Obama: New sanctions against Russia are 'teed up'

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Warning Russia that new economic sanctions are "teed up," President Barack Obama accused Moscow of failing to live up to an agreement last week to ease tensions in eastern Ukraine.

Still, he cautioned that the United States needs to secure the support of allies to ensure that additional economic pressure is even applied. He conceded that new sanctions may not change Russian President Vladimir Putin's geopolitical calculations.

"There are some things the United States can do alone but ultimately it's going to have to be a joint effort, a collective effort," Obama said during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Obama's comments underscored the difficulties he faces in devising a response to Russia's aggressive moves on Ukraine's eastern border and the growing unrest in the country driven by pro-Russian insurgents. He did not put a timeline on when sanctions could be applied, saying only it was a matter of days, not weeks.


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/obama-russia-not-abiding-agreement-ukraine

[nyabingi]

1. Obama and his neo-conservative State Department...

...are determined to start a war in Ukraine with their continued provocations (sanctions, moving troops to Poland, vice presidential visits to an illegal, coup-imposed government in Kiev, etc.). The American corporate media is now nothing but a fully-owned subsidiary and mouthpiece of and for the US government (while the government can be said to be a fully-owned subsidiary of corporate America - fascism anyone?) and they have done a masterful job convincing the public, Democrat and Republican, that this is all the fault of the evil, Hitlerish (a comparison made by the neo-connish Hillary Clinton) and nostalgic Vladimir Putin who is spoiling for a fight.

Since we have our allies in power now in Kiev and thus have leverage with them, Obama and Biden should tell the post-coup government to disarm the thugs from Right Sector and to actually pay attention to the grievances of eastern Ukrainians instead of sending in the military to kill their own people.

[davidpdx]

2. Obama is starting a war?

Where have we heard this before?

"OMG Obama is going to send troops to Syria"

Remember that being all over DU for weeks. Remind me how that turned out.

[nyabingi]

6. I never said anything about Obama

sending troops to Syria - you have me confused with someone else.

If he's not actually working on starting one, he is definitely supporting them. He is supporting our supposed arch-enemy al-Qa'ida in Syria though (while drone bombing them in Yemen and Pakistan?), militarizing Africa and supporting homicidal leaders like Paul Kagame, coddling the autocrats of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and failing to rein in the neo-conservatives who, despite Bush being gone since 2008, are continuing to control American foreign policy.

Do you think the US should be considering arming radical jihadists who are traveling from all over the world to fight against Assad's government in Syria? Obama and Kerry do.

[davidpdx]

7. I don't have you confused with anyone

I said that people on DU screamed that Obama was going to send troops to Syria. That did in fact happen. My question is did he? No

You seem to be implying Obama is going to do the same in Ukraine. I'm simply pointing out what a gross over reaction you are making compared to the same one people here on DU made about Obama putting troops in Syria.

[ballyhoo]

10. He didn't send troops because Putin emerged on the

world scene and made a couple of speeches making him look like FDR reborn. Who knows how many ChemWeps Syria kept and where manufacturing has been moved. The rebels there are about squashed now. Real plans were needed by the US. Not token speeches.

[ballyhoo]

8. You are correct in everything you said in both posts. The

neocons, which are not all Republicans, now absolutely need a war to bail the world banks out of eminent default. But it is the banks moving the puppet strings--not the reverse. So war there will be depending on Putin's chess moves. There is only a couple things he can do and China has to get involved in both of them. Victoria Nuland is knee deep in all this crap. She has reinforced her team of nincompoops and is sending them hither and yon to create more havoc. It will get interesting in July when the new reporting requirements for offshore banks goes into effect. Look for that law to be delayed.

[magnolia77]

12. +1. nt

[EX500rider]

13. Anybody starts a war in the Ukraine it will be Putin and his goon squads.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

3. The Ukrainian gov't has every right to bring these criminals to justice

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014786954

And I remind everyone, there's still people who disappeared during the Maidan protests who were never accounted for.
Russia's exports may include killing and disappearing of journalists, but Ukraine ain't buying.

[KoKo]

4. Maybe it's new diplomatic speak.

Last edited Thu Apr 24, 2014, 10:44 AM - Edit history (1)

Nice of him to urge cooperation for sanctions on Russia from Japan. Meanwhile the TPP is being discussed in the back room..or maybe over a game of golf?

[dipsydoodle]

5. United States needs to secure the support of allies......

I guess he means the Marshall Islands and Guam given the chances of support from Europe on economic sanctions is nil.

Yesterday it began to look as though Germany could well join Spain, Portugal, Italy , Greece, Cyprus, Hungary , Bulgaria and and Latvia in rejecting much in the way of economic sanctions........only needs one of the 28 member nations to veto the suggestion.

[ballyhoo]

9. Well if Putin is using gas shipments to leverage

in his position, what can Europe do? The speed of the Crimea annexation changed the dynamic. Gonna take a lot more than teams of agent provocateurs burning spare tires in the public square. What is needed is a real deal-maker.

[BillZBubb]

11. President Obama would do well to not make threats he can't back up.

He needs to have the allies on board first for a list of sanctions. Then apply them a few at a time as the situation demands.