RUTHFULLY YOURS

The situation in Ukraine is complicated. A large part of the country to the east, is Russian-speaking, Russian culture, and sees itself as closer to Russia. Another part of the country to the west, is Ukrainian-and perceives nearest the Western world.

At the time when the Soviet Union existed, the two parts of the country were governed by the same totalitarian dictatorship. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the country has gradually emancipated and took slowly distanced Russian domination. Putin did not accept this desire for emancipation, Russian-speaking populations have been reluctant in relation to it. The Orange Revolution in 2004 led to the emancipation of the advanced camp. The uprising Nejalejnosti Maidan in November 2013 led to a further advanced. Putin responded as might be expected to react by annexing the Crimea, and leading a creeping annexation of the Russian-speaking part of the country. This creeping annexation continues.

What is serious in the case is that the US Obama administration did not anticipate the reaction of Putin, and the countries of the European Union did not advance: Russia n ‘ argued that because the United States and the European Union have given him the opportunity to move forward.

What is serious is that Ukraine has moved closer to NATO, yet fully without being a member, and has received NATO protection insurance in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons stock: rapprochement with NATO has become a very serious fiasco which deteriorates the residual credibility of NATO and of its role, the abandonment of the nuclear weapons stockpile in Ukraine itself become a very serious fiasco that may not induce any country with nuclear weapons to denuclearization.

This is an additional debacle for the Obama administration, and vague promises to rearm Ukraine to defend itself circulating in Washington are now insignificant and too late: it is before, long before, he had to reset the Ukraine.

What is serious is that the European Union has negotiated with Ukraine reconciliation and economic partnership agreements without ever having diplomatic and military means to assume that reconciliation and partnership.

This is a debacle for the European Union also appears again as what it is: helpless and inconsistent.

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The voyage of François Hollande and Angela Merkel in Kiev and Moscow, was emblematic of the European impotence and inconsistency and did not help, if not to show Putin that he had all the cards .

The words of John Kerry saying that “the choice of the United States was a peaceful solution, and that Russia was to announce his choice” were ridiculous. Russia announced its selection by his actions, and they are not those of a peaceful solution.

The conference held in Munich, Sunday, Feb. 8, looked like a distant echo of another conference, also held in Munich in 1938 and has become a symbol of cowardice democracies. Sergei Lavrov in Munich Soviet type of speech that told Phillip Hammond, British foreign minister that Russia is behaving in a “tyrannical”. Sergei Lavrov did not seem frightened.

A meeting will be held in Minsk on 11: it will be a travesty. Putin impose its conditions. Poroshenko, Ukrainian President will have to accept the conditions. Merkel and Hollande have weighed say, but will in no way weighed. We refer to “autonomy” for the regions that Russia holds already, and a “demilitarized” zone as Russia militarisera if that is his intention.

What happens is closely observed by Poland and the Baltic countries: it shows that Putin may act by force and rebuild the Soviet bloc rather than entering into a logic of peaceful partnership with the Western world, and that there is nobody to stop Putin.

What happens is closely observed also, besides countries would consider denuclearize against vague promises by countries seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but also by countries whose leaders argue as Vladimir Putin.

Everyone knows except the appointed commentators that there will be no wider war in Ukraine, because the war took place, and Russia has won. Everyone knows that the Ukrainian government knows he has lost. Everyone knows that, even if the United States were more firm (pure school under Obama assumptions), Europeans choose appeasement, and the grandiloquent about Holland and Fabius are only about bombastic. Everyone knows that the turbulent economic sanctions before Putin will not do it, even when Russia suffers, and that Germany does very moderate economic sanctions against Russia, which supplies much of the energy she needs.

The United States, France, Germany, the European Union, have just declared their weakness to Putin and the rest of the world.

It is a sad time for freedom and for the values ​​of Western civilization.

Reproduction authorized with the following: © Guy Millière for Dreuz.info .