EU to Put Off More Sanctions as Russia Backs Ukraine Vote

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Bloomberg

European Union leaders are set to put off further sanctions on Russia after President Vladimir Putin showed a willingness to work with Ukraine’s new leader.

An EU summit in Brussels will focus on aiding Ukraine’s economy and helping President-elect Petro Poroshenko stabilize the country, which has been rocked by pro-Russian insurgencies in the south and east. Russia has said it will respect the vote and has pulled some of its troops from Ukraine’s border.

“No one will opt to impose new sanctions right away but we should unanimously say that Europe is ready for further sanctions if Russia doesn’t give up its policy to support separatists,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country shares a border with Ukraine, told reporters before the summit.

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Russia has yet to cross over the line that would trigger “stage three” sanctions -- EU code for broader economic penalties that could restrict investment or trade with Russia.

Asked whether new sanctions are in the offing, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said: “I don’t think so. We foresee respect on the Russian side that we have a president now incoming with the support of the Ukrainian people.”



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-27/eu-to-put-off-more-sanctions-as-russia-backs-ukraine-vote.html

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Anyone who thought otherwise - tough. It was already clear that further sanctions of any significance wouldn't pass muster anyway.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. meanwhile all hell broke loose at the Donetsk airport.

This is a complicated game.

[joshcryer]

4. OP ain't posting about the 100+ dead insurgents.

For whatever reason. Watching the pro-Putin fascists on Twitter, it's clear they don't want anyone to know that the newly elected President in Ukraine put the hammer down hard on marauding armed groups fucking shit up. VICE News got video of those fascists storming polling stations, tearing down any Ukraine flags, and preventing them from voting (with women, btw, who were manning the polling stations, completely unarmed and completely unprotected).

And now it's past or close to pass the 24 hour mark or I'd bother to post about the routing the pro-Russia fascists had yesterday. Should be the same today. You don't go around with machine guns terrorizing an entire region. That's Cliven Bundy crap.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. it is marvelous how you can magically lump the dead into categories

and dismiss them according to the correct agenda as not worthy of concern.

How's Libya working out? That went well, right?

[geek tragedy]

6. Thugs who kidnap journalists and election observers

and who use armed force to disrupt elections are generally considered the bad guys at DU, even if they are hostile to the US and EU.

The Ukraine's versions of Cliven Bundy on steroids are being dealt with as we would demand were the Bundy thugs to take similar actions here.

[joshcryer]

7. Armed insurgents are terrorists, full stop.

Libya's going to do just fine after the armed terrorists (who didn't win a single election) are routed. There's a reason the US isn't condemning Hifter's actions to rout and destroy the radical islamist elements, dude is likely being guided (and armed) by the US. He worked for Langley, you know, the CIA Langley.

It's marvelous how you can somehow think that armed terrorists are somehow categorizable outside of, you know, being armed terrorists. 100 dead terrorists in Ukraine? It'll be 300 today. Then they'll scurry away into their pathetic little Putin inspired holes.

[davidpdx]

2. No, what is clear is the first two rounds from the EU as well as the sanctions by the US

hurt more than some would rather admit. The EU may have said they won't place additional sanctions, but that doesn't rule out the US doing so. I personally think both sides have backed down enough that the situation will stay stable, the sanctions will eventually be eased and Crimea will remain part of Russia.

And for anyone who responds that I want war, please prove it. I've been solidly against the Afghanistan and Iraq wars from the beginning. I don't support the use of troops in this situation, I didn't support them for use in Syria when that was a big kerfuffle on DU, and I don't support troops in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians or Iran.

[joshcryer]

3. Exactly, freaking Putin is recognizing the elections.

If it was going Russia's way, they would've not recognized the elections, and called for a referendum in the east. As it stands now they're backing down completely. We're talking $220 billion in capital flight. That's like 100x what Ukraine owes to Russia.