EU gives Russia 48-hour deadline to return troops to barracks in Crimea

[steve2470]

Source: UK Telegraph

Ukraine crisis: EU gives Russia 48-hour deadline to return troops to barracks in Crimea

Poland has demanded an emergency meeting of Nato amid EU divisions over sanctions against Russia

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10674260/Ukraine-crisis-EU-gives-Russia-48-hour-deadline-to-return-troops-to-barracks-in-Crimea.html

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The ultimatum and 48-hour dealine will be conveyed to Russia by Baroness Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, during talks in Madrid on Tuesday with Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister.

same link as above

[geek tragedy]

1. they know the bear is always hungry, always looking for prey nt

[1000words]

2. Germany and Italy rely heavily on Russian oil

I'm guessing both are resistant to sanctions

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. Or what?

[Javaman]

7. or they will give russian a very stern look and a strongly worded letter!

that'll show'em!

oh and don't forget the feigned indignance and a few wagging fingers for good measure.

[geek tragedy]

12. freeze the oligarchs' bank accounts in EU and US accounts for one.

if they want to pull that money out, where they gonna put it, China?

[daleo]

27. It is probably not that simple

Some of our oligarchs would probably suffer along with their oligarchs.

[RKP5637]

29. Yep, none want their $$$$$ screwed with ... when it comes to $$$$$ oligarchs = oligarchs. And

much as with $$$$, often R=D=I. $$$$$ first, people, not always the case for first. If I were a scifi writer, I would story a story titled, "The Day the Money Left," a utopia wherein money was obsolete and looking back ridiculous. I see two dividers of mankind, $$$$$ and religion.

Well, I don't know how I got off on this, but I'm done!

[daleo]

37. Your comments are ok by me

.

[pampango]

21. You're right. The EU has no military but a strong safety net and a strong middle class.

Russia (and the US) has a big military, weak safety net and weak middle class. Europe know it can't win a military confrontation which is where Russia's advantage lies.

The answer to "Or what?" from a European perspective would have to be economic or financial sanctions but those can be very effective to against a country with many oligarchs who keep their money outside of Russia. Europe can't win a military confrontation but they can win a peaceful diplomatic battle in the long run.

[seveneyes]

4. Or what?

Is the EU trying to kick up a hot war? No need for this kind of tough talk.

[2banon]

5. So, it's actually a 72 hour deadline vis a vis date and time of this report

when it's actually intended to be issued tomorrow. Interesting..

we shall see how this high stakes drama plays out. I guess if nothing else, some of us are getting an amazing history lesson in the mix of all the propaganda from all sides. Gotta separate the wheat from the chaff while culling out the dirt and the slime... Lot of work, this.

[azurnoir]

6. and for a third-or what?

more from the article too, notice Germany's actions here

In a further development last night, Poland called an emergency meeting of Nato ambassadors for Tuesday on the basis of a clause in the military Alliance allowing members to "request consultations whenever their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened".

European divisions over Russia were highlighted when Germany watered down an EU statement condemning the Russian seizure of Crimea as an "invasion" and delayed a decision on kicking Russian out of the G8 or further sanctions until an emergency summit of European leaders on Thursday.

[aristocles]

8. Putin is shaking in his camo boots, I'm sure

Putin acted, the US and EU blinked.

In strategy games the player taking aggressive action dictates subsequent moves and game play.

[BeyondGeography]

11. But until he controls the entire Asian continent, he doesn't get bonus reinforcement armies

[flying rabbit]

23. LOL nt

[geek tragedy]

13. what is the chessmaster's plan for preventing his economy from tanking? nt

[EX500rider]

14. "what is the chessmaster's plan for preventing his economy from tanking?"

I think it will be the classic "It's good to be the king!" lol

[cui bono]

30. Why are you asking about Obama?

[The Stranger]

22. In strategy games the player taking aggressive action may become vulnerable to counterpunch.

The problem is that the Neonazicons spent all of the U.S. national will to fight chasing "weapons of mass destruction" that didn't exist for over a decade.

[penultimate]

26. Even that didn't happen and the US military was 100% tip-top shape, I don't see what we could do

or want to do. It sucks for the Ukrainians who don't want to be under Russian control, but I personally don't want WW3 to break out over a regional conflict. At most this is a European issue and the Europeans should be taking the lead on how to handle it.

[The Stranger]

36. The Neocons bankrupted us and fucked us into Iraq based on lies.

And now we don't have the money for legitimate concerns.

[PFunk]

9. Looks like both sides has strong cards to pay.

Now lets see how they play 'em.

[aristocles]

15. And the US has no interests in the situation

Putin has the stronger hand and the stronger will.

Read Putin's biography. He was born and bred a thug.

[geek tragedy]

17. He's a thug who is responsible for an economy.

There he has a very, very weak hand. The US and EU could cripple Russia's economy and set it back a decade if they so chose.

[aristocles]

19. So how can the already crippled economies of the US and EU cripple Russia's economy?

Russia is seeking footholds in South America, partly for strategic, and partly for economic reasons.

[geek tragedy]

20. The US and EU are not crippled. They're light years more healthy than Russia's is.

Russia is pursuing footholds in South America out of delusions of grandeur--it's a second-rate power with a third-rate economy chasing its past as a meaningful player on the world stage.

It's already behind Spain, the US, and China in developing ties to LatAm. Not sure what Russia has that those nations would even want.

[kelly1mm]

28. Except for that pesky little agreement we signed with them in 1994 for said we (US/UK) would

guarantee Ukraine's territorial integrity if they gave up their nuclear weapons (which they did).

[Javaman]

10. Live updates from the BBC...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26413953

[geek tragedy]

16. Russia holding up letter from their exiled puppet asking for military intervention

21:44: And here's the moment the Russian envoy, Vitaliy Churkin, produced what he said was a photocopy of the letter from ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych calling on Vladimir Putin to intervene militarily in Ukraine.


Mr Churkin went on to blame the events in Ukraine on Russia's Western "partners", and repeated the demand that the agreement signed by Mr Yanukovych and Ukrainian opposition leaders on 21 February be adhered to.

Putin is more brazen and less concerned with legalities than Bush on his worst days.

[steve2470]

18. the pic

[question everything]

24. Or else?

What do they plan to do?

I was thinking that, perhaps, if the Ukraine had some kind of an agreement with the EU, the way Poland had with England before 1939, then, the countries of EU would be obliged to intervene. Otherwise - what can they do?

[amandabeech]

25. Actually, there was the 1994 Budapest Agreement.

We, the Russians, the UK.

You might want to google it.

[aristocles]

32. Some opinion says the agreement is not binding

Since all signatories have violated it since 1994. Google it.

[Historic NY]

31. The Commander in Chief of the EU Armed forces.....

wait....what force.

[steve2470]

33. 3 Russian APC's moving north

Just spotted 3 APCs with Russian flags moving north from Sevastopol toward Simferopol. That's new.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10672417/Ukraine-live.html

https://twitter.com/shustry/status/440688430029488128

Simon Shuster = reporter for TIME magazine

[steve2470]

35. missile batteries on APC's

Some kind of missile batteries mounted on 4 more Russian APCs outside Belbek base. That's very new.
https://twitter.com/shustry/status/440697334335537152

The Ukrainians say they are surface to air

https://twitter.com/shustry/status/440699430623510528

[steve2470]

34. It's been a full half-hour since the 5 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET) deadline for Ukrainian forces

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/2/live-blog-crisisinukraine.html

It's been a full half-hour since the 5 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET) deadline for Ukrainian forces in Crimea, and so far there has not been a single credible report of clashes between Ukrainian and Russia troops in the Crimean Peninsula.