There are no signs of any great changes on the ground in the ongoing civil war in eastern Ukraine, but the hysteria among Ukrainian officials continues to mount, with officials now calling it a “great war” the likes of which hasn’t been seen since World War 2.
The war, such as it is, involves ethnic Russian separatists in the two easternmost Oblasts, and could be over at any time, if Ukraine would agree to negotiations, though they have ruled out any talks under any circumstances.
Instead, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry insists they’re doing it all for Europe, and that the fate of the entire continent is at stake in a war which they are couching as an open conflict against Russia, but which at most seems to involve Russian proxies and an undisclosed amount of military aid flowing across the border.
The narrative has been a common one among NATO’s easternmost members, which have suggested a separatist victory would lead, somehow, to an outright Russian invasion of all of eastern Europe.
The threat is preposterous, of course, and so is Ukraine’s strategy of escalating the war, as Russia’s military is so dramatically larger that if the Poroshenko government actually does succeed in turning this into an overt Russo-Ukrainian war, they’d likely lose the whole country in a matter of weeks.
Negotiating a settlement makes all the sense in the world, especially now that the rebel counteroffensive has eliminated the chance of a quick military victory for Ukraine. Yet US pressure on Ukraine to keep the war going and not negotiate seems to be looming large, and keeping the war going for the sole reason of escalating a sanctions war with Russia.
Pathetic. Doing it all for Europe, huh. You might want to ask just how grateful regular Europeans are that you morons brought war back to European soil and for no reason.
It seems like the reason for the war is not to escalate sanctions on Russia- no one profits from that. But there is a group that benefits mightily from any and all increases in conflict with Russia, and that group was, until a few months ago, if not on life support, at least pretty much universally ignored: NATO.
This Rasmussen practically does a little jig for joy when he talks about the threat from Russia and the prospect of Ukraine becoming a member of NATO- which would of course instantly put us in a war with a nuclear state. It's a done deal as far as he's concerned.
I wonder if he believes those of use who are citizens of NATO countries not interested in defending either Kiev or Georgia should have any say in the matter? Whether Americans are willing to risk losing New York in order to "save" Donetsk?
It doesn't seem to have occurred to him that perhaps we don't care what happens to Eastern Ukraine enough to risk dying over it.
It's not Putin that needs to be stopped, or even the coup government in Kiev. It's NATO.
I can almost hear the sound of heels clicking.
Mr Ditz's last paragraph reveals the fear of the pro-Putin faction in the US. Putin has neither the economic resources nor the modern technology to fight a long, "slow bleed" war and, if he launches a full-scale war, he will have to use his essentially conscript army, not a handful of elite special forces or hyper-expensive private contractors. Once conscripts start being killed, they'll start to desert and any popular support Putin may have had will quickly evaporate. One the other side, Putin is obviously panicking and starting to make mistake after mistake. He no longer denies that he is behind the "rebellion" (if there actually is one!) in Donetsk and Lugansk and is making crazy statements about taking Kiev and that Ukrainians and Russians are one people. He has been forced into that position by a clever mix of the Ukrainian hyping Mr Ditz refers to and cool-headedness in the US and NATO. Naturally neither the Ukrainians nor the US is backing off. Why should they? Putin is digging his own grave!
The "pro-Putin faction in the US" seems to be as much a figment of your imagination as most of your other pronouncements.
" Putin is obviously panicking and starting to make mistake after mistake. He no longer denies that he is behind the "rebellion" (if there actually is one!) in Donetsk and Lugansk and is making crazy statements about taking Kiev"
More whacky fun from Komical Kenny, Antiwar's most prolific joker.
If there is no rebellion then why are you getting all upset at Putin?
Anti war's version of Baghdad Bob.
What color is the sky in your world Michael?
Russia so terrified of NATO
that it must conduct war in secret?
Not hardly, for as Putin just made clear, “If and when we need to, Ukraine we could capture in three days.”
Putin keeps the Russian military involvement under cover because that is the time-honoured technique in the Cold War conflict. The two sides fight each other through proxies – that's normal and to be expected. If the US thought it productive to revert back to the zero sum game in dealing with Russia, there will be Russian covert military operations. However, the stakes here are much higher than previously given that Ukraine is to Russia what Kosovo is to the Serbs. Russia will not yield a second time. Right now, the Russians are demanding the recognition of a "state" in the East, but the consolidation of the two Republics under the flag of Novorossyia signals that failing a quick political settlement, Putin intends to create a "cordon sanitaire" under that name against NATO that includes such historic Russian landmarks as Kherson and Odessa. I don't think it is Merkel or Obama who are holding Putin back – he knows he is dealing with a paper tiger there. He needs Chinese support to put out the anti-Russian fire and it appears that the Chinese are not ready to go the route of wholesale redrawing of borders.
"…Ukraine’s Defense Ministry insists they’re doing it all for Europe,
and that the fate of the entire continent is at stake…"
I didn't know there were any copies of Mein Kampf still in circulation…