Ukraine open to hosting missile defense system

[inanna]

Source: Associated Press

May. 20, 2015 4:52 AM ET

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — A senior Ukrainian security official says his country is open to placing a ballistic missile-defense system in Ukraine to ward off the potential risk of attacks from Russia.

Oleksandr Turchynov, the head of Ukraine's National Security Council, told Ukrinform news agency Wednesday that Russia has become an increased threat since annexing Crimea and increasing its military presence there.

Turchynov's comments mark an intensification of hostile rhetoric between Russian and Ukraine. Kiev accuses Russia of providing weapons and manpower to the armed separatists now controlling swaths of eastern Ukraine.

NATO's U.S.-led missile-defense plans envisage deploying elements of the missile shield around Europe for what it says would be defense against Iran. Moscow sees this as a threat to its nuclear deterrent and has threatened countermeasures.

Read more: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2015-05-20-EU--Ukraine/id-92a581b3a964412fbe21c7aaebf83dd1

[Demeter]

1. Sure, why not? We Ukrainians don't mind being blown up in the first minutes

of global warfare...or a mistake.

What are they thinking? That it's worth it to them to take money to be a target?

[DetlefK]

3. They already are a target. Might as well go with it.

It all depends on who cracks first: The russian economy or the ukrainian military. Ukraine needs that money and Russia has already decided that poor little Ukraine really wants to be with Russia but has been brainwashed by the evil US.

"Russia without Ukraine is a nation. Russia with Ukraine is an empire."

Russia still thinks it's the Soviet Union and that Ukraine is "russian" territory. Russia will never give up until it has reestablished hegemonical control over Ukraine. An independent Ukraine will inevitably fall to Russia, just like the eastern-european trade-union is effectively an economical tool for Russia to control smaller countries. (Russia recently proposed a unified currency, similar to the Euro. Kazakhstan declined. Why wouldn't Kazakhstan want to have its currency controlled by Moscow?)

Ukraine has no choice but siding with the West. They might as well make money out of this situation.

[doxyluv13]

12. Ummm, not really..

Hey, DetlefK, the Russian economy isn't cracking, actually. The Ruble is on the upswing. Plus the European sanctions against Russia are up for renewal in a month and will not be renewed.
Also, the Ukrainian military already cracked; that's why Poroschenko agreed to Minsk. They're rebuilding as fast as they can, but new volunteers are in short supply and the program to induct members of Ultra-nationalist militias into the Army is, ummm, problematic.

[MrTriumph]

15. Yes, really. The sanctions are working.

The ruble is nowhere near its value prior to the sanctions and drop in oil price. Russia is burning through currency reserves and is in recession.

Putin & RT appreciate your efforts, doxyluv13, to spread Russian propaganda that is so ludicrous it can only be characterized as pure nonsense.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. That would be an incredibly stupid thing to do.

But if Ukraine wishes to push their crisis with Russia into the terminal phase, that is their choice.

[DetlefK]

4. Then tell me:

If the ukrainian army finally breaks from exhaustion, will the "rebels" stop "fighting back"?

[Warren Stupidity]

7. what? non-sequitur much?

[Telcontar]

8. Seemed pretty straight forward to me

Don't bend yourself into pretzels defending Russian fascism and maybe you'll see straight too.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. "defending russian fascism"

ah. ok. So suggesting that escalating the crisis by introducing new weapons systems is a really stupid idea, is "defending russian fascism". Got it. Excellent discussion so far. non-sequitur followed by ad hominem. What's next?

[Larry Engels]

14. +1.

Next comes ad baculum. The stick! The stick!

[DetlefK]

16. Will NOT hosting the missile defense system...

Will not hosting it decrease or increase the odds for any peaceful solution?
I can't tell.

Will not hosting it decrease or increase the odds for a peaceful solution that facilitates this secession as laid out in the ukrainian constitution with a referendum? (You know, doing it the ukrainian way as this is an ukrainian issue where russian "volunteers" and russian biker-gangs and masked paramilitaries have no business meddling.)
I can't tell.



What happens if Ukraine agrees? The war goes on.
What happens if Ukraine declines? The ukrainian army goes broke and breaks from exhaustion, the rebels and the "volunteers" conquer key areas before agreeing to a peace accord, the Donbass declares itself an independent nation but few countries actually recognize it, Russia makes no move to absorb the Donbass into Russia but installs lackeys, freedom of the press deteriorates similar to seen in Crimea, bombardment with Russian propaganda, Putin makes clear that any attempt by Ukraine to get these regions back while being allied with the West would be seen as aggression, the Donbass becomes a failed fascist satellite-state of Russia like Chechnya, Russians fighting Ukrainians in Ukraine will go down as an act of defense in russian history-books, Russia will avoid any open meddling in the Donbass while controlling it behind the scenes.

[cosmicone]

5. Translation

We Ukrainians would love to do anything that will piss off Russia even if it costs us dearly. We are just not happy with the cease fire and want our ass kicked again.

[doxyluv13]

11. +1

nm

[jakeXT]

6. Someone should send in that German reporter to convince Putin it's against Iran

[Jesus Malverde]

9. As if a missile defense system will protect the from their own people.

It's a country divided.

[swilton]

13. Your correct that the country is divided

all the more reason that giving them any kind of sophisticated US weapons systems would be problematic due to their susceptibility to being compromised through espionage.

[Nihil]

17. Yeah ... 'cos twitchy Ukrainians firing ground to air missiles has been such a blast so far ...

[Monk06]

18. I hope NATO er I mean the US, is not that stupid. The US denied missile defence was aimed at Russia

Now Turchynov just confirmed it. Advantage Putin.