Japan's sanctions over Ukraine counterproductive, says Russian envoy

What Washington say, Japan do

You can't get any less productive as it has always been since 1945. So don't see any issue.

Russia is counterproductive.

Simple solution. Don’t attack Ukraine.

Russia continues to occupy Japanese territory, it also occupies Ukrainian territory and threatens to invade Ukraine and yet it calls Japanese plans to apply sanctions "if Russia invades" unhelpful?

Russia is it's own biggest problem. Specifically Putin's ambitions.

Nobody seems to care about the civilians being massacred in Donbass etc.

All thanks to Russian inspired separatists. If they had not started a conflict there would have been zero deaths. I guess the Russians dont care and nor do the separatists. The Ukraine wants its territory and people back. Any "ethnic Russians" should emigrate to Russia.

Laughable, Russia has stonewalled negotiations on returning the islands they illegally occupy and now claim any future negotiations might be adversely affected! You couldn’t make such comedy up if you tried.

Russia illegally invaded and continues to occupy Ukrainian territory in the Crimea, funded and encouraged an armed uprising in eastern Ukraine and sent Russian troops, heavy weapons and missile batteries to save the rebels when the Ukrainian army was on the verge of crushing the rebellion. Now they are threatening to further invade the Ukraine and when Japan along with the rest of the civilised world pushes back they claim this is “counterproductive”. Comedy gold! Though they are right or is counterproductive to Putins imperial ambitions.

A striking feature of these predictions of a Russian invasion is that Ukrainian leaders in Kyiv express scepticism about any such thing happening soon, or even happening at all. The Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov told a local television interviewer on Monday that “today, at this very moment, not a single strike group of the Russian armed forces has been established, which attests to the fact that tomorrow they are not going to invade. That is why I ask you not to panic.” President Zelensky criticised the United States and Britain pulling families out of their embassies in Kyiv, saying that this “did not mean that escalation [with Russia] is inevitable”.

A detailed study just published by the Centre for Defence Strategies in Kyiv concludes that “at the moment, there are not enough Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders and no fully formed military groups needed to conduct a strategic offensive against Ukraine”. The centre estimates that it would take two or three weeks to assemble such a force, even if the Russians wanted to.

The Ukrainian government is understandably seeking to keep the rhetoric down but if you read a bit more widely in the Ukrainian media there are also as many expressions of concern.

What he is referring to is a full scale invasion of Ukraine which does not preclude a more limited attack aimed at joining the currently occupied areas of east Ukraine to occupied Crimea or even to Moldova thus cutting Ukraine off from the sea and seriously damaging their economy with a view to forcing them in to the Russian sphere of control.

Obviously, Putin miscalculated. Now he cannot pull out because that will make him look bad.

You keep dangling that carrot, Russia...

Putin's actions are due to the expansion of NATO, which the US promised it would not do. For Russians, having US nukes on its border with Ukraine is essentially the same as Russia placing nukes in Mexico, or in Cuba (Cuban Missile Crisis anyone?).

George F. Kennan, chief advocate of the "containment policy" during the Cold War had called the expansion of NATO into Central Europe “the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-Cold War era.”

For WHO?; Russia? Yes, I imagine it IS.

That's the whole point.

Putin's actions are due to the expansion of NATO, which the US promised it would not do

The US is one member of 30 in NATO and it does not rule it. A consensus must be reached and the US can and is often outvoted.

For Russians, having US nukes on its border with Ukraine is essentially the same as Russia placing nukes in Mexico, or in Cuba (Cuban Missile Crisis anyone?).

Who apart from Russians have suggested the US will station Nuke's in Ukraine? The locations for "storage" of US nuclear weapons outside of US territory is few and is always on a US run base.

But in a "worst case scenario for Russia, the US would build a base close to its border and put nukes there. Well that could already happen in Estonia or Latvia both of which have borders with Russia and who are NATO members. If the US wanted to they could be doing it now. They pivot to China and have no interest in Russia. So Putin see's an opportunity and makes accusations with no merit about US missiles on its borders if Ukraine enters NATO. Russia doing its bit to take pressure and focus off China as it's master XI orders Putin to do.

The new world order. China ordering Russia around and doing business under the table against sanctions. The only country big enough trade wise to be able to give Russia the lifeline it needs.

If it was about the four occupied islands being now finally given back , but that considered postponing under possible Ukraine sanctions, that would make sense and be some negotiating mass on the table, but completely empty-handed?

Regarding the subject of American nuclear weapons in Europe, the number has been reduced by 98% from 1971 levels, and those weapons are under joint control in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Turkey. None are in Eastern Europe. All 100 of the weapons are in the kiloton range.

If Putin continues his militarism, it may be decided by the NATO nations to increase the availability of nuclear weapons.

What else would Putin say? Does anyone expect him to tell the truth?