US Congress moves to approve Russia sanctions, arms for Ukraine

http://news.yahoo.com/us-congress-moves-approve-russia-sanctions-arms-ukraine-210355678.html ^

[wetphoenix]

Washington (AFP) - American lawmakers defied President Barack Obama and approved fresh economic sanctions against Russia, prompting swift criticism from Moscow Friday over toughening the US response to a Kremlin-backed separatist insurgency in Ukraine.

The legislation also authorizes -- but does not legally require -- Obama to provide lethal and non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, ammunition and "tactical troop-operated surveillance drones."

The sanctions bill was passed unanimously Thursday in the Senate and House of Representatives. Because of a technical issue it returns to the Senate, where aides say there likely will be unanimous consent for final passage as early as Friday.

Asked whether the president would sign it, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said "we are looking at it right now."

Washington backs Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, but Obama has yet to approve the bulk of an arms request by Kiev.

The bill's coauthor Senator Bob Corker criticized the delay as a "hesitant US response to Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine."

Final passage of the sanctions would heap political pressure on the president.

But on Thursday Obama signalled he was against unilaterally putting the economic squeeze on Moscow, saying it would be "counterproductive" for Washington to "get out ahead of Europe further" on sanctions.

"The notion that we can simply ratchet up sanctions further and further and further, and then ultimately Putin changes his mind, I think is a miscalculation," Obama said.

Washington coordinated with the European Union to impose tough sanctions on Russia in September. While they have bitten into the Russian economy, Putin dismissed the punitive measures and said the West was using Ukraine as an international pawn.

In November, the Pentagon delivered the first of 20 anti-mortar radar systems to Ukraine.

The current legislation authorizes $350 million worth of weapons, defense equipment

[caww]

You might consider who needs who by some facts.... The amount of Russian aid to Ukraine in the period of the last ten years 'exceeds' $200 billion...not to mention countless other susidies to Ukraine....

Furthermore...Trade volume between the USA and Russia hardly reached $40 billion a year, while trade volume between the EU and Russia exceeds $400 billion a year. That's a vast difference!

So the EU was only going to go so far....now we see even Obama saying sanctions should not be added further because he cannot get further co-operation from the EU.

Ukrainians also are quickly learning, in the case of joining the EU and "powerful multifunctional corporations entering the liberated Ukrainian market", that millions of them will lose their jobs and are, just as it happened in all less developed countries. Not t o mention the 'extreme' austerity soon to kick in....they're already limiting electrical use.

Additionally.... The USA has its hands shoulder-deep in the Ukrainian crisis and is something nobody now tries to deny except those who are 'in' denial. This far before the Potests began and throughout the orange revolution that failed to this very day..

So of course it was no secret Russia faced a perspective to lose 'its naval base' in Crimea,... to get an openly hostile state supplied with NATO missiles on its borders and to completely lose an area that both economically and politically is an area of 'vital 'interest for Russia....Well... Of course it reacted!... What exactly did the Us expect?"...Would the US behaved differently if Russia tried to put rockets in Mexico, near Arizona or Texas? I think not.

In this conflict, there can be no winners. USA, EU and Russia all have lost. .... for Ukraine and those who live there it is not just a loss; it is a true catastrophe, a disaster as we see playing out...

I wonder if Ukrainians are enjoying the cookies now?

[caww]

Did you not expect a reaction once the bill to supply Ukraine with Military Armament? RUssia said there would be a response....go figure.

[hubel458]

quote— ‘’expect a reaction ‘’.............................

Well didn’t you and putler expect one, when putler

invaded UKR, from american people, not from obola of course,

he is you russians bosom or butthole buddy...............

Granted the reaction from American people about 8 months

late, due to uncertainty caused by all the russian

propaganda and bought off politicians and media here.

But when the truth of the invasion finally got through

to enough of the people here they reacted.............

In another post you say how would we react to commies in

Mexico to make a point about western influence in UKR.

Well we got them here in Cuba, VEN, NIC, etc, and just

ignore them. russia needs to do the same and go home.

[caww]

Perhaps you're trying to say something dear?

[hubel458]

quote’’’exceeds’ $200 billion’’..........................

bullshoit- thatthe amount of trade between them for 20 yrs.

russia robbed them blind, charged them twice world price

for gas, yonoasshole stole 20 billion gold, gave to putler.

In 2012 the trade between them was about 2 billion a month,

now it is a billion a month and dropping and the slack

is being taken up by the EU, etc, in some months more

than lost from russia.. Ukraine don’t need you turds,

Allied with EU it will become one of the biggest producers

of many products, and in few years it will a buigger GDP

than you turds....................................

[KOZ.]

‘Russian Aid’

Sure. Here’s a suggestion for you, if the devil offers you a few bucks, don’t take it.

There is no such thing as ‘Russian aid’. Russia’s sole goal is take over Ukraine. They will do it by bankrupting, stealing elections, and even go so far as to pay trolls to post on American websites (hard to believe, I know!)

[caww]

I didn’t say Corruption is worse than Russia...Pryatt and other officials there said so... so quit saying I’m the one saying these things. But it won’t matter to you one way or another who says it.

Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt...who is overseeing affairs in Ukraine stated:

“I think business as usual is probably the greatest single threat to Ukraine today. It’s a bigger threat than Russian tanks,” he said.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30389695

[caww]

Nice try but how about giving more than your opinion...there are stats that prove you wrong...

However there’s just no point in further discussion with you as it’s fruitless presenting any reports or stats or anything else as everything is Blame Russia in your head no matter what is shown or proven otherwise....You are too blinded by Russophobic myopia to truly appreciate just how terrible the events in Ukraine are for Ukrainians, and who initiated them.

[KOZ.]

This is what you said,

“So of course it was no secret Russia faced a perspective to lose ‘its naval base’ in Crimea,... to get an openly hostile state supplied with NATO missiles on its borders and to completely lose an area that both economically and politically is an area of ‘vital ‘interest for

“Russia....Well... Of course it reacted!... What exactly did the Us expect?”...Would the US behaved differently if Russia tried to put rockets in Mexico, near Arizona or Texas? I think not.

In this conflict, there can be no winners. USA, EU and Russia all have lost. .... for Ukraine and those who live there it is not just a loss; it is a true catastrophe, a disaster as we see playing out...”

You consider Ukrainian territory as belonging to Russia. HOW DO YOU NOT SEE A PROBLEM WITH THAT?

It’s not Russia’s naval base, they didn’t lose it, they attacked, sunk Ukrainian ships and took it over. THAT IS WHY UKRAINE WANTED A US PRESENCE.

There are winners, when a country wins it’s independence from a tyranny, they win. Do you get that? It seems real hard for you.

Is it really a wonder why Ukraine is fighting to get from Russians? The opinions you profess here abhorrent.

[hubel458]

‘’who initiated them.’’ .............................

russia and terrorists invading

[wetphoenix]

~bullshoit- thatthe amount of trade between them for 20 yrs.

russia robbed them blind, charged them twice world price

for gas, yonoasshole stole 20 billion gold, gave to putler.~

Are there any fact to prove your claim? Regarding to gas prices it was really careless to push such a bullcrap because it is easily verifiable.
Ukraine enjoyed lower energy prices most of the time, her foods and services weren’t tariffed as usual imports and her citizens were three to work in Russia and weren’t considered aliens.

[hubel458]

quote’’lower energy prices most of the time, her foods and services weren’t tariffed as usual imports and her citizens were three to work in Russia ‘’

Offered Energy deals were only lowered when it looked like
yanoasshole was going to get canned, to help him out.

As far as UKranians working there, they don’t need to be,
let russians do there own work, so they won’t have so much
time to invade others. All the system you mention was
for, along with russian puppets being presidents was
to make UKR slaves to russia..................

You brag up how much russian aid is. can’t be alot of
so-called aid from a hellhole that has a GDP about like
Spain....Well except ‘’aid convoys’’ full of guns
and bullets, towing artillery, with lots of tanks
and APCs moving along with them into Donbass....

Does all the ordnance count toward dickhead’s aid total..

[wetphoenix]

~quote’’lower energy prices most of the time, her foods and services weren’t tariffed as usual imports and her citizens were three to work in Russia ‘’

Offered Energy deals were only lowered when it looked like yanoasshole was going to get canned, to help him out.~

It was said ‘Russia looted Ukraine for 20 years’. In order to prove this ridiculous claim you should post how much they were charged for every of these years and your so called ‘world price’ next to it. It would be helpful to put price Ukraine has charged for transit to elsewhere.
For rare periods of time when they were charged higher than your ‘fair price’ it would be useful to put out background to it (as how have they paid their earlier bills, how did they performed transit agreement and so on at that period of time). Why won’t you do it? I suppose you are either ignorant and picked your thesis straight from Ukrainian agitprop, or simply a liar who hopes that the rest of FReerers are lazy dupes and won’t spend time to verify your claims.

~All the system you mention was for, along with russian puppets being presidents was to make UKR slaves to russia..................~

What is your definition for ‘Russian puppet’? Which Ukrainian president apart from Yanukovich was such? Not to mention Yanukovich’s allegations are questionable to say the least. He was pro-Russian probably twice in his career. First time during elections to dupe Donbas voters and second time before the very coup, when bankrupt Ukraine was in immediate need for huge cash bailout and it turned to be that brokered by so ‘pro-Russian’ Yanukovich’s government agreement of association with EU turned not to bring a penny.
He jumped out of EU deal and picked no string attached Russian multi-billion vital bailout out of pure necessity and western propaganda did extremely good job to paint both him a Russian puppet and Russia a force behind his corruption after it.
The way Ukrainian crowd percepted this propaganda actually shows how stupid and thankless they are.
Every of Kiev rioters deserve the pain he or she is suffering now, sitting in their cold homes with power outages after free gas gone and empty fridges after their jobs gone because their employers’ products unwanted on Russian markets and for welfare recipients their benefits suspended.
They can blame Russia of course for failure to bring free gas or more aid as far as they understood that EU is not about that but it won’t help a little bit.
They probably should start sending their daughters to Italy as $10 sex workers and offer their land for nuclear waste dump because working is certainly not an option for most.
On the other hand, they are good at rioting. What about another coup?

[hubel458]

quote- after free gas gone

bull, their storage was 80% full that they bought elsewhere

cheap, and produced themselves.They are warmer than I am.

ONLY ONES COLD THERE ARE UNFORTUNATE ONES IN THE INVADED

AREAS, WHERE THE INVADERS IGNORE THE NEEDS AND FILL AID

CONVOYS WITH ORDNANCE

[hubel458]

quote’’thankless they are.................

Oh supposed to be thankful to be under the tyrant

russian thumb. bull...................................

quote- daughters to Italy as $10 sex ...............

that just shows how crass you russians are about the world,
from russia a place with more whores per capita than anyone

[wetphoenix]

What about to back the rest of your ridiculous claims?
I believe right now you have to scream ‘Putinista troll!’ and cut discussion or switch it to some other direction like leftists do.
It would be so much ‘conservative’ of you!

[hubel458]

quote—paid their earlier bills...

how could they pay them when yanoasshole and his buddies

bankrupted the country, they took billions of Ukraines

gold to russia, they decimated the military,

And they are still paying the gas bill at about 350 bucks

a M/CF, twice what russia charges most other EU countries

further away. Just paid about a third of a billion...

[wetphoenix]

~russia a place with more whores per capita than anyone~

Any statistics to prove another claim? And I am still waiting for a chart of ‘20 years of ‘unfair’ Russian gas prices’ for Ukraine which are allegedly ‘higher than for the rest of Europe’.

You better post it or shut up.

[wetphoenix]

~how could they pay them when yanoasshole and his buddies

bankrupted the country, they took billions of Ukraines

gold to russia, they decimated the military,

And they are still paying the gas bill at about 350 bucks

a M/CF, twice what russia charges most other EU countries

further away. Just paid about a third of a billion...~

I am not interesting in listening you parroting Ukrainian government propaganda aimed to explain their low information voters how come that the new ‘revolutionary’ government turned to be less successful than the old ‘reactionary’ one.

Post figures and facts instead.

[hubel458]

earlier quote-products unwanted on. hardly...............EU picking up difference........ In may/june example trade with russia in those two months was 500 million lass than year before, but the EU increased its trade 600 million over year. You trolls try to magnify the economic importance of your hellhole to UKR, but russ trade for those two months in example was about a billion a month and going down. That is only 12 billion a year and dropping and the rest of the world wil leasily take that up.... russia's economic importance is about the value of a zit on a terrorists ass........