© Christian Science Monitor
Putin addresses Russian diplomats (Credit: Kremlin.ru)
Putin addresses Russian diplomats (Credit: Kremlin.ru)
According to Putin, the present crisis in Ukraine is a manifestation of the core Western policy of "deterring Russia" that continued despite the end of the Cold war. Putin announced Moscow would continue to defend the rights of Russian "compatriots" living abroad "using political, economic and self-defense humanitarian operations." He declared that the time of U.S. world domination has ended and Russia will be reintegrating the Eurasian landmass [former USSR], while promoting better relations with Europe, "which is our natural partner." The Russian foreign ministry was ordered to work on preparing "a joint space of economic and humanitarian cooperation from Lisbon to Vladivostok," based on absolute noninterference in internal political matters and excluding the U.S. Putin accused Washington of blackmailing Paris to stop the delivery of the French-built Mistral helicopter-carrying assault ships to the Russian Navy (kremlin.ru, July 1). The first Mistral is planned for delivery this year and it could be stationed in Sevastopol (Rossyskaya Gazeta, June 25).
Putin's speech was controversial: while accusing the West of ignoring international law and interfering in others' affairs by promoting so called "democracy," Putin strongly asserted Russia's right to intervene in other nations internal affairs "to defend Russian compatriots abroad." The Kremlin rejects the West ideologically, politically and militarily, but Putin's speech did not spell out fully the practical part of the Russian foreign policy agenda (gazeta.ru, July1).
After Putin's foreign policy statement, the deputy secretary of Russia's National Security Council, Eugenie Lukyanov, Putin's appointee from St. Petersburg, told RIA Novosti that "the time of U.S. world hegemony is over," but Washington is not ready to accept this fact. According to Lukyanov, new international rules must be written together by major world powers that would take into account the interests of all key players. Possibly, a global conference to rewrite international law must be called, because today "there are no agreed rules and the world may become an increasingly unruly place" plagued with constant conflicts. Lukyanov accused Washington of directly promoting conflict and bloodshed in Ukraine and using the conflict to rally European nations against Russia. Russia, according to Lukyanov, could reply by cutting supplies of titanium to Boeing that could seriously hamper the production of passenger aircraft in America. Lukyanov ridiculed President Barack Obama's administration: "They spent $5 billion to prepare and organize the Maidan protests in Kyiv, but the end result was that Crimea became part of Russia and Putin's approval ratings are more than 80 percent. It turns out Obama's advisers are our prime helpers." Lukyanov accused Poland of harboring training centers of Ukrainian radical nationalists on its territory and expressed hope that attempts to use the Ukrainian crisis to consolidate the West and NATO shall fail eventually (RIA Novosti, July 2).
The Kremlin apparently believes the time is ripe for a decisive drive to undermine U.S. influence and power worldwide and hit at the transatlantic link to undermine NATO, while the White House is occupied by the Obama administration, seen by Moscow as ineffective and indecisive. The Ukrainian crisis may promote the emergence of a new world order that would sideline Western democratic nations and recognize Russia's own sphere of undisputed influence in the post-Soviet Eurasian landmass. On the practical side, Putin promised the ambassadors gathered in Moscow, who have been tasked to make this happen, a fourfold pay hike for diplomatic staff (kremlin.ru, July 1).
This week the Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko announced the termination of a 10-day unilateral ceasefire in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Donbas. Poroshenko accused the separatists of constantly violating the ceasefire, of killing Ukrainian solders, of failing to liberate hostages and implement Poroshenko's previously announced peace plan. Poroshenko promised "to liberate our land," but implied the ceasefire could be resumed, if separatist fighters accept his conditions and that his peace plan was still on the table (Segodnya, July 1). Putin criticized Poroshenko for resuming the so-called anti-terrorist operation in Donbas, but also left open the possibility of a negotiated compromise (kremlin.ru, July 1). The Kremlin is at present concentrating its efforts on pressing for a prolonged ceasefire and "substantial negotiations" between the rebels and Kyiv - an arrangement that would give Putin leverage to keep Kyiv and the unruly Russian nationalist rebels under control, while containing Western influence in Ukraine and possibly inserting wedges into the transatlantic connection between the U.S. and EU. Moscow has been apparently influencing the rebels to scale down their demands and offering some tactical concessions to Poroshenko, while trying to sideline the U.S. and engage European powers as intermediaries (EDM, June 26).
Resumed fighting in Donbas this week seems to be marginal in nature - the Ukrainian forces are improving their positions and trying to secure the border with Russia, while not attempting to decisively defeat the rebels or take over any major rebel-held cities. A meeting in Berlin between the German, French, Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers on July 2 resulted in a joint press conference and a declaration calling for terms of a ceasefire to be finalized by July 5. Moscow has promised to allow Ukrainian border guards and OSCE observers into its posts on the Ukrainian border to verify that men and arms are not being smuggled into Ukraine. Hostages must be released and OSCE observers deployed to monitor any future ceasefire (Rossyskaya Gazeta, July 3). A pattern is emerging of possible intermittent fighting followed by ceasefire and negotiations. This pattern would seem to largely exclude the U.S. from the picture and be in line with Moscow's announced overall foreign policy objectives.
He makes me wonder how much he knows, or doesn't know. This is like Palestine... they want you dead, it really is that simple. They would prefer you to commit suicide or kill each other as in 'divide and conquer'... but if forced to, they will use Ukraine to start a war, that they don't need to 'win'... when was the last time the West 'won' a war? WW2? Isn't that why their intellectual prostitutes keep referring to the 'greatest generation'? To keep up the illusion that we are 'the good guys'? Even if we really never were... just ask the 'Indians' who could say the same thing about us now as then, "White man speaks with forked tongue"... has it ever changed? Diplomacy is for idiots when your opponents are pushing guns into your back. Putin is being given a chance to respond instead of react... a chance to 'pick your weapon' of choice, but he doesn't seem aware of the simple fact that the so-called 'leaders' if the West aren't really leading anyone anywhere but to their graves. Ukraine will continue on this course unless and until diverted, like any wild river that threatens to flood the village... if you don't 'nip it in the bud', the force will continue to accumulate in intensity until it really does become too big to handle.
I wonder if Putin understands the nature of this game called FU Buddy? Does he understand how it ends? He might not want to play it, but being in Purgatory, one has no choice but to dance with the devil until you learn how to make the devil not want to dance with you.
"If you give them an inch, they'll take a mile"... and so it goes, didn't Chamberlain try this strategy? How did that work for him? Of course, his blood wasn't, most likely, gonna be spilt, was it? It may look like a chessgame, but Putin, imo, needs to remember that he is only a piece, someone or something else is really moving the pieces around even in his own country. Has he been informed of this? Or has he been too busy to learn this yet? The devil is good at keeping your eyes off the prize if nothing else.... as in the end, it is a numbers game... and control doesn't have to be installed if complete chaos will do. There is an energy there in the chaos that can be turned to one's advantage if one is able to stop dancing long enough to see the 'out'.
Up the ante... and fast, lest you find yourself without sufficient funds to continue the game... or your 'partners' find themselves in this situation which only weakens your position further. There is a time to make a choice: to cross the Rubicon or wait for them to attack you. The smart player doesn't wait on defense, but 'strikes while the iron is hot'.... letting it cool down too much might not be to your advantage... not at all, but those on offensive can afford to wait, especially if, like yourself, they are merely pawns on the chessboard like you. Time to move up in character and work the movement to your advantage, instead of merely reacting to your opponents moves.