Exclusive: Putin Halts All Talks With White House

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Daily Beast

As new U.S. sanctions against Russia loom, the Kremlin has shut down—at least for now—intensive high level communications between top U.S. and Russian officials.

Since the invasion of Crimea, President Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama have had regular phone calls in an often half-hearted attempt to deescalate the ongoing crisis inside Ukraine. But as the U.S. and EU prepare to unveil new sanctions against Russia, Putin has decided the interactions should stop. The Kremlin has ended high-level contact with the Obama administration, according to diplomatic officials and sources close to the Russian leadership. The move signals an end to the diplomacy, for now.

“Putin will not talk to Obama under pressure,” said Igor Yurgens, Chairman of the Institute for Contemporary Development, a prominent Moscow think tank, and a close associate of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. “It does not mean forever.”

Obama and Putin last spoke over the phone on April 14, a call that the White House said was initiated at Moscow’s request. Obama urged Putin in the call to end Kremlin support for armed, pro-Russian activists creating unrest in eastern Ukraine. Obama also warned that the U.S. would impose more “costs” on Russia if Putin continued his current course. According to the Kremlin’s readout of the call, Putin denied Russian interference in eastern Ukraine and said “that such speculations are based on inaccurate information.”

Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/25/exclusive-putin-halts-all-talks-with-white-house.html

[Bosonic]

1. Denied (sort of) by state dept

The US has not suspended interactions between U.S.-Russian leadership counterparts, and has not been informed by Russian govt that it has.

https://twitter.com/statedeptspox/status/459798161696256001

[dipsydoodle]

3. I would assume

that Russia may not have bothered telling the WH if all communication has been shut down.

[Bosonic]

4. Hence the (sort of)

[dipsydoodle]

7. Did you read the comments on the link you posted ?

[Bosonic]

8. yes, most suspect diplomatic sophistry afoot

[dipsydoodle]

10. I liked

"give them a poke on FB"

[geek tragedy]

2. All this means is that the Russians won't be lying to Kerry or Obama's faces. nt

[jakeXT]

5. "inaccurate information" ? Is someone reading the NYT?

Mr. Nurick said discussion had already begun inside the administration about where and under what conditions the United States might engage with Russia in the future. “But I can’t imagine this administration expending a lot of political capital on this relationship except to manage it so that the other things they care about a lot more than Russia are not injured too badly,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/world/europe/in-cold-war-echo-obama-strategy-writes-off-putin.html

[maryellen99]

6. This is going to end well..not

Am I the only one who thinks World War III has already started?

[lostincalifornia]

11. this is not WWIII. What will be the most likely scenario if Putin invades eastern Ukraine is that

Russia will have opened themselves to another Afghanistan. Yes, the U.S. will continue with sanctions, and legislation will probably be passed to stop Exxon and other potential deals that would have meant and influx of money to the Russians. In addition, I have no doubt that behind the scene support will occur from the west to Ukraine. It will be a long and drawn out process, and eventually, Russia will withdraw, because it is to costly to maintain an Army in Ukraine.

[kardonb]

12. WW 3

the cold war NEVER ended ! I really think Putin is going nuts , megalomanic ravings and totally irresponsible behavior .

[KoKo]

14. I dunno...Kerry's Ravings seem pretty Megalomanical to my ear....

to each his own...I guess.

[Comrade Grumpy]

18. Americans have the bad habit of calling their enemies crazy. n/t

[ballyhoo]

21. No. It has started. I am not as sanguine as

others here that it will end any time soon. And there will be prices to pay on both sides. By mid-July we will know how bad it is going to get, IMO. It's another bankers' war.

[awoke_in_2003]

9. Putin wants the Soviet empire back. nt

[KoKo]

15. That tired Meme is all around put out by US State Department to whip the crowds in USA up

to give more of our tax dollars to the Pentagon, CIA/FBI (now involved with CIA in International) and the Usual War Crowd who get whipped up seeing $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ SIGNS whenever an "unwinding of current wars" takes hold in American Psyche.

[olddad56]

13. I have to wonder who is pulling the strings on these two puppets.

[KoKo]

16. Some of us don't wonder anymore. The history says...same folks who led us into

Middle East...Iraq/Afghanistan/Libya/Syria/Ukraine/Sudan/Africom. WE ARE EVERYWHERE.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

17. Putin's too busy getting blown by

Snowden

[Comrade Grumpy]

19. You thought that was a worthy contribution?

[Xolodno]

20. I think we can expect a Russian "security operation"

Putin wanted a federalized and neutered Ukraine as the price of not having Ukraine squarely in Russia's influence. The US did not give any indication they were amicable to it. Only thing I heard on that was they thought they could add it to the election in May...and given that pro Russia candidates were getting some rough treatment in the west Ukraine...it was just lip service.

If Russia intervenes, they will take eastern Ukraine and may go far as Odessa (to hook up with the breakaway republic in Moldavia). Western Ukraine will be a state that's not self sufficient...probably get absorbed or propped up by Poland.

The line about a second round of sanctions is also misleading....its well known that the EU has telegraphed they are not interested in more sanctions against Europe. And then when you add that Russia may use the WTO to eliminate the current ones....well...they won't have any teeth and the EU sanctioning Russia means they sanction themselves.

[grahamhgreen]

22. Lest we forget, this whole mess was instigated by the neocons - leave it alone, Dems.