Above the Fold Update!!!!
Notice that J Effin Kerry is not leaving for Ukraine until after Putin’s deadline. /update
I’m sort of surprised by this, Russia demanded that some Ukrainian forces in the Crimea surrender. They didn’t and Russia didn’t do anything, but Ukraine is worried about the one tomorrow morning (tonight, I think at 8pm).
Putin does not seem like the kind of guy to make threats he doesn’t intend to back up. I wonder if he’s hoping to bluster his way into Ukraine and maybe use his armored column elsewhere. That’s what’s making this so interesting, it’s hard to figure out Tsar Putin I’s endgame.
This is kind of sad
In preparation to defend against an attack, Ukrainian troops spread mattresses across the ship’s rails and readied water hoses on its deck.
Really? Mattresses? Sigh, poor bastards, they have the same crappy, 20 year old, commie shit that Russia does but they have not kept it up at all.
I have been laughing at Obama saying he’s going to Isolate Russia!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ummmmmm, how?
This tension culminated in 2006 (and again in 2009) when Gazprom cut off its supplies to Ukraine as a result of natural gas pricing disputes. This shut-off compromised European supplies as well, as almost 80% of European natural gas imports from Russia ran through Ukrainian pipelines at the time. Tensions (and mutual skepticism) were exacerbated in 2009 when Russia announced that it would not ratify the Energy Charter Treaty—a document created following the Cold War to support European energy security and one that Russia had supported and signed in 1994. While the failure to ratify the treaty did little in practice, it was a strong political message. Since then, both Europe and Russia have implemented limited measures to diversify supply and markets respectively, while engaging in political posturing.
Europe cannot boycott Russia, they need Russia’s energy imports more than Russia needs anything from them.
And why should Europe do anything for Obama? He’s screwed every ally even pissing off fucking Canada.
Is anybody in the world going to do anything that requires the US to help them?
To ask that question is to make yourself laugh hysterically.
Germany, Poland, Romania and some other eastern Europeans are the wild card, they cannot be happy about Russia getting all invasiony.
Would Obama honor our NATO treaty if Poland were invaded?
It’s very depressing that I think the answer is, “No”.
So tonight at 10 pm Eastern, we get to find out the answer to the question, “Where were you when Russia started a war with Ukraine?”
