Obama warns Russia in tense call with Putin over Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a tense phone call on Monday that Moscow would face further costs for its actions in Ukraine and should use its influence to get separatists in the country to stand down.

Armed pro-Russian separatists seized more buildings in eastern Ukraine earlier in the day, expanding their control after the government failed to follow through on a threatened military crackdown.

In a call that the White House said Moscow requested, Obama told Putin that those forces were threatening to undermine and destabilize the government in Kiev.

"The president emphasized that all irregular forces in the country need to lay down their arms, and he urged President Putin to use his influence with these armed, pro-Russian groups to convince them to depart the buildings they have seized," the White House said in a statement.

Obama said Russian troops needed to withdraw from Ukraine's border to defuse tensions and made a point of praising Kiev for its "remarkable restraint" and efforts to unify the country with elections, constitutional reform and proposals to decentralize power to local governments.

You keep making the same mistake, confusing an honest appraisal of the facts as known, as “supporting Putin”

Honest appraisals it ain't, if you're referring to the same Kremlin sourses (RT, RIA, Itar-Tass). How about adding Ukrainian KyivPost or EuromaidanPR to expand your horizons.

This was your beauty from yesterday:
The coup government, on the other hand, can only rely on a few forces in the western part of the country, and their version of the skinheads. They can’t project influence much beyond Kiev. Ukraine is even more lawless now, than it was before, which isn’t helping. Kiev is losing control over events, badly.

This is not accurate either. Ukraine's living through very hard times but it's nowhere near the hopelessness you present here. More than a week ago when the Russians started storming the administrative buildings, three regional centers were taken, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk. Kharkiv was taken back beautifully with no casualties. (Because it was so successful, there were rumours those were Polish or American special forces that were used). This is a temporary reprieve and more trouble is expected for Kharkiv though.

Another key in the East is Dnipropetrovsk which stands firmly Ukrainian with Kolomoyskyi leading the way. Russians tried their stunts in Zaporizhia and Mykolayiv but failed miserably. In Zaporizhia, they were cordoned off by the bigger Ukrainian crowd and then humiliated; in Mykolayiv, they were chased out of town. Kherson, bordering Crimea, was quieter than quiet. There were some minor disturbances in Odesa.

So, let's pray it will only improve in these Eastern/Southern Ukrainian cities, and Donbas is soon cleared of the Russian troops.

I spent a good portion of my military career “analyzing” the Soviets, so all of this has a particular interest to me.

How about learning Russian/Ukrainian and read the press in the original language? Rosetta Stone, anyone? )))

As for eastern Ukraine no one has proof of Russian involvement. As long they don’t formally cross the border, they can do what they want.

Citizens of the RF (civilian "protesters" and troops) are in Donbas. Ukrainian SBU was getting tons of them. What additional proof of Russian involvement can there be? For Putin to formally admit it? He won't. If you recall, he didn't admit to Russian troops taking over Crimea.

All the sources you gave are completely opposite of one another....so of course if either side is all one reads you’ll only see it form whatever source you favor or want to believe.

Even the Main Street Media is saying there’s a very real anti-Russian push by most American media.

It’s rare I go to Kiev or Euromaiden.....they are equally as bad as RT etc. At most you’ll know something’s going on but then you have to go find those on the ground to get the actual happening... Besides there are far too many other sources out there who are actually on the ground reporting rather to take news from them.

It’s now known our media’s been using old photos and videos of the military buildup on Russia’s borders....in addition journalist who traveled over 1000 miles up and down the border who said other than the normal bases and movements they could not see what was being reported....But of course Maiden and Kiev have been doing their share of false reporting as well.

Facts are just what they are, regardless of which side one wants to believe...better in this situation in Ukraine to understand this whole thing is not new to Ukraine....and whoever sits at the helm is going to play all sides.....it’s the nature of the Ukrainian beast...you cannot change their violent culture bent overnight.

Well would you sit still if people are getting shot and having violent protests on your border?...No country would stand for that...but in this case Ukraine’s not been helpful in calming their own waters.

Putin doesn't have to admit anything, and neither does the EU or US.....it's a war now of many moving parts, it doesn't have to be called one to make it so. My gosh you have people dying, fires, violence, military of ‘all kinds’ running round about.

Further You have people doing back door negotiating with numerous city folk...and this by who? Ukraine and those within the cities of dispute...and this with the USA guiding the Kiev Gov.

Imo all the nation Leaders are assisting Ukrainians to handle this because Ukraine certainly can't do this alone....their history reveals this. In the end it will not be Ukraine who determines this outcome....they lost that the minute they deposed an elected Pres. by violent force.

Only when they have an election will this be determined as Ukraine might desire and it frankly doesn't look like they'll be having any May election at the rate they are going....this would be to who;s advantage should they be delayed?....of course those currently sitting in the seat of power.

But of course Maiden and Kiev have been doing their share of false reporting as well.

Nah, you can't say both are equally bad, because what Russian media is doing is miles ahead of Ukraine's. RT (geared towards the west) fake story of 670,000 Ukrainian refugees was bad enough, but for the domestic Russian audiences, there's some heavy duty brainwashing. This example made the rounds recently.

Translated: On the Russian NTV channel, they had a story about confessions of a German citizen, who traveled to Ukraine to support the Pravyi Sector. He donated 500,000 euros to their goal to injure as many pro-Russian supporters as they could.

SAME FREAKING guy, on the Russia 1 channel, was introduced as one of the peaceful protesters who came out to protest the new Ukrainian government, only to be attacked by Pravyi Sector.

Same guy, on NTS Sevastopol channel was a native of Kherson, a surgeon, who came out against the neo-nazis and donated his own money to the anti-maidan cause.

So would you if you were sitting in positions of power and wanted to keep a country destabilized while you consolidated that power....which the leadership now in Kiev would very much like to see sustained in full or in part.

I don't think there will be an election in May...delaying it because of the country's unrest would certainly give more time to bring in the rest of the crew....keeping in mind the Pres. has already said they are NOT going to go with Nato or further with the Eu, rather remain Independent....which was not the plan when they took over.

Time will tell but there's no reason to trust for a moment the likes of what sits in Kiev's Government at this point....who I believe have aspirations for Ukraine other than what the US or Russia might like.

Well what you just discribed is Russia’s inability to hide their propaganda well....on the other hand.... we have a controlled media that has fine tuned how they move the masses so that even when what they are doing is wrong appears right.

Further, Ukraine is not running their media....there are numerous “assistants” shipped in and have been there helping Maiden for a long while as well.

I see all sorts of photos and videos, and more on a constant now. Using old protests and material that can assist “make the story”.

As for the Russian citizens...well they do like Putin pretty much...he’s polling well...but they are not for war as we see them take to the streets recently.

In a propaganda war...and this is one...ALL have both feet in the game. Some more skilled then others so we get to call outthe doofus errors.

That's why I hate making predictions or even comment on things As they develop, because there's too much information to process, or not enough of it, so it's very likely that people get it wrong. Hindsight is 20-20, right?

The best we can do is as you inferred....watch, gather info and wait and see.....the fog of war is thick and the parties on the ground confused....meaning the average Ukrainian.

Besides, there’s more than one war....you have the Communist opposing the Neo-Nazi’e....you have Kiev Gov. trying to be independant but having to war with the Eu and US over how they want the country to go. You have the Rada fighting Solvoda and others amid them...you have people on the street fighting because they like to fight and need no reason to do so. And in this fray is Russia’s intentions which nobody knows at this point what they will do.

IMO thus far...Russia’s winning this....and I tend to think he’ll ultimately get the east and possibly the south....he can’t afford to take on all Ukraine...nobody can.

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