Obama presses Putin on Crimea crisis

[uhnope]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON -- With Ukraine's interim prime minister at his side, President Barack Obama delivered an Oval Office rebuke Wednesday to Russia's President Vladimir Putin, warning that the United States and the international community would be "forced to apply a cost" should Russia refuse to withdraw from Crimea.

"There's another path available, and we hope that President Putin is willing to seize that path," Mr. Obama told reporters as he sat next to newly installed Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. "But if he does not, I am very confident that the international community will stand strongly behind the Ukrainian government in preserving its unity and its territorial integrity."

Mr. Obama said the Ukrainian government is willing to talk with Russia and engage in a process that he said "could lead to different arrangements over time" for the Ukrainian region of Crimea. "But, that's not something that can be done with the barrel of a gun pointed at you," he said.

The high-stakes meeting comes five days before a controversial Russia-backed referendum in Crimea on leaving Ukraine and joining Russia is to be held. The State Department announced that Secretary of State John Kerry will head to London for a meeting Friday with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2014/03/13/Obama-presses-Putin-on-Crimea-crisis/stories/201403130209

[Lint Head]

1. Until Putin dies of skin cancer because he has his shirt off too much nothing will change.

[jtuck004]

2. Russia might not be the only one that pays that cost. And he doesn't need our permission.

Given the way we have helped the rest of the world forward by creating policies which make it possible to sell the wealth production of our country to others, he might find a lot of other places to do business and tell us to get bent.

[joshcryer]

4. You can put pain on the Russian oligarchs.

The problem is that it would hurt some businesses in the US and EU, as we do business with the oligarchs.

Shutting down the Russian oligarch's money laundering business would be very painful and Putin would be hearing about it.

The question would be whether the US has the fortitude to give up that dirty money. This is highly unlikely to happen. And US intelligence is probably weighing whether that would even be wise, because Putin could well decide that he's had enough of the oligarchs. Which, btw, would be the best thing to happen to Russia, but who knows if Putin could even do that.

I bet Obama's daily Ukraine intelligence briefings are really crazy with all the options.

[joshcryer]

3. Putin's occupation is permanent.

He needs to hold leverage on eastern Ukraine to defend Russia's Eurasia interests.

After the vote happens there won't be a drawdown or anything. Checkpoints will remain. Ethnic Russian and Ukrainians will be pitted against one another until Putin believes he can invade and annex Eastern Ukraine.

[davidpdx]

5. +1

I tend to agree with you about that being what will happen. Remember the other day we were talking about the poll in Crimea and how it didn't look particularly good in terms of it passing. I'm convinced now it will pass and Russia will make sure of it. As you alluded to, that will be the pretext for invading Eastern Ukraine.

[joshcryer]

7. Yeah, especially because it is a "yes or yes" vote.

Soviet Style to the core (you could only vote for a candidate in Soviet Russia, you couldn't pick them and they weren't allowed to campaign).

I falsely assumed they'd be given an up or down vote but either way they vote they vote against being a part of Ukraine. Allegedly, anyway, I can't for the life of me find the 1992 constitution. If the 1992 constitution has the All-Ukraine referendum they can't secede legally.

Russia is terrified of the 39 trillion cubic feet of natural gas Ukraine is sitting on. Once it starts being exploited any leverage Russia has had on the EU will be gone. And we know China won't become indebted or be allowed to be leveraged.

[davidpdx]

9. 39 trillion cubic feet?

Wow, that is quite a lot.

If you find the constitution let me know.

Want to take any bets on the yes/no vote? I'm thinking it will be 68/32.

[joshcryer]

10. Yup, 1/4th of the worlds reserves.

It's crazy.

When it came out it became quite obvious why Russia invaded. Sure, OK, Ukraine goes to the EU in the short term, the IMF bails them out, 5 years from now Ukraine is using Russian built pipelines to feed EU natural gas. Where does that lead Russia? It's so obvious it's a joke.

If I do find the constitution I'll let you know definitely. I have a feeling it has the All-Ukrainian referendum in it and that's since 1996 (and subsequent revisions).

As far as the vote? 60/40 to join Russia. I think Crimeans are probably tiring of the street checkpoints. It's one reason it was probably moved up. Having obvious signs of an occupation everywhere... it tends to get people anxious.

[davidpdx]

11. Are either of these it?

http://www.president.gov.ua/en/content/chapter10.html

http://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/ukr127467E.pdf

[leftynyc]

16. When the only choices are yes and yes

there really isn't any doubt about how this going to turn out. But I'm sure some DUers will be along shortly to blame it all on the CIA citing a story from that maven of truth RT.

[quadrature]

6. the comfy chair....nt

[blkmusclmachine]

8. TALK TALK TALK

[snappyturtle]

12. I can't believe President Obama seemingly supports the coup Prime Minister.

I think he should have waited until after the upcoming election in
the Ukraine especially after the disclosure of Victoria Nuland flapping
her gums over an unsecured cell phone discussing "Yats" as a pick
for prime minister. Not good. imho

[geek tragedy]

13. there was no coup--the corrupt asshole Yanukovych fled the country

rather than stand trial for corruption.

Somebody has to be in charge, and the parliament appointed a caretaker government until the new elections.

[snappyturtle]

14. Call it what you will....Yanukovych was deposed.

He offerred to move up the elections through which he could
have been democratically voted out of office and then brought
to trial. Meanwhile the "caretaker" gov't has appointed
oligarchs to eastern Ukraine. I am well aware of Yanukuvych's
corruption and do not support that. Just saying I think the U.S.
is premature in it's support.

[geek tragedy]

15. he wasn't deposed, he abdicated by fleeing to Russia. He was removed from office

after fleeing the country and rendering himself unable to execute his own duties.

If the President of Mexico fled to the United States seeking protection of the US military, would you expect Mexico to allow him to rule from Virginia?

[former9thward]

17. If the President of Mexico fled because of a Nazi mob

I would not expect the U.S. to support the new "government". That is exactly what happened in Ukraine.

[geek tragedy]

18. No that is not exactly what happened.

That's the bullshit being peddled by rt.com

It's a convenient way for Team Putin to smear anyone and everyone who protested against the abuses and corruption of Yanukovych.

[former9thward]

19. Oh no they are not Nazis....

Image of Svoboda Party

[geek tragedy]

20. so you are claiming that the majority of people opposed to Yanukovych

are Svoboda?

[former9thward]

21. I was not there polling the Mob.

Neither were you. Neither was Obama or Kerry. But the Svoboda people were definitely leaders of the Mob.

[geek tragedy]

22. " I was not there polling the Mob. ... the Svoboda people were definitely leaders of the Mob. "

And what is the source of this claim, this smear you're launching on the people who didn't support your boy Yanukovych?