They know BHO is a p*ssy; they’re trying to intimidate him into forfeiting the Soviet states back to Russia.
Reagan/ Casey would put with this Marxist bullying.
Russia’s economy is slightly smaller than Italy.
oops.
sp=wouldn’t
I think Russia is interested in the gas pipeline to Europe also. Our friends Quatar want the same.
Not only that, Russia is going to have some real problems with their defense industry, soon, if not already. About 1/3 of Russia's defense industry was actually Ukrainian, and the two were strongly intertwined. Very few finished products from either country were all Ukrainian or all Russian. This has hurt both sides, with shipments back and forth of components interrupted. Ukraine is hurt more immediately, especially on the economic front, as they shipped much more to Russia than Russia shipped to them, for sales outside Russia & Ukraine. Most of Ukraine's defense income was from business with Russia. But, in terms of their own defense, Ukraine may be able to get defensive weapons from the West / US, while Russia has essentially no outside suppliers, and has proved spectacularly inept in replacing Ukrainian component imports.
IMO, a BIG part of Putin's grab was the defense components plants in Eastern Ukraine, but I suspect many of those are in ruins by now... Further, many advanced Soviet weapons depend on the importation of commercial components from the West, and those components are embargoed now, too. Possibly the Chinese can supplant them, but that will take some time.
The real question may be whether the Euro's & Obama's* own apparent desire for a long war of attrition against Russia, using the Ukrainians as cannon fodder, prevails, or whether the US hawks' desire to give Ukraine enough weapons to push out the Russians and get this thing over relatively quickly (which actually might leave Russia in a better position, long term), prevails.
*I suspect Obama is very conflicted: The greater / long term "harm to Putin / Russia plan" is taking too long for Obama to get the credit, so a lesser, more immediate setback to Putin may be looking more attractive. The hawks in both parties are propelling Obama toward the latter. Plus, Putin & his minions are pushing hard now, and a "win" of sorts by Putin, in which Ukraine pretty much capitulates, also foils Obama. So, Obama may be trying to "calibrate" the amount of lethal aid: Just enough to keep the Ukrainians going?