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© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015.U.S., allies discuss new sanctions; Obama weighs next steps on Ukraine
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volland
I never thought it possible that one day I would be grateful for Merkel... at least she actually has the balls to stand up to these revolting war mongers...
Mr Obama, amongst a few other places where your military is interfering in other people's lives...you have wars going on in Afghanistan in Iraq, in Syria and in Jemen.
Why don't you simply try to won one of those? When was the last time the US did actually win an war? Aaah, yes, I remember it must have been 1945, right?
jerseyboy
volland -- huh? Actually Merkel has been nothing put a whimp in all these negotiations -- basically appeasing Putin at every stage. Obama has had to drag her kicking and screaming even to get the sanctions to the level they are. Maybe if she had had more "balls" to begin with, Obama might not have to be considering arming the Ukrainians. All Merkel has done is try to straddle the fence -- not piss off Putin too much given the high degree of economic interest Germany has in Rusiia while loosely living up to her obligations as part of NATO. And the results of her strategy have been compltetely predictable -- Russia just keeps pushing further and further into Eastern Ukraine.
paulinusa
And what to make of Peace Loving Putin's statements? Just the truth and only the truth?
nath
Americans, Canadians and Brits are accusing but it appears to be all lies since they had never produced a shred of evidence to support their claims. Russians Are probably telling truth but they cant prove it either. It is like the religions that claim god and atheist that denied god, after thousand of years of counter claims neither could prove anything. Important thing to note is that part of EU wants settlement because they need it while others want confrontation because it suits them. If Kiev and the US-Can-UK wanted peaceful Ukraine they would not started the cup and than subsequent war in the first place, talking to the easterners right at the beginning would preempt the need for the fratricide. Since that was not the plan why would they now change this plan and allow the peace to be made. That is why the right sector, Azov brigade and other right wing groups are encouraged to continue fighting and Kiev saying that is not us. Lately they are openly admitting that they are getting ready for an all out war with Russia. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-preparing-for-full-scale-war-says-former-envoy-to-canada-1.2964887
SuperLib
and
and
and
Well, it certainly looks like you all got the memo heh.
Azov is a 500-man group of neo-Nazis who have risen to world fame courtesy of the Russian media. They are usually talked about with Right Sektor, another radical group that got less than 1% of the vote in the last election. These two groups, a language law that was never passed, plus a claim of genocide, is the basis for most Russian propaganda.
The Russian media must have really been pumping the Azov angle this week if 4 different people suddenly start talking about it. It's probably better than talking about Putin signing a ceasefire and the rebels ignoring it. Did the propaganda go something like this? "Fighting continues in Debaltseve today. Earlier, a member of the Azov Battalion vowed to never stop fighting. Let's explore this group in detail (insert video footage)."
Laguna
Putin can't afford to build a bridge to Crimea. Instead, he's spending the lives of dupes to steal a land line. Much cheaper for him that way.
onomatopoeia
Here's an AP story for some of our above posting Putinophiles who consistently deny objective reality.
http://news.yahoo.com/russian-conscripts-tell-fears-being-sent-ukraine-122703194.html
Asakaze
SuperLib@ Definitely you did your homework in defending Azov. But there are some points you missed.
First, Azov is not a product of Russian media PR campaign. Kiev regime media, as well as Azov itself, are very active in PR, promoting their ideas and recruiting. Check youtube.
Second. Your exercise with percentage in vote is a moot point. "Right sector" is only one of a bunch of neo-nazi and faschist parties, movements and organizations that florish in present day "democratic" Ukraine. There is "Svoboda" party of lunatic antisemite Tyagnibok, there is "Trizub" ("Trident"), and others. Azov is just a tip of iceberg. In the front there is also the brigade-sized DUK ("Volunteer Ukrainian Corps"), basically a mix of heavily armed (including AFVs and artillery) nazi battalions. If you like to talk about percentage, let`s look not at vote, but the proportion at the frontline units. And you would see that nazi volunteer battalions form at least 10-15 % of the whole Kiev regime army. Poroshenko reminds Hitler in WWII - the less reliable regular army became, the more he relied on Waffen-SS.
And the last. I`ve asked you once, you preferred not to answer. I ask again: can you imagine US Army forming battalions from white supremacists to fight in "in the name of freedom"? Can you imagine units of nazi volunteers, with full nazi regalia and swastikas on uniforms, in the British, French, German Army?
Next time do your homework better. Russia is not a signatory of the Minsk agreement.
Laguna@ In fact, he can. But it does not matter, because people in Novorossia fight not for the bridge, but for their freedom, their right to live. If your house and your family is shelled, you`d understand it quickly.
nath
Barack Obama = the weakest President in modern US history. He's Neville Chamberlain politically. America's Frankenstein. When will US and European leaders learn that appeasement is not an effective approach for dealing with Cold War types like Putin. The guy is walking all over Ukraine and humiliating Europe and the US. There answer in a few months will be to negotiate another truce giving Russia more Ukrainian territory.
nath
We need SWIFT sanctions and that swiftly. The ceasefire said nothing about not sanctioning the bear to death (guess that was one of Putin's "victories"), so it should be done just on principle. As for arming Kiev, there can be some of that under the guise of providing humanitarian assistance. You can't take on someone as dirty as Putin without getting a little bit dirty yourself.
Laguna
Asakaze - no, I do not think that he can. Russian national debt has been downgraded to junk status, the government is expected to run an unprecedented deficit this year and for the foreseeable future despite plans to slash pensions and other spending, foreign contractors (particularly from China) have begged out as their demands to be paid upfront were not met, and the company that Putin did choose for the project, Stroygazmontazh Corporation - 100% owned by Arkady Rotenberg, one of Putin's closest cronies - has never built a bridge.
Also, it is rich to see Putin cheerleaders criticizing Ukraine for "Nazism" - while there is some truth there, it is very much kettle-calling-pot-black. Google how many Russian Jews stuck around after the collapse of the Soviet Union allowed them to escape.
Madverts
american_bengoshi,
You tell em Bro. I can't wait to get another Republican tough guy in the Whitehouse !
Remedial answers to complex problems are always the trick. Let's just rush in with a bigger stick before thinking it through, it always works so well! If it goes tits up we can always demand the Chinese clean up or our mess or something.
gcbel
Like the Kremlin denied the little green men or "polite people" in Crimea were theirs. Putin "the heavily armed, tightly co–ordinated groups who took over Crimea's airports and ports at the start of the incursion – they were merely spontaneous "self-defence groups" who may have acquired their Russian-looking uniforms from local [military] shops". And in March admitting they were. Putin, the Kremlin, Russia.. clearly... lied. And they're lying now.
Tighten the sanctions now.
BaltanSeijin84
There were around 15000 hardcore skinhead bikers at the anti-Maidan rally in Moscow today chanting death to the EU, America, gays, Jews, any Russian who isn't Slavic, and any Slav who isn't Russian.
Putin had his skinhead thugs bussed in and outfitted with regalia and flags. And any anti-Putin activists who aren't in jail right now are probably dead from polonium poisoning.
sdf_crew_member
As to Azov, Aidar and others... it seems it's first time since WW II world can watch the state supported nazi armed forces.
Though openly nazi parties got only 1% (not mentioned hidden ones) on the latest election it changes nothing - Ukraine as a state has armed nazi.
Madverts
Baltan,
Perhaps they are Black Ops CIA stooges fresh from Syria m slipping over the border each night to forment dissent. The conflicts change the paranoia simply carries over.
ClippetyClop
Plenty of Putinbots filling in the comment boxes of related articles all over the web it seems these days. I can't see this ending well for Putin or Russia. The internal turmoil his actions will create could put Russia back a hundred years. Social chaos rarely ends peacefully there, and he will soon run out of friends.
Serrano
"Obama weighs next steps on Ukraine"
I want to know when the Chinese are going to take their first step on Ukraine.
Olegek
It's two different things - how effective national economy function and relationships with USA. One call from White House eh voila ! Junk status - sorry it has nothing common with Russian national economy.
Totally independent experts.
As far as I understand you are suprised - by quantity of Russian people supporting Putin and his policy.
But it's quite normal.
Some of such Russian people have beaten Ukrainian nationalisitic army in Debaltsevo -
by the way immediately after this event Russian national debts received a junk status.
From "independent " USA experts
BaltanSeijin84
Chto metastability vas dumat', ya sdelal eto vydumal? Rossiya imeyet bol'she skinkhedov , chem v lyuboy drugoy strane v mire
Rossiya imeyet boleye pravyy flangovyy skinkhedov nasiliya, chem gde-libo yeshche v mire.
V kazaki v Donetske i Krymu finansiruyutsya gosudarstvom, mafiya
ClippetyClop
@Olegek, yes I am surprised. I'm surprised when people like you, who are intelligent enough to speak a foreign language so well can be fooled by a liar like Putin, who is leading your country to ruin and putting millions of people in danger. The man is a reckless thug, your support of him does your country no favours. The era of the Soviet empire is over.
Wc626
@american_bengoshi. Ur prob halfway right about obama. But IMO J.Carter had to have been the biggest clown there is period. Your other comment is the golden truth- appeasing soviet-cold war, political cats like Putin will be ineffective.
Burning bush has commented before that Moscow has endured a collapse of their currency, sanctions after sanction & even (as we all know) the fall the USSR itself. Discussing new sanctions resolves nothing that russia hasn't seen already.
Asakaze
Laguna, we had this discussion before. You have your arguments, I have mine, and we can argue for a very long time. Lets wait a couple of years, we`ll see who is right.
Unbelievable. Open nazis in parlament, officially approved, carefully equipped and trained battalions of diehard nazis as integral part of present Ukraine armed forces - and you`re reluctantly admit "some truth"? Last week a dozen of nazi volunteer battalions refused to take orders from the regular army commanders and declared creation of their own independent chain of command. A small army of uncontrollable killers - and you are still talking "some truth"? Wake up!
ClippetyClop If youre worried about people in danger, I`ll give you more serious reasons to worry. As a result of US-NATO agressions, many thousands of people were killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lybia, and now US cozying with Ukrainian nazis, who have already killied several thousand innocent people in Donetsk / Lugansk. Putin is a peace-loving kid in comparison with guys in Washington.
GalapagosnoGairaishu
Wonder where Czar Vladimir the Terrible will stop. At the Austrian border?
zaldaus
So many indignant brainwashed westerners filling in the comment boxes these days. Defending the righteous and holy Ukrainian "democracy". You know, the one that genocides its own people by artillery shelling and bravely bombing residential areas from above, far out of reach of AA guns. The one that burns synagogues. The one that tortures and murders its own citizens for dissent. Or for being Jewish or Russian. So serendipitous! The one true democracy that glorifies and strives to emulate Adolf Hitler, Nazism and the SS in all their democratic glory. I swear, it's like they walked right out of a democratic wet dream. I've a message for all you indignant folk. How about you put your money and other valuables where your mouth is and go fight for "freedom" and "democracy" in blessed Ukraine. There are already many of your American and European brethren there, from private military thugs to Nazi sympathisers to the French foreign legion and the like. A few more of your kind might just turn the tide, eh? You know, instead of consuming cola drinks and chips in your cushy armchairs. And after you've restored universal graveyard peace and prosperity of the few, you could come and tell us first hand accounts of the situation with Nazism in Ukraine. How there are only 500 of them, and they are not really Nazi and not even there.. But instead are KGB double (or was it triple?) agents working for Darth Putin and his Evil Empire. That is, if you make it out. But there's no risk too high for the sake of democracy now, is there? So run along now.
volland
@jerseyboyFeb. 22, 2015 - 08:35AM JST
You are very welcome to think, and act, and live like that, in Jersey, but this is europe’s problem and this one and only solution the US and its presidents have, „war“, is no longer really appreciated there. In case you had not noticed, it was Merkel and Hollande who make the decisions, and finally stand up to the US and their ridculous politics. People in Europe have understood long ago, that in the US all politics is internal politics, decisions are made to impress the natives, as there is always an election coming up. And, it may have taken a few decdes too long, but the Europeans have had it with that. Just because they are polite and so instead of telling the americans to go to hell, they simply act….
FizzBit
Right On! Zaldaus
"NATO expansion eastward" just doesn't compute with these tool boxes.
The crime in Odessa was the last straw for me. These NAZI gangs have had no major reporting of their actions in the East for the past year. If some of the stories I read turn out to be true, which I hope they're not, these NAZI/Poroshenko/ (useless) NATO/ US cheerleaders are going to have to reconcile their souls for the evil they've supported.
nath
Cut the gas supplies to Ukraine and EU, since they aren't paying for it anyway. They all call Russians terrorists and you Russian idiots call them partners. Partners? Cut that Gas and save Russia's freedom.
SuperLib
Lets see. Neo-Naxi groups.....check. Claim of genocide? Check. The two pillars of Russian propaganda are present. Neo Nazis control The Ukraine and are committing genocide against ethnicic Russians.
Asakaze
And? What is your point? I can do the same - "Russia is undemocratic!" Check. "Russia supports rebels!". Check. Two pillars of Russophobic propaganda present!! .
Olegek
Thank you a lot for your observation, but how do you know what is good and what is bad for Russia ? How anybody from western politicians can be judge in such things ?
It's a little bit suspicious when somebody from outside take care about you.
The Russian (not only Putin) position is quite simple - please respect our culture, our traditions, our history, our interests and we can be a good friends.
Russia is not some little third world country.
Russia pretend to be one of the most important part of architecture of global security.
No more no less. Mr Lavrov (Russian Foreign Minister) in Munich at security conference said that now we have two options : security for everybody or security for nobody.
Western leaders only laughed during his speech.
nath
Russia has no idea what democracy is and judging by the Putin-bots here never will. Some things are unequivocally positive and democracy is one of them.
gcbel
My guess is his point is about the boring repetitiousness of pro-Putin propaganda.
Tell us again how the evil US-NATO conspiracists overthrew Yanukovich, or how the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev banned the Russian language and kicked off a genocide in eastern Ukraine. Tell us again about the plucky farmers from Donbass who graduated from pitchfork to grad with only Russian "tourists" to support...
Olegek
Sorry - we can't discuss reality - it was so - putsch. May be putsch is good may be bad. But 22 February 2014 EU&USA organised putsch in Kiev.
Well armed neo-nazi attacked government buildings.
Moroccoianinjapan
olegek you mean 23 at 11:53
Olegek
"On 22 February, Parliament named its speaker Oleksandr Turchynov as interim president on 23 February"
But of course this event should be investigate more and more - and I'm not historian
gcbel
So Russian wasn't actually banned, there was no on-going genocide and the Putin did send in the "tourists"... got it.
Moroccoianinjapan
I was there in blog RT inbox told putin about the imperial project armor
snowden gave the design
I commented there as mike anderson with england flag
but I told him to do that before the coup he didn't listened
i was there when the coup was planned by a black man
the plan was screwed
but good that still there is 2- 3 card left in my hand
good luck with ukraine olegek you will take it , but watxh out from the coming wave
bye
Asakaze
gcbel@ If you don't believe "pro-Putin propaganda", then you should ask mr.Obama, who in a recent TV interview admitted that US played a role in the coup in Kiev, or ask V.Nuland, deputy secretary of state, who said about 5 bil USD, pumped into Kiev before the coup. And do you want to say that there is no confirmed nazis in "democratic Ukraine" parlament and dozens of well-armed battalions of neo nazis on the battlefield? Everyday murders of civilians in Donetsk by regime forces are confirmed by OSCE and media. Want to deny all that? And want repeat your dull stories "no killing, no nazism in Ukraine", "evil Putin"? Got it. How dull is all that Russophobic propaganda!!
gcbel
@Asakaze... LOL Nice try. But it's all the same lies and propaganda as before. Nothing new. Same paranoiac anti-Western fables served to you by the Russian propaganda machine and lapped up unthinkingly. The new government banned the Russian language, neo-Nazis toppled Yanukovich, Kiev was carrying out a genocide, the "polite men" in Ukraine were locals with store-bought uniform and guns... The list goes on.
Sorry, but the 5 Bill $ was money that the US has spent since 1991aiding Ukraine since to build democratic institutions. I'm guess I'm not surprised that would be difficult for you to fathom. There is evidence, however, that Russia interfered with the Ukrainian revolution, that The Kremlin pushed for the violent crackdown on the protesters that ultimately backfired on both the Yanukovich regime and Russia's plans. Bravo!
I could address each one of your tired old RT propaganda points, but why should I bother? It's become painfully obvious now.
So, tell us again how there are no Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine. Tell us that the so-called separatists aren't receiving any Military support from Russia. Go ahead....
FizzBit
Are you really that naïve?
Here's a former CIA agent's 1975 book to get you started
http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Company-Diary-Philip-Agee/dp/0883730286
.
gcbel
Are you really that gullible? Think for just a second. 5 billion dollars, with a big B, dollars just to overthrow the government in Kiev? Sorry, dude use some common sense. Not even to bounce Chavez.
But if you have proof how and where that 5 billion dollars was spent to specifically foment the popular movement that ousted Putin's pet... Feel free. Otherwise your smoking gun is anything but.
Asakaze
gcbel @ Basically, I can reply with these your words, only replacing "anti-Western" with "anti-Russian". I saw your arguments many times, Western media repeat them constantly (Yawn). Only Russophobic hysteria, lack of logic and puzzling unwillingness to admit obvious. For the last time: if you deny what Obama said about US involvement in the Feb.2014 coup, if you deny existence of open Nazis in Ukrainian parlament, if you deny existence of officially approved, fully equipped and trained battalions of Nazi volunteers, if you deny the massacre of May 2, 2014 in Odessa, if you deny the everyday massive bombardments of cities and villages, then I see no point in discussing with you, it's sensless. Enjoy your picture of the world.
About language. Nobody said that the Russian language was "banned". The deposed Ukrainian president Yanukovich planned to make the Russian the second official state language in Ukraine, but the nazi coup derailed this plan. Now if a MP try to speak in Russian in parlament there are scandals and threats of legal action. Pretty democratic, huh?
About 5 bn. Yes, it's a big chunk of money. Some of it was spent before the coup, don't forget, the Maidan began in November 2013, and the coup happened in February. For three months thousands of "activists" lived there, and they should be paid for their services and fed. At the same time, in a dozen of camps, many thousands of nazi thugs were trained for real combat, that also required money. But the biggest item of expenses were the "democratic leaders" of the coup, guys with very sticky fingers. Do you think it is cheap to by a minister? lol
gcbel
@asakaze -
Russophobic - you poor victims.
oh please. You guys have never been interested in discussing. You're putting out propaganda (the same tired old stuff over and over) and I'm calling it garbage. Any rational discussion to be had is with the non-RT afflicted. Whether we should tighten sanctions on Russia (we should), whether we should provide lethal aid to The legitimate government in Kiev should they request it (yes), whether we should reiterate our commitment to the collective defence of our NATO allies in the face aggressive Russian revanchism (of course).
Actually, yes, some of you actually did say Russian was banned. You must think we don't notice but we do. Some of your like-minded also claimed a genocide was going on. Just that little bit of exaggeration your colleagues think won't be noticed. "No, we didn't say banned".
"Nazi coup"... again, utterly inane exaggeration. Some rightists in the crowd doesn't make for nazi coup.
5 Billion dollars... Surely , you must know how utterly ridiculous your story sounds.
Moroccoianinjapan
gcbel eh 5 billion i didn't know that he pai3 that amount of money , how did you know that ?
Asakaze
gcbel@
You repeat it several times. What do you mean? I live in Tokyo and I tell only my personal opinion.
Here again. I can say exactly the same, you guys always repeat the same garbage - "Putin agressor, Russian threat, blah-blah". Look at your track record first.
Who said that? When? Or you just made it up?
Go ahead. It seems Russians don't care. My advice for the next step of sanctions: stop bying Russian engines for the NASA program! That will definitely hurt Moscow!
Oh, I see - "In God we trust, all others we monitor". Then Snowden was telling the truth about you?! I knew it!!!
Tell it to Nuland, who blabbed about it.
gcbel
I don't think you ever listened to the Nuland quote or ever read the transcript.
The Nuland quote:
So, obviously, you can't infer your claim from what Nuland said do the onus is now on you to prove your claim.
Putin
nath
We need SWIFT sanctions and that swiftly. That will put Putin in the proper mindset for peace.
Asakaze
gcbel
You're really funny! Can't you translate from diplomatic mumbo-yumbo in plain English?? Of course she can"t say "US invested in puppet regimes and we have now all necessary means to overthrow any Ukrainian government that we consider not so obedient to us". And where you see now democracy in Ukraine??
But it's nice to see that you have no objections to the rest of my message!
gcbel
asakaze - That's what I thought.All you have is an asinine spin on Nolan's quote? Well, comrade, I'm afraid you'll have to do much better than that. Doesn't even pass the giggle test.
Ah. you think you voiced other objections? If you did they must have been equally silly!