In Ukraine Election, Pro-Western Parties Win Big

Amazingly, the hashtag diplomacy has shown little results...

All of this happening while Russian backed separatists continue to battle the Ukraine military. And this, of course, coming after Obama's limp response to Putin's aggression against Ukraine. It seems Obama is perfectly happy at Ukraine being a Russian vassal state.

From The Washington Free Beacon article by Daniel Wiser:

Pro-Western parties prevailed in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections over the weekend, but the country’s armed forces continued to suffer casualties amid fighting with Russian-backed separatists in the east. 

President Petro Poroshenko’s political group began talks with Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk’s People’s Front party on Monday to form a majority coalition in the parliament that would push democratic reforms. The Opposition Bloc, a pro-Russian party with allies of former leader Viktor Yanukovich, received slightly less than 10 percent of the vote. 

The election results keep Ukraine on a path toward closer integration with the European Union following the ouster of Yanukovich, a Russian ally, in February. Russia responded aggressively to the toppling of Yanukovich earlier this year by invading and annexing the Crimean peninsula and funneling arms and troops into eastern Ukraine to support the rebels there. 

Ongoing fighting between Ukrainian forces and the pro-Russian separatists in the country’s east—despite a ceasefire agreement reached in early September—remains a serious obstacle to closer Ukrainian ties with Europe. Two Ukrainian troops were reportedly killed in the region on Sunday.  

[...]  

The White House press office released a statement from President Obama on Monday praising Ukrainians for holding the elections and pledging to “continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “stand with its people as they seek to build a more secure, prosperous, and democratic future.” Obama offered no indication that he would reverse his policy of not providing lethal aid to the Ukrainian military. 

Poroshenko bluntly told U.S. lawmakers in September that “one cannot win the war with blankets,” a reference to the limited supplies U.S. officials have contributed to the Ukrainian effort thus far. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow would recognize Ukraine’s elections in the hope that the country now has leaders who “do not drag Ukraine to the West or to the East” but “will deal with the real problems facing the country.” Last Friday, President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for the recent breakdown in the ceasefire.

The situation is getting very tense in Eastern Europe, as America continues to be weak and divided under Obama's incompetent and divisive lead. No European state really has much of a military to speak of-- aside from Russia-- and if the US signals that it will not protect its allies, Russian military action is not out of the question. Russia has been rehearsing an invasion of Poland for many years, and I do wonder if they might not seize the opportunity.

Obama's "the 1980s have called and they want their foreign policy back" quip is looking more and more stupid and naive by the day.

Russia Deploys Nukes in Crimea

Huh. This hashtag diplomacy thing from the State Department seems to have not worked. I guess Russia's not living in the 21st century or something.

I guess they plan to keep that piece of property. And this happens in spite of Obama's stern recrimination that Putin isn't behaving like a 21st Century man. I guess pissy little comments from Obama didn't have much effect on Russia. Go figure.

From The Washington Free Beacon:

 Russia is moving tactical nuclear weapons systems into recently-annexed Crimea while the Obama administration is backing informal talks aimed at cutting U.S. tactical nuclear deployments in Europe. 

Three senior House Republican leaders wrote to President Obama two weeks ago warning that Moscow will deploy nuclear missiles and bombers armed with long-range air launched cruise missiles into occupied Ukrainian territory.  

[...]  

Regarding the nuclear deployments to Crimea, Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member James Inhofe (R., Okla.) first disclosed last month that Putin had announced in August his approval of deploying nuclear-capable Iskander-M short-range missiles along with Tu-22 nuclear-capable bombers in Crimea, located on the Black Sea. [emphasis mine]

And as Obama continues to take both the teeth and the morale out of our military, Russia is amping up both its rhetoric, its military capabilities, and its aggression. What could go wrong for a president who promised a return of hope, lower seas, and peace in our time?

Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 Likely Shot Down by Russian Backed Ukranian Separatists Killing 295-- Obama Makes Jokes During Speech

A plastic reenactment of Obama's speech.

The king of tact and empathy has struck again...

Obama scarcely mentioned the loss of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 during a speech in Delaware. I guess he didn't have a fundraiser to go to.

From The Daily Mail:

President Barack Obama provoked fury in the U.S. on Thursday by casually devoting less than a minute to the deaths of 295 people aboard a Malaysian airliner, as he began an often jokey 16-minute speech about the need to expand America’s transportation infrastructure. 

There are no confirmed American dead and the White House issued a statement on Thursday evening which said they were still seeking any 'information to determine whether there were any American citizens on board'.

An earlier Reuters report claimed that it was feared that as many as 23 U.S. citizens had perished.

Obama declared in Wilmington, Delaware that 'it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy,' but not before enthusiastically declaring that 'it is wonderful to be back in Delaware.'  

'Before I begin, obviously the world is watching reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border. And it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy. Right now we’re working to determine whether there were American citizens on board. That is our first priority.' 

'And I've directed my national security team to stay in close contact with the Ukrainian governemnt. The United States will offer any assistance we can to help determine what happened and why. And as a country, our thoughts and prayers are with all the families and passengers, wherever they call home.  

Obama then jarringly quickly returned to his prepared remarks.   

'I want to thank Jeremie for that introduction' he said. 'Give Jeremie a big round of applause.' 

'It is great to be in the state that gave us Joe Biden. We’ve got actually some better-looking Bidens with us here today. We've got Beau and his wife, Hallie, are here. Give them a big round of applause. We love them.'

Obama also acknowledged the presence of Treasury Secretary Jack Lew with a joke. 

'Jack Lew’s signature is actually on your money,' he said, 'although it's kind of illegible. We teased him when he first became treasury secretary that he was going to have to fix his signature a little bit because it looked just like a caterpillar running along the bottom.'  

From there he launched into a 16-minute speech about transportation projects he wants Republicans to fund, complaining bitterly about their objections to his end-runs around the federal legislature.  

[...]  

National Review reporter Charles Cooke tweeted: 'Shorter Obama: 'Something awful has happened with a plane. It’s awful. Awful. Republicans are bastards for not funding new airports".'

I wish I could be surprised by Obama's behavior. I wish I could think to myself "Wow, this guy's a lot less astute and savvy than I thought." Alas, no. Shall we remember that Obama jetted off to a fundraiser after learning of the deaths in the attack of the American embassy in Benghazi, that he publicly blamed an innocent filmmaker for the attack-- even to the bereaved families of the those lost. There is nothing beneath this man.

I'm sure he'll find a way to blame Bush, a YouTube video, or the GOP for this, and then resume his full-time job of punishing his (American) enemies, and claiming that Americans are ungovernable and racist.

Ukraine Military Plane Shot Down; Russia Most Likely Suspect

From the BBC News:

A Ukrainian military transport aircraft has been shot down in the east, amid fighting with pro-Russian separatist rebels, Ukrainian officials say. 

They say the An-26 plane was hit at an altitude of 6,500m (21,325ft). 

The plane was targeted with "a more powerful missile" than a shoulder-carried missile, "probably fired" from Russia. The crew survived, reports say. 

Russia has made no comment. Separately, Nato reported a Russian troop build-up near the Ukraine border. 

A Nato official confirmed to the BBC that the alliance had observed a significant increase of Russian troops, bringing their number to up to 12,000.

There's been a fair amount of fighting in the eastern parts of Ukraine-- not that we're hearing a much about from the media. Well, I'm sure that Obama's and the State Department's rhetoric about Putin not behaving as a 21st Century gentleman is very comforting. Poland should rest easy from that. Uh, right...

Russians Won't Take Defense Secretary Hagel's Phone Calls

Obama stands with Ukraine-- or at least a plastic figure strikes a pose...

Probably because they see the Obama Administration as weak and irrelevant-- just how Obama has worked mightily to present himself and the U.S. for five plus years now.

From The Washington Times:

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has been unable to get Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the phone amid escalating tension near the country’s shared border with Ukraine. 

Mr. Shoigu announced Thursday that Russia planned to engage in a new series of military exercises near the Ukraine border. The military move, he said, is in response to ongoing NATO training exercises in Poland and the death of at least two pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine. 

Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Friday that Mr. Hagel has been trying to communicate with Russian officials but has yet to hear back from Mr. Shoigu or anyone else. Pentagon officials have reached out to Russia on Mr. Hagel’s behalf within the past 24 hours, according to Col. Warren.

Oh Mr. Shoigu, please accept the U.S.'s call so Hagel can whine about how Obama and the rest don't think what's happening is appropriate 21st Century behavior. Maybe he could add how Obama thinks that Russia is a fearful, regional power. That'll work. Is the State Department going to send more selfies to convince Russia to not invade the rest of Ukraine. And please note how serious talk about Russians pulling out of the Crimea has completely vanished.

At least the U.S. has put troops into Poland-- the Russians have been eyeing and training to invade Poland for years now.

The Telegraph: Russian Separatists Registering Jews in Ukraine

From The Telegraph article by Tim Stanley:

A shocking story coming out of Ukraine: pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country are accused of asking Jewish citizens to register their identity or face deportation. 

According to Haaretz, a notice to that effect was pasted up near a synagogue in Donetsk – a city being claimed by ethnic Russians. The notice ordered all Jews over the age of 16 to register with the self-proclaimed government and to pay a registration fee. It asks them to provide: 

ID and passport … to register your Jewish religion, religious documents of family members, as well as documents establishing the rights to all real estate property that belongs to you, including vehicles.

Failure to comply will result in deportation and confiscation of property. The notice claims that this action is necessitated by Jewish support for the “nationalist junta” in Kiev. The chairman of the temporary Russian government of Donetsk (characterised by hostility to the West and hankering for Sovietism) acknowledged that the notice exists but denies responsibility. 

What does this tell us? Whoever is responsible for the notice, it indicates that the situation in Ukraine is descending into violent anarchy exploited by extremists. Ever since the crisis began, the Russians have claimed that the Ukrainian nationalist movement is riddled with neo-Nazi anti-Semites – and they certainly do have a presence.  

But if this notice comes from the pro-Russian side then it’s evidence that they, too, contain elements of anti-Semitism. And, if the situation is allowed to descend ever further into chaos, Jews could end up becoming targets of violence. Which is obviously a terrifying thought.

Just when you didn't think the Ukrainian troubles couldn't get any better...

Well, I'm sure Ron Paul can explain how the Jews and Israel actually started the problems in Ukraine--  doubtlessly starting their nefarious planning not long after perpetrating 9/11.

Obama Looks Petulant as He Lectures Russia on Appropriate 21st Century Behavior

(h/t Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit)

"Russia’s leadership is challenging truths that only a few weeks ago seemed self-evident. That in the 21st century the borders of Europe cannot be redrawn with force. That international law matters."

President Pushover in action...

Gee, Mr. President but it seems like Mr. Putin disagrees. Now what are you going to do about it? I know, make yawn-filled speeches in a petulant tone. Well, I'm sure Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Taiwan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, South Korea and Japan can all rest easy now.

Man, this amateur an utter embarrassment.

I see Obama as Err, the pink mooninite, in this clip. "Mr. Putin says he disagrees with you, Err. With his foot."

Am I wrong in this?

Obama: "Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors, not out of strength but out of weakness"

"My mom says that bullies act the way that they do, because deep down inside they're scared-- and they're also only a regional power with oil. And now I'm taking my ball and going straight home."

That's the laughable quote of the year.

From the Mediaite piece by Noah Rothman:

During a joint press conference in the Netherlands alongside the Dutch prime minster, President Barack Obama fielded questions from the American press corps regarding Russia’s destabilizing invasion of neighboring Ukraine. With tens of thousands of Russian troops and hundreds of machines of war poised on the Ukrainian border ready at a moment’s notice to inflame the crisis further, ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl asked a series of probing and uncomfortable questions of the president regarding his approach to foreign affairs.  

After making an arguable case that the president’s approach to America’s foreign adversaries was naïve and that his chief rival, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, may have been correct in his clear-eyed assessment of the threat Moscow posed to the post-Cold War global order, President Obama did the only thing he could do — answer the question he wish he was asked.  

“In China, in Syria, in Egypt, and now in Russia, we’ve seen you make strong statements, issue warnings that have been ignored,” Karl began. “Are you concerned that America’s influence in the world, your influence in the world, is on the decline?” 

“In light of recent developments, do you think that Mitt Romney had a point when he said Russia is America’s biggest geopolitical foe?” Karl continued.  

Faced with this searing indictment in the form of a question, Obama proceeded to erect and slay a straw man of his choosing: American military interventionism.  

“If the premise of the question is whenever the United States objects to an action, and other countries don’t immediately do exactly what we want, that that’s been the norm, that would pretty much erase most of 20th Century history,” Obama replied.  

No matter how much anyone would like to “erase most of 20th Century history,” this supposed attempt at clarification could not even be described as occupying the same universe as “the premise of the question.”   

[...]  

“Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors, not out of strength but out of weakness,” Obama asserted, as though he was talking about the psychological insecurities that plague the average playground bully.  

“The fact that Russia felt compelled to go in militarily and lay bare these violations of international law indicates less influence, not more,” Obama insisted. [WTF?] 

How convenient. Even when Russia directly threatens to topple the international order, of which America is the chief guarantor, they are not threatening the international order because the threat itself is an implicit admission of inadequacy.  

President Obama’s core supporters in the United States may still eat this nonsense up, but the actions of America’s geopolitical adversaries abroad suggest that they have long ago pegged the president as a pushover. [emphasis mine]

President Pushover... That's exactly the problem. And to make things even more destabilizing fun, is that America's allies-- aside from the ones that Obama's not simply betraying or ignoring-- are also facing that uncomfortable realization.

The only time Obama talks tough is when he believes that his enemies are in a position where they are wither unwilling or unable to fight back. Who's the playground bully in that situation?

Did the Kremlin Issue an Ultimatum to Ukrainian Forces?

"The Light-bringer shall handle this as He handles all of His crises... laying the blame on others, vaguely claim bullying or racism,  and acting put upon and miffed. Problem solved. And I'm pretty sure that an obscure YouTube video caused all this."

That seems to be the claim, at least according to The Telegraph.

From The Telegraph article by Damien McElroy and Bruno Waterfield:

Russia has issued a series of ultimatums for Ukrainian forces in Crimea to surrender and disarm by this morning or risk coming under attack, the new government in Kiev said last night. 

As Russian fighters buzzed Ukraine’s borders, the Kremlin defied international pressure to back off and instead turned the screw on its neighbour.  

President Vladimir Putin visited military units deployed near Russia’s frontier with Ukraine, where they are conducting “exercises”. The defence ministry in Kiev said the country had been on the receiving end of a series of hostile acts, including incursions by Russian jets flying along its northern border with Belarus. 

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels condemned Russia’s “act of aggression” in occupying Crimea and said that sanctions would be “considered” unless Russia took “de-escalating steps”.  

[...]  

A Russian ship broadcast appeals to surrender to Ukrainian vessels anchored off Sevastopol. The appeal, blasted through loudspeakers, urged the Ukrainian sailors to lay down their arms, but did not appear to set a deadline. 

The Russian defence ministry adamantly denied that any surrender ultimatums had been delivered, claiming that the reports were “complete nonsense”. 

Russia’s effective seizure of Crimea has proceeded without a shot being fired, partly because Ukrainian forces in the region have offered no resistance.  

On Sunday, Russian troops began blockading Ukrainian military units inside their bases, but demanding their surrender increases the risk of a violent clash. Last night, the US state department said that any such demands would be a “dangerous escalation”.

It seems that the Obama Administration's reaction of being alternatively snide, bemused and condescending is having little effect on Russia. Go figure.

Russia Now Controls Crimea; Obama Concedes and Asks Putin to Not Invade Rest of Ukraine

"Okay, here's the deal. I'll let you have have the Crimea. And if you stay out of the rest of Ukraine, then I won't have my assistant write any more strongly-worded catch-phrases for me to say during my 'outings.' What do you say?"

Smart diplomacy!

From The Wall Street Journal:

The American and Russian presidents spoke on the phone for 90 minutes on Saturday after Russia's parliament voted unanimously to deploy troops in Ukraine, defying warnings from Western leaders not to intervene.  

In his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin , U.S. President Barack Obama expressed "his deep concern over Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity." Mr. Obama urged Russia to de-escalate tensions by withdrawing its forces back to bases in Crimea and to refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine. 

Saturday's developments come as Russian troops and their local allies have already largely taken control of Crimea, a restive province of Ukraine that belonged to Russia until 1954 and remains predominantly pro-Russian.

In a statement after the call between Mr. Putin and Mr. Obama, the White House said the U.S. "condemns Russia's military intervention into Ukrainian territory."

Mr. Putin told Mr. Obama that Russia reserved the right to intervene in Ukraine to protect its interests and those of the Russian-speaking population there, according to a statement from the Kremlin.

Mr. Putin also spoke of "provocations, crimes by ultranationalist elements, essentially supported by the current authorities in Kiev." It wasn't clear what incidents Mr. Putin was referring to.

So Obama Asked Putin to please stop and in return Russia can keep the Crimea. Pathetic even by Obama's ocean bottom standards.

There's a lot of talk about the U.S. having a 1994 treaty with Ukraine, but that appears to not be the case. It seems people are actually talking about The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 which basically states that the US, UK, and Russian Federation agreed to keep the territory of Ukraine intact. Interestingly, this agreement seems to be nullified if Ukraine attempts to court the EU.

From Rick Moran at American Thinker:

According to the agreement, the US, UK and Russia all agreed to protect the sovereignty and “territorial agreement” of Ukraine, meaning any Russian support for an attempt to declare Crimean independence would be in violation of their international obligations.
The three powers committed to “respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine” and “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine”. 

Significantly, the wording suggests Russia’s insistence that Ukraine forgo an EU trade deal may have already breached the terms of the agreement. 

The signatories agreed to “refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind”.

While it may be true that the US and UK do not have an obligation under this agreement to protect the Ukraine, it cannot be overlooked that Russia's invasion of Ukraine can be only be viewed as aggression against a Western ally. Certainly the West is looking for any way it can to weasel out of any idea of obligation toward Ukraine-- this is hardly a difficulty for the Obama Administration who can contort themselves in all sorts of ways to avoid reproach or blame for their repeated domestic and international failures, however the true message is clear enough to all.

The US and the West have proven themselves to be unwilling to protect its allies. This is especially bad news to countries like Taiwan, The Philippines, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Poland, perhaps even Singapore. Countries that had once relied on American willingness to protect democracies from the incursions of powerful repressive governments-- such as China, its psuedo-vassal North Korea, and Russia are now being left out in the cold. Obama and the West have given a clear message that they will labor mightily to find legal outs from any obligations (and using deconstructionist techniques to nullify obligation is hardly beyond these people's morals), and deliver only vagues and limp tongue lashings in the way of support.

As tensions increase in Asia and Europe, it is very likely that we'll see more of these invasions. Do you really think Obama will do anything about them?

Russian Troops in Crimea-- Patrol Airport; Obama Issues Worthless Warning

Image matters, you know

From The Telegraph:

Ukraine accused Russia of staging an "armed invasion" of Crimea on Friday as the ex-Soviet state's ousted leader prepared to emerge defiant from five days of hiding after winning protection from Moscow.  

Unidentified armed men were patrolling outside of Crimea's main airport early Friday while gunmen were also reported to have seized another airfield on the southwest of the peninsula where ethnic Russians are a majority and where pro-Moscow sentiment runs high.

The arrival of these unidentified men just happens to coincide with the Russian military buildup in the area.

In response to the entire Ukraine situation, Obama made a worthless warning to Russia.

From the AP:

Delivering a blunt warning to Moscow, President Barack Obama expressed deep concern Friday over reported military activity inside Ukraine by Russia and warned "there will be costs" for any intervention.  

He did not say what those costs might be. 

Obama called on Russia to respect the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and not try to take advantage of its neighbor, which is undergoing political upheaval. 

"Any violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply stabilizing," Obama said in a hastily arranged statement delivered from the White House. Such action by Russia would not serve the interests of the Ukrainian people, Russia or Europe, Obama said, and would represent a "profound interference" in matters he said must be decided by the Ukrainian people. 

"Just days after the world came to Russia for the Olympic Games, that would invite the condemnation of nations around the world," Obama said. "The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine."

Such talk from Obama is useless of course. Obama has repeatedly shown himself to be ineffectual when dealing with other countries belligerence. Despite the MSM's swooning over Obama's drone attacks, foreign governments are not particularly impressed with such displays.

Indeed, Obama has given a loud and clear message to Putin and every other ambitious leader that Obama has no stomach for dealing with foreign incursions, invasions and such. He himself is far too busy golfing and giving domestic speeches that the press hardly even covers now, and his administration has been far to busy pushing an unpopular health insurance law and then scuttling for cover after its incompetent rollout-- that itself another indication to foreign powers of current U.S. inability.

By the way Obama, the 1980s called and said you haven't learned a thing from the past. No wonder his university records are sealed.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that after Obama's vague, worthless warning, Obama went out on a fund raiser. This guy is a gem of a president.