizens but Putin needs to protect Ukraine from freedom fighters soon.

On June 08 2014 07:56 BeaSteR wrote:
Ye nazi's did a "good" job in Poland, so did the Soviets: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyn_massacre.