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Why Putin is dictating terms to Kerry on Ukraine
CNN ^ | April 11, 2014 | By Simon Tisdall

Posted on 04/11/2014 10:31:12 PM PDT by Jim Robinson

London (CNN) -- High-level talks to defuse the Ukraine crisis, due to be held by the U.S., Russia, the EU and the Kiev government next week, amount to a big personal test for John Kerry after a notably accident-prone first year as U.S. President Barack Obama's secretary of state.

Kerry's State Department failed to see the Ukraine crisis coming and may have inadvertently helped to provoke it. They pushed too hard as the EU moved to cement closer ties with the former Soviet republic. Then, when Ukraine's elected, pro-Russia president was forcibly overthrown, the U.S. barely concealed its satisfaction.

The conviction that Washington deliberately engineered the Kiev "coup" predictably enraged Russian President Vladimir Putin. He decided he would try a bit of direct intervention of his own. The result was last month's annexation of Crimea and the apparent, continuing Russian military threat to eastern Ukraine.

There is a bit of a pattern emerging here...

Out of touch...

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: kerry; obama; putin; russia; ukraine
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To: elhombrelibre

I was stating a fact brought about by this Administration’s policies.

But I don’t see you getting worked up about its slashing in military spending, in its neglect of our allies, in its buttering up to our adversaries and its “leading from behind.”

Don’t shoot the messenger if you don’t like to hear the message. Obama talks loudly and carries no stick and you damn well know it.

America is in danger of becoming the Rodney Dangerfield superpower, if isn’t already.


21 posted on 04/12/2014 4:45:36 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: elhombrelibre

I’m not a friend of Putin. I have a healthy fear of him. No one fears Obama.


22 posted on 04/12/2014 4:47:02 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop

Actually, I’m very aware of the impacts of Obama’s budget on the military. Even with that said, America’s decline is more in the minds of its enemies than in its research and development and its materiel strength.


23 posted on 04/12/2014 4:48:46 AM PDT by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: elhombrelibre

Perception too has a lot to do with it. We can’t do much on Ukraine.

Let’s make a stand where we really do need to flex muscles.


24 posted on 04/12/2014 4:52:12 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: Jim Robinson
Kerry: “All options are on the table” in response to Russian invasion of Crimea

I guess that doesn't mean what I think it means.

25 posted on 04/12/2014 4:56:01 AM PDT by McGruff (I wouldn't be surprised if Jeb Bush pulled a Charlie Crist)
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To: goldstategop

I believe the Ukrainians, if they’re willing, can do much. They do not have to submit to Russia.


26 posted on 04/12/2014 5:10:01 AM PDT by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: Jim Robinson; All

Putin has full and complete KGB dossiers on Obama, Kerry, Biden, Hagel, Jarrett, Holder and the rest in this radical administration.


27 posted on 04/12/2014 6:16:53 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: Jim Robinson

28 posted on 04/12/2014 6:26:05 AM PDT by JPG (Yes We Can morphs into Make It Hurt.)
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To: Jim Robinson

Russia doesn’t need an army to bring Ukraine to its knees, all it needs to do is double the price of the natural gas it sends to the Ukraine, which Vladimir Putin has in fact already done.

The European Union has vowed to help Ukraine pay for its newly high-priced gas, which will eventually bring Europe to its economic knees too.

The Obama administration could save Ukraine and Europe from this fate by allowing, in fact, encouraging, U.S. exports of natural gas to the troubled region. It could also approve the XL pipeline and other measures to increase U.S. oil production and exports, thereby hurting Russia’s oil-dependent economy. Europe could help itself by allowing fracking so that it can become energy-independent.

Why is none of this happening? Because Obama and Europe’s leaders have bowed to environmental interests. By doing so, they have also bowed to Vladimir Putin’s interests, the most important of which is to maintain a monopoly on gas and oil going to Ukraine and Europe.

Is Vladimir Putin any more guilty for taking advantage of its oil and gas monopoly, which America and Europe are allowing it to do, than Standard Oil once was for taking advantage of its similar monopoly, which the U.S. government once permitted?

Or are the guilty parties Obama and the leaders of Europe for enabling Vladimir Putin’s actions by their refusal to help Ukraine become more energy-independent of Russia?


29 posted on 04/12/2014 6:51:24 AM PDT by Bluestocking
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To: Jim Robinson
Why Putin is dictating terms to Kerry on Ukraine...

Because he could! :) Kerry is a coward, moron and a wuss. That would be MY guess!

30 posted on 04/12/2014 6:58:58 AM PDT by luvie (All my heroes wear camos! Thank you David, Michael, Chris Txradioguy, JJ, CMS, & ALL Vets, too!l)
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To: Bluestocking
The European Union has vowed to help Ukraine pay for its newly high-priced gas, which will eventually bring Europe to its economic knees too. The Obama administration could save Ukraine and Europe from this fate by allowing, in fact, encouraging, U.S. exports of natural gas to the troubled region. It could also approve the XL pipeline and other measures to increase U.S. oil production and exports, thereby hurting Russia’s oil-dependent economy. Europe could help itself by allowing fracking so that it can become energy-independent.

Gazprom charges much lower prices than Europe can get anywhere else. Europe isn't addicted to Russian gas - it's addicted to cheap Russian gas. Even a doubling makes Russian gas cheaper than that available from anywhere else. Europe refuses to use coal, which it has ample stores of, and is cheaper than natural gas, because of the greenies. Ukraine has plenty of coal, but the country has a Soviet-style economy that prevents foreigners from benefiting from helping to extract it.

31 posted on 04/12/2014 7:19:34 AM PDT by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: Jim Robinson

- WAKEUP CALL on IQ :

Bill Clinton - sold out for Hillary Rotten because he loves to wake up to her lovely face in the morning

John Kerry - sold out for $3.2B to beautiful Teresa Heinz after dumping his first wife after he went through her dinky $700M

Barack Hussein Obama Junior - married luscious Moochelle Robinson - make up your own jokes


32 posted on 04/12/2014 7:20:58 AM PDT by devolve (- Tell VLADIMER after my ERECTION I have more 90% more FLEXIBILITY - I need more SPACE - Obama Jr -)
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To: elhombrelibre

The reset button, intended to renew the strained relationship of US and Russia after the invasion of Georgia should have been the first clue. What a collegiate juvenile act


33 posted on 04/12/2014 7:22:05 AM PDT by griswold3 ("Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8".)
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To: ansel12
I really wish we had some grownups in office now

We'd still be a great nation if Dan Quayle hadn't used an alternate spelling of potatoE.

It's all been rigged to force the US into the globalist web, possibly since the founding of the Republican Party.

34 posted on 04/12/2014 7:34:37 AM PDT by grania
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To: griswold3

Yes, and Putin’s Russia has been a pain for the US often in ways that don’t get reported and some of which are classified.


35 posted on 04/12/2014 7:37:55 AM PDT by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: grania

Since 1854?


36 posted on 04/12/2014 8:23:31 AM PDT by ReformationFan
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To: JPG

Wow. Had not seen the graphic comparison before today. Shave Kerry’s head and you have...a big head.


37 posted on 04/12/2014 8:35:54 AM PDT by Resettozero
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To: elhombrelibre

“Even with that said, America’s decline is more in the minds of its enemies than in its research and development and its materiel strength.”

And that perception is Obama will NOT use that strength and they are correct. Obama is waiting to use these resources against certain factions of American people - foreign powers.


38 posted on 04/12/2014 9:10:54 AM PDT by raybbr (Obamacare needs a death panel.)
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To: Jim Robinson

39 posted on 04/12/2014 9:13:32 AM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: ReformationFan
Lincoln became President soon after the Republican Party was formed. Wasn't he their second nominee? He was totally opposed to any kind of autonomy or states rights for the south. An interesting thing that came up in some research someone did yesterday is that he's the one who signed the purchase of Nevada's territory, and the fine print is what gave the feds permission to change the conditions of ownership; to replace state authority with federal authority.

So, yeah, I'm beginning to wonder just what the original Republican Party stood for.

40 posted on 04/12/2014 9:44:41 AM PDT by grania
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