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Merkel Protege Suggests Blockade of Russian Ships Over Ukraine Crisis
U.S.News ^ | Nov 30, 2018 | By Andreas Rinke and Paul Carrel

Posted on 11/30/2018 10:39:22 AM PST by amorphous

BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union and the United States should consider banning from their ports Russian ships originating from the Sea of Azov after Russia captured three Ukrainian vessels there, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's protege said on Friday.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who is leading the race to succeed Merkel as leader of her ruling conservatives, also said Germany must be ready to take more responsibility in foreign policy and to spend more on defense.

Russia seized the Ukrainian vessels and their crews on Sunday near Crimea, the Ukrainian region which Moscow annexed in 2014, over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters, which Ukraine denies.

"If it's confirmed that the aggression came from Russia ... then I think there must be a clear answer," Kramp-Karrenbauer told Reuters in a television interview.

"One answer might be, for example, to stop Russian ships coming from the region - from the Sea of ​​Azov - from entering European or U.S. ports until this situation with Ukraine is resolved," she said.

The comments from Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, mark a tougher tone than the posture adopted by Merkel, who has called for de-escalation and dialogue.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, sometimes referred to as AKK or "mini Merkel", is locked in a close race for the leadership of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with Friedrich Merz, a long-time Merkel rival who promises more radical change.

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


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Germany; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: krampkarrenbauer; merkel; putin; ww3

All the Deep State wants for Christmas is WWIII.


1 posted on 11/30/2018 10:39:22 AM PST by amorphous
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To: amorphous

Lets let her and Manny Macron handle this one with their new EU army
Since the US is now a “ threat”


2 posted on 11/30/2018 10:45:07 AM PST by silverleaf (A man who kneels for the national anthem doesn't stand for much of anything)
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To: amorphous

How many Russian ships from the the Sea of Azov seek to enter American ports? This sounds like a gesture rather than substance.


3 posted on 11/30/2018 10:45:12 AM PST by Truth29
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To: amorphous

If Germany wants to blockade Russian ports, they should go ahead and do so. They have tried it before and have plenty of experience.

Count me out, though.


4 posted on 11/30/2018 10:45:18 AM PST by PGR88
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To: PGR88

I would make this comment. If the order goes to the German navy, because of operational rate issues and parts issues....you’d need to give them 90 days before the deployment starts. And I would doubt that they could block anyone for more than six weeks.

So all this chatter would require the Brits and Americans to carry out this mighty feat.


5 posted on 11/30/2018 10:49:42 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: amorphous

This is meaningless. Germany and Russia have a huge gas deal cooking...


6 posted on 11/30/2018 10:50:37 AM PST by rrrod (just an old guy with a gun in his pocket)
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To: silverleaf

Good point. The Germans have called us a threat. Germany is up to their old tricks again.


7 posted on 11/30/2018 10:52:52 AM PST by rrrod (just an old guy with a gun in his pocket)
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To: Truth29

Bingo!


8 posted on 11/30/2018 10:53:37 AM PST by rrrod (just an old guy with a gun in his pocket)
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To: amorphous

Yeah, that will end well...

/s


9 posted on 11/30/2018 10:57:12 AM PST by DoughtyOne (01/26/18 DJIA 30 stocks $26,616.71 48.794% > open 11/07/16 $215.71 frm 50% increase in 1.2183 yrs)
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To: amorphous

Doing anything they can do, to expand this nonsense...


10 posted on 11/30/2018 10:57:40 AM PST by DoughtyOne (01/26/18 DJIA 30 stocks $26,616.71 48.794% > open 11/07/16 $215.71 frm 50% increase in 1.2183 yrs)
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To: amorphous
A couple of decades of Green virtue signalling have put Germany in an energy position that will make any "blockade" of Russia prohibitively expensive for German industry. No domestic coal mining in one of the richest coal areas in the world, and coal was no less than 45% of Germany's electricity production in 2013, so they have to import it all. No nukes - the last German nuclear power plant is scheduled to be retired in 2022. And the impressive figures for "sustainable" energy production happen to include 22% coming from wood fuel, which for some reason the EU regards as "carbon neutral". Germany is the world's largest natural gas importer and the fifth largest consumer of oil in the world. More than half of Germany's total energy sources are imported. SOURCE.

I would certainly agree that Germany's armed forces could use a lot less neglect. Total active duty membership of all arms in the Bundeswehr is under 180,000 personnel, of which the army comprises 62,000. The Treaty of Versailles wasn't as hard on the German army as its own politicians have been. Its air force has 467 aircraft, total. France, Italy, and the UK all have more than that. In terms of GDP, Germany is currently spending 1.12% on defense and won't be up to the NATO pledge of 2.0% until 2024. Unless there is a serious realignment of economic priorities, Germany isn't going to be leading any blockades on Russia.

11 posted on 11/30/2018 11:25:59 AM PST by Billthedrill
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To: amorphous

Yes, let’s look to the Germans for how to best manage the eastern front area from WWII where they mass murdered millions.

Astonishing arrogance. Typical kraut mentality. This does not involve them in any way.


12 posted on 11/30/2018 11:40:46 AM PST by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: amorphous

Yes, let’s look to the Germans for how to best manage the eastern front area from WWII where they mass murdered millions.

Astonishing arrogance. Typical kraut mentality. This does not involve them in any way.


13 posted on 11/30/2018 11:40:48 AM PST by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: DesertRhino

Germans killed half my family. Red Army saved my father. So I’m biased on this one.


14 posted on 11/30/2018 12:24:39 PM PST by Trumpisourlastchance
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To: amorphous

The leader of the Ukraine is ginning up all this to try to bolster his horrible approval ratings. This has nothing to do with the US. It’s time Europe deal with its own problems. NATO should have been disbanded long ago.


15 posted on 11/30/2018 12:41:48 PM PST by Pining_4_TX ("Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." ~ H.L. Mencken)
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To: Pining_4_TX
NATO should have been disbanded long ago.

You mean the "North American Terrorist Organization" ?!

16 posted on 11/30/2018 1:07:17 PM PST by amorphous
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To: rrrod

She obviously meant that the USN should conduct the blockade. I’m sure Vlad is going to use that big red button that Hillary gave him connected to their gas pipeline that he can push at a moments notice to freeze out the Germans if they try something like this


17 posted on 11/30/2018 1:11:27 PM PST by shotgun
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To: amorphous

Kabuki. German big biz in in bed with Putinist Russia. New Siemens generators power occupied Crimea and Nordstream 2 is already under construction.


18 posted on 11/30/2018 1:16:44 PM PST by lodi90
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To: lodi90

Gemans and Russians in bed together, it’s starting to look a lot like 1939.


19 posted on 11/30/2018 1:19:15 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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