Abe, Merkel say G7 won't waver on further Russian sanctions

annexing

You know, its still "annexation" regardless of whether the locals approve or not.

an·nex (ə-nĕks′, ăn′ĕks′) tr.v. an·nexed, an·nex·ing, an·nex·es

To append or attach, especially to a larger or more significant thing. To incorporate (territory) into an existing political unit such as a country, state, county, or city. To add or attach, as an attribute, condition, or consequence.

Let's get something straight. The Russian separatists represent a popular uprising and are under no one's control. Whatever Moscow is doing or not doing in Ukraine, these uprising have their roots in grievances that Kiev has either not addressed or created. Were the Russian population content no amount of outside agitation would get them to revolt.

Once it is admitted that these are popular revolts Ukraine and its Russian population have some hope in working out an amicable solution.

The sanctions are nonsense. They are dangerous distractors.

Triumvere May. 01, 2014 - 04:59PM JST

Ukraine will be split nearly in half. Sanctions may indeed prove counterproductive,

Kosovo nightmare has revisited to Ukraine. When the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo wanted to split from Serbia, NATO shamelessly supported with merciless air strikes to the host nation of Serbia. If the ethnic Albanians wanted to join with Albania, they should go back to where their ancestors come from. However west had no concern about Serbia national unity and dignity. They divided unfairly and unjustly Kosovo from Serbia. There are some similarities between Serbia and Ukraine about Super power domination of their domestic politics.

Russia should refrain from intervention to neighbors politics. US should refrain from manufacturing Arab spring or Arab nightmare in anywhere else in the world. Both nations are parasite for war peace and stability.

Japan leads the World in high technology. Japan builds the best high tech machines. Japan produced some of the best music, art, anime and films the World has ever seen. Japan is a great country and does not need to be involved in the USA's stupid oil wars.

Mind explaining where the vast oil reserves in Ukraine are located? I don't even really support US actions in regards to the Ukrainian situation, but people who claim that all of US foreign policy centers around oil are truly misguided. As for Britain, it was your own democratically elected political leaders that got your country involved in US-led wars. Take responsibility for your own country's decisions instead of trying to pin the blame on the US.

There is one way to stop this conflict is the referendum provided that both side must respect the people wish. Russians & Ukrainians live side by side for many years until 1991 became an independent state from Russia. Hope they can all live together again.

Kosovo there was the issue of genocide, that is the difference....The most the Ukranian "fascists" in Kiev tried to do was to make Ukranian the official language in Russian speaking areas...the predicted "death squads" never materialized

Actually, there were rallies of ultra nationalists in Kiev and some towns of western regions of Ukraine. They shouted aggressive slogans towards to ethnic Russians and swore to clean the Ukraine of Russian population. Those rallies had been filmed by themselves and posted on You Tube. Ethnic Russians in Crimea and South-Western parts of the country had no desire to sit and wait for their destiny. That is why well-know countermeasures had been taken. Now we have Crimea in Russia and self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lughansk people republics in Eastern parts of Ukraine. Do you honestly think that people should calmly sit and wait for upcoming genocide?

Do you honestly think that people should calmly sit and wait for upcoming genocide?

Certainly not.

But there is a huge difference between an ultra-nationalist group making these sorts of threats and actually having the capacity to carry them out. The idea that because the extreme right wing has some purchase in the new government in Kiev the genocide is a looming possibility is rather unrealistic. None of this is to say that the Russian speaking Ukrainians don't have legitimate concerns - the previous pro-Russian president was ousted, and right wing groups took this as an opportunity to attempt to punish his perceived supporter with the afore mentioned language legislation. In the face of this, its no surprise that Eastern Ukraine is demanding cultural/linguistic protections and more autonomy. However, what ever it ma have been previously, its very hard to see that there is now any chance of the sort of ethnic cleansing that happened in Kosovo could happen here. Thus, the necessity to split the country for the sake of an ethnic minority's safety is not present. The appropriate solution would be to work out a deal - say a new federal constitution - insuring the protections and autonomy that the Eastern Ukraine would need to fee safe. (After all, Russia isn't going anywhere...) Dividing up the country shouldn't be the first resort, and Kiev is ready to make a deal. Yet Russian pressure seems to be pushing this toward a civil war...

Certainly, trium.

it's still propaganda. Germany moving into Austria in 1938, now that was an annexation. Notice the connotation?

I don't hear anyone talking about Guam or Hawaii as annexed?

@Graeme Young

I suppose Britain didn't appreciate America's help in WWII. Were you guys America's stooge then, too?

If Russia goes ahead annexing Crimea then there greedy plan will be met with Europe sharply turning away from buying Russian Oil in the future. But it seems Putin is stupid enough to believe Europe has no choice and will continue to buy from them no matter what...

Why sanction Russia?

We know the majority of Crimeans want to be Russian.

Failure to control pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine? Huh?

Maybe we can also hold them responsible for failing to control gangstas in L.A.!

Providing them arms would be something we could fairly hold them responsible for. But its not like the western powers never did anything like that, is it?

bannedacctsam May. 03, 2014 - 02:20AM JST I say, impose sanctions on Russian energy & banking and create a FRAMEWORK TO EFFICIENTLY INCREASE ENERGY IMPORTS FROM THE NORTH AMERICANS and INVEST IN GREEN ENERGY.

They also have the ability to retaliate by seizing Western assets in Russia. There are many Western companies doing business in Russia with significant equipment, factories, bank accounts and so on. Whether it would be prudent for Russia respond in those ways is an important question, but the mere fact Russia has a range of retaliatory options is an important consideration. There is the question of intertwined assets. Russians have invested in many Russian companies with interests in Western companies. In some instances, they are involved in joint ventures with Western companies.

Let’s assume there is a joint venture between Russian and Western company. How exactly does the West proceed with sanctions in such a situation? Does it seize all or just some of the assets of the joint venture? What liability does it inflict on other shareholders, Western and Russian, who are not on the sanctions list? One might be able to track down assets in a relatively small country with limited assets. But Russia is the eight-largest economy in the world, and its wealth is intertwined with the sanctions, greatly complicating the challenge of effective sanctions.

Illyas, - the US and Canadian intent is ramp up hostilities to stop Russia from supplying oil and gas to Europe. This will create a European market for the new shale gas and oil discovered in the USA, and for Canada's Tar Sands oil. At present Europeans are opposed to this because the North American Oil is the dirtiest most environmentally polluting oil in the world! Many people in the US and Canada are also opposed to such further development by the fossil fuel industry. Creating an energy crisis in Europe will expedite the declaration of the need for emergency building of oil pipelines to get the product to markets, not just in Europe but in China too. This will be the excuse for running roughshod over the legitimate protests of environmentalists in Canada and Europe, and aboriginal First Nations whose lands the pipelines must cross in North America. This scheme is already so far along that neither politicians nor the media in the West are paying any attention to the voices of the vast majority of Ukrainians who are desperately pleading that there be no war! Ukrainians have become mere pawns in a corporate oil and gas marketing strategy.

Vanostran...

World War II was nearly eighty years ago. This is now.

The rest of the World does not owe the United States of America a living.

Let's get something straight.

A sensible post, Kabukilover. I would further note that the same goes for the EU/US side of things. Roughly half of Ukraine supports Kiev, while the other half supports Moscow. And while these groups are concentrated in the West and East, respectively, the distribution isn't uniform. There are residents of Eastern Ukraine who would, despite their differences with Kiev, prefer to remain Ukrainian.

The only part I can't agree with is the last portion. I'm generally unconvinced with the efficacy of sanctions. However, if not sanctions, then how do you propose the west deals with Russia? Russia's interference in Ukraine has been much more "hands on" than the western powers' interference, from the "little green men" to the relentless propaganda. The annexation was unprecedented in modern times, and cannot feasibly be ignored (no matter how cheap Russian natural gas is). Crimea was one thing, but if things continue the way they are going, the Ukraine will be split nearly in half. Sanctions may indeed prove counterproductive, but I think its a little naive to suggest that they are precipitating the crisis or that they are the major obstacle to its resolution,

Kosovo nightmare has revisited to Ukraine

Kosovo there was the issue of genocide; that is the difference. That issue is not present in Ukraine, despite what RT may want to have you believe. The most the Ukrainian "fascists" in Kiev tried to do was to make Ukrainian the official language in Russian speaking areas... that was a rather fatal error, no doubt. But beyond that the predicted "death squads" never materialized, and the only people who seem to be getting beaten up or shot are pro-Kiev Ukrainians residing in Eastern Ukraine. (Not to mention the kidnappings). So tell me, which side is behaving badly here?

PUTIN is using RUSSIAN ENERGY as a means of discouraging EU leaders on imposing tougher sanctions.

The North Americans, especially Canada, is building up their energy capacity.

I say, impose sanctions on Russian energy & banking and create a FRAMEWORK TO EFFICIENTLY INCREASE ENERGY IMPORTS FROM THE NORTH AMERICANS and INVEST IN GREEN ENERGY.

The Russian Economy will fall and the RUBLE WILL BE TOILET PAPER.

The G8 concept is laughable. It was just to appease a nuclear-armed, but poor Russia which just lost the Cold War. It's obvious Putin wants to take Russia back to Soviet days. So Russia should be left out of the G8 and it can go back to the G7.

Both are struggling to strike a balance between admonishing Moscow for annexing Ukraine's Crimean peninsular and failing to control pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine

Boy, CNN, Fox, and all the rest must be pulling some overtime to have so many believing this BS.

annexing???? Gee, I thought they voted for it.

(facepalm)

Abe is such a bonus for Japan- he is proving through his diplomacy that Japan is a serious, tech-competent, peace oriented nation. He woks so damned hard,. I haven' t seen a PM or President run so many diplomatic missions internationally as Abe has i n this last year.

If I were Japanese, I wouldn't listen to a word the USA says.

But Britain had listened a lot before your politicians decided to stop sending troops overseas in American interests.

IIIyas

Shale gas - Ukraine is # 3 in Europe after Poland and Norway.

Black Sea oil

Oil was the Middle East thingy. Eastern Europe is more about gas and farmland, plus the usual US game of threatening Russia. The cold never ended, Russia was just too weak to do anything. Not anymore.

If I were Japanese, I wouldn't listen to a word the USA says. Britain was the USA's stooge in foreign wars for years and have only stopped now because our Government have cut the military to the point there is no power left to project into foreign wars.

Now that Britain can't be in that role any more, the USA are trying to rile Japan up to militarize with them instead.

The UK was greatly damaged in terms of our international reputation by following America into crazy oil adventures that had no need to happen. Now, we are a country that nobody trusts.

Japan leads the World in high technology. Japan builds the best high tech machines. Japan produced some of the best music, art, anime and films the World has ever seen. Japan is a great country and does not need to be involved in the USA's stupid oil wars.