Mr. Putin Resumes His War in Ukraine

[SidDithers]

The fighting in eastern Ukraine has flared up again, putting an end to any myth about the cease-fire that was supposed to be in force since September.

Though the Russian economy is staggering under the twinned onslaught of low oil prices and sanctions — or, conceivably, as a result of that onslaught — President Vladimir Putin has sharply cranked up his direct support for the rebels in the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, while continuing to baldly deny it and to blame all the violence on the United States.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is broke, and without the military means to move against the Russian-backed rebels. Most of the victims are civilians who struggle with hunger and dislocation in the rubble of the combat zones and die in the constant exchanges of shells and rockets.

The eruption of fighting in recent weeks, which was not supposed to happen until spring, has given new force to pleas to the Obama administration to give Ukraine the means to resist Mr. Putin — in money and in arms.

Certainly the United States and Europe should increase their aid to Ukraine and explore ways to expand existing sanctions against Russia. NATO’s commander, Gen. Philip Breedlove, is said to support providing weapons and equipment to Kiev. And Secretary of State John Kerry is said to be open to discussing the idea. But lethal assistance could open a dangerous new chapter in the struggle — a chapter Mr. Putin would quite possibly welcome, as it would “confirm” his propaganda claims of Western aggression.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/02/opinion/mr-putin-resumes-his-war-in-ukraine.html



Sid

[Codeine]

1. And his personal RT Force Repost Marines

are ready to spring into action; Control-V for Victory!!

[pampango]

2. Just because much of this new fighting is focused on the potential land bridge from Russia to Crimea

does not mean that Mr. Putin sees any Russian advantage to this offensive. I'm sure he just views this as a happy coincidence. The fact that these provinces are majority ethnic-Ukrainian does not really enter into the discussion when you need access to Crimea by land.

[11 Bravo]

3. I'll believe it when I read it in RT.

No doubt DU's favorite apologist/fluffer for Vlad the Shirtless will be along directly to set you straight.

[FSogol]

9. Nah, they only show up in their own threads because they care

Last edited Mon Feb 2, 2015, 09:12 PM - Edit history (1)

about discussion or something. Replying to them is a waste of time since they are only interested in kicking their lame propaganda.

[msongs]

4. putin wants to restore the soviet union via conquest nt

[sadoldgirl]

5. I don't like Putin and

I don't believe the NYT anymore after its support for the
Iraq war.
I said it before: Leave that problem to the Europeans! It is
not ours to solve, and

BTW, do any of you supporting US interference in the Ukraine
remember the Monroe doctrine????

[NuclearDem]

6. ...

First point, being signatories to Budapest, it is our problem when another party breaks its obligations. Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for assurances from the US, UK, and Russia to respect its territory. Russia violated that with the invasion of Crimea.

Second, I doubt you're going to find defenders of the Monroe Doctrine here. The US has about as much business telling other Western Hemisphere countries how to decide their own fate as Russia has telling the Baltics and other Eastern European countries the same. In fact, the only imperialist defenses I've seen here have been from people arguing that countries like Ukraine and Lithuania should exist as buffer states between NATO and Russia, their own populations' wishes be damned.

[Igel]

7. And that's your defense?

To argue that Russia has a moral leg to stand on by resorting to the imperialist, hegemonic expression of power during a time when the US was avowedly racist?

Perhaps we should go back to those good ol' days and again achieve the moral high road that Russia now treads. (And here's where we burst out into a rousing chorus of "I was I was in the land o' cotton, old times there are not forgotten...." while strutting across the stage dragging a cannon to invade Mexico with.)

[elias49]

8. Unfortunately the US hasn't a moral leg to stand on either.

The US is the true hegemon. And going broke in the process. Not unlike Russia.
What a lovely world.

[Jesus Malverde]

10. LOL @ NYTimes

Propaganda outlet of Mexican Oligarchs and the champions of the Iraq war.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/14/us-new-york-times-warrants-carlos-slim-idUSKBN0KN2M820150114



Jesus