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The West Leaves Ukraine to Putin
wsj.com ^ | April 14, 2014 | MATTHEW KAMINSKI 

Posted on 04/19/2014 2:22:06 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe

When Russia invaded Crimea and massed 40,000 or more troops in the east, Ukraine turned to an old friend, the United States, and asked for light arms, antitank weapons, intelligence help and nonlethal aid. The Obama administration agreed to deliver 300,000 meals-ready-to-eat. As this newspaper reported Friday, military transport planes were deemed too provocative for Russia, so the food was shipped by commercial trucks. The administration refused Kiev's requests for intelligence-sharing and other supplies, lethal or not.

Boris Tarasiuk, Ukraine's former foreign minister, barely disguises his anger. He says: "We've not seen the same reaction from the U.S." as during Russia's 2008 attack on Georgia. U.S. Navy warships were deployed off the Georgian Black Sea coast. Large Air Force transport planes flew into Tbilisi with emergency humanitarian supplies. But who really knew for sure what was on board the planes? That was the point. Russian troops on the road to the Georgian capital saw them above and soon after turned back. The Bush administration dropped the ball on follow-up sanctions but may have saved Georgia.

By contrast, the Obama administration seems to think that pre-emptive concessions will pacify Mr. Putin. So the president in March ruled out U.S. military intervention in Ukraine. Maybe, but why say so? Late last month at a news conference in Brussels, Mr. Obama also openly discouraged the idea of Georgia or Ukraine joining NATO.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: obama; putin; russia; ukraine

1 posted on 04/19/2014 2:22:06 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Do svidanya....


2 posted on 04/19/2014 2:23:42 PM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

I thought the Ukrainians were being taken over not hungry


3 posted on 04/19/2014 2:27:59 PM PDT by molson209 (Blank)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

and Obama does not want to cross his lord and master Putin


4 posted on 04/19/2014 2:30:06 PM PDT by molson209 (Blank)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

They wanted to be be part of the European Union, let them take care of you.


5 posted on 04/19/2014 2:30:31 PM PDT by McGruff (You believe what your government tells you. Don't you?)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Odumbo is just hoping Putin’s going to give him a reach around.


6 posted on 04/19/2014 2:33:20 PM PDT by KevinB (Barack Hussein Obama: Proof-positive that affirmative action does not work.)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

‘We’re the chosen generation,” says Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine’s interim prime minister.

************

I swear they are all on coke in every capitol.


7 posted on 04/19/2014 2:47:25 PM PDT by Psalm 144 (FIGHT! FIGHT! SEVERE CONSERVATIVE AND THE WILD RIGHT!)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

“That was the point. Russian troops on the road to the Georgian capital saw them above and soon after turned back.”

Total nonsense. After the Russian army cleared South Ossetia, it made some small incursions into Georgia proper to destroy forces deployed near SO/Abkhazia that could counterattack. Russia never had any intention of seizing more parts of Georgia or raiding the capital. The idea that Russia was going to do these things, but were scared away by a US plane carrying aid is ridiculous.


8 posted on 04/19/2014 3:39:23 PM PDT by Monmouth78
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To: Tailgunner Joe
The Obama administration agreed to deliver 300,000 meals-ready-to-eat. As this newspaper reported Friday, military transport planes were deemed too provocative for Russia, so the food was shipped by commercial trucks.

I hope they sent body bags too.

9 posted on 04/19/2014 5:25:27 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Do The Math)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

The USA an “old friend” of Ukraine? No. It was not.


10 posted on 04/20/2014 6:27:00 PM PDT by Cronos (ObamaÂ’s dislike of Assad is not based on AssadÂ’s brutality but that he isn't a jihadi Moslem)
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To: Monmouth78

You are correct.


11 posted on 04/20/2014 6:28:16 PM PDT by Cronos (ObamaÂ’s dislike of Assad is not based on AssadÂ’s brutality but that he isn't a jihadi Moslem)
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To: Tailgunner Joe
Ukraine turned to an old friend, the United States

Neocon rubbish.

The United States has no historical or contemporary relationship with the former Russian territory called the Ukraine. We get nothing from them and owe them zero.

We are no more an "old friend" of theirs than we are an old friend of Serbia or Lower Slobbovia.

And if they were so very foolish as to poke the bear with a stick because of the imaginary friendship - no, excuse me, "old" friendship - I feel sorry for them.

12 posted on 04/20/2014 6:35:59 PM PDT by Jim Noble (When strong, avoid them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.)
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To: Jim Noble

On the other hand, US relations with Czarist Russia were cordial.


13 posted on 04/20/2014 6:40:13 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Tailgunner Joe

“We’ve not seen the same reaction from the U.S.” as during Russia’s 2008 attack on Georgia”

We did not have the ACORN/SEIU trained CIC in 2008.


14 posted on 04/20/2014 10:09:21 PM PDT by jospehm20
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