Posted on 02/18/2015 8:40:39 PM PST by Greetings_Puny_Humans
VLADIMIR PUTIN’S latest victory in Ukraine is turning into a rout. Having already induced Western leaders to endorse a peace plan that virtually guarantees continued Russian control over parts of two provinces, the Russian ruler ordered a large Ukrainian force holding Debaltseve, a key crossroads in the region, to surrender. His forces, including regular Russian army troops, then assaulted the city in brazen violation of a cease-fire. On Wednesday morning, Ukrainian forces withdrew from Debaltseve under fire, suffering a devastating defeat that will further destabilize the shaky Kiev government of Petro Poroshenko. Mr. Putin was so pleased that he indulged in some taunting of the Ukrainians. “Of course, it’s always bad to lose,” he said at a news conference Tuesday. “It’s always a hardship when you lose to yesterday’s miners or yesterday’s tractor drivers.” That was another lie, of course — the forces who seized Debaltseve were not former Ukrainian workers but Russian regulars; one Western reporter encountered soldiers who had been dispatched from Siberia. What about Western leaders, who just last week solemnly declared they would hold Russia accountable if the new deal were violated? All agreed there had been, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman put it, “a massive violation” of the cease-fire agreement. But there was little visible movement toward imposing meaningful consequences. Instead, officials in Brussels echoed a White House statement that said “the costs to Russia will rise” if it “continues to violate” the agreement. That suggested only that additional aggression by Mr. Putin would get a response, maybe.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Awful just Awful.
Why should I care?
The Washington Post endorsed Obama twice for President.
They have no right to complain when he acts as expected.
Liberals complaining about Putin is a little like someone complaining about a bear in the woods.
That’s Russia. It wasn’t that long ago the Left was applauding a “reset” in US-Russia relations.
Considering you're one of FR's pathological Putinistas, I wouldn't think you capable of any "caring," at least for American interests.
Because we were weak, we let Russia wage WWIII and now we cannot go back to the past... Pretty much hook in jaw
And our interest in someone else’s civil war is what exactly?
What is our national interest in Ukraine?
Nothing sufficient for Americans to fight and die in Europe’s borderlands.
Like with Hitler, we let WWIII start instead of preventing it through force. Sad dam also did the same
“VLADIMIR PUTIN’S latest victory in Ukraine is turning into a rout.”
Don’t we have a treaty with the Ukraine that in exchange
for their nuclear weapons (the only thing they had to keep
this from happening) we would protect them from this happening? Yea, and Obama expects to be able to negotiate
with Iran, about nuclear weapons.
We aren’t interested in someone else’s civil war but an aggressive possibly one day Muslim nation attacking a Christian nation.
could very well be true
It is not a civil war when one nation invades another
Hay “Nothing sufficient for Americans to fight and die in Europe’s borderlands.” was the same mindset America had
just before WWII. You a repeater. Will it repeat?
context=kidding.
The story of Russian diplomacy and history for about 300 years from the 1600’s onwards was securing its Southern flank and access to the Black Sea.
I don’t think anyone on this forum quite knows exactly what happened in 2013, but to believe Putin would sit back and allow a Ukraine, with Sevastopol and Crimea, to spin out of Russia’s orbit, is absolute fantasy. Obama, Clinton and whoever made Russian policy seemed to be absolutely stupid on that regard.
Exactly. They aren’t giving up the Black Sea Fleet, it’d be like expecting us to give up Norfolk.
I’d like Ukraine to be prosperous, but Russia will risk being burnt to the ground than allow Ukraine to be aligned against them.
Russia has an abiding interest in Ukraine.
We don’t.
The notion Russia was simply going to concede Ukraine to the West was always highly delusional.
Russia can only be defeated through war and even that turns out to be temporary.
Neither Napoleon nor Hitler were ever able to subdue it.
Russian troops invading another country is a civil war? You're a useful idiot.
The flaws in this thinking are:
1)The Ukrainians had already made an agreement for the port stretching forward many years in exchange for good prices on gas. It was never threatened.
2) The Russkies already took over Crimea and put nukes there. Why are they still invading if this is about protecting their black sea fleet?
3) Since when do we care about the strategic interests of totalitarian countries who use their military might to wage terrorism?
afterall, the Westminster Dog show must go on..and then there's the Oscars...
and look who we have as our leader.....he's inviting ISIS into our country....
and yet the idiots whoever you are..... YOU voted him in.....disgusting...
“It is not a civil war when one nation invades another”
This crap again??
C’mon already, it’s been a full year of this BS.
If not for the unconstitutional coup, there would be no civil war, there would be no attempted ethnic cleansing of Russians in Ukraine, and Crimea would still have a Ukrainian flag over it.
Putin’s invading Russian Terrorists can only make gains when Ukraine is attacked from behind while surrounding Terrorists or when Ukraine is adhering to a “peace plan”.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.