The New Cold 2 - Ukraine Crisis

Telegraph: Reports the following Moscow reaction to the Western sanctions, " Russia risks new Cold War, Western leaders warn, as Putin prepares to swallow Crimea ".

Lets Get Real:

It seems from the article that tomorrow is the start of the new cold war 2, Putin is to address the Russian Parliament tomorrow were it is expected he will formally take Crimea in to the Russian Federation.   Thus the West will have to increase its sanctions on Russia, otherwise they will look weak and will be seen as  following a policy of appeasing Putin, very much like the West did in the 1930s with Hitler.   The BIG question is will Putin stop at the Crimea, or does plan to take over the Eastern Ukraine, that is a open question, the West has to man up and make it clear to Moscow that there are some red lines that can not be crossed no matter the results for the West.   At the end of the day this is about freedom, if its ALL about money what is the point. 

Western Sanctions " WEAK " - Ukraine Crisis

Guardian: Reports the following reaction on the US/EU sanctions, " US rejects criticism of 'toothless' sanctions following Crimea referendum..Russia issues decree recognising Crimea as sovereign state as US and EU enact measures against 32 Russians and Ukrainians ".

Lets Get Real:

This blog is the first to be critical of President Obama and the EU, but at least lets see if these sanctions have any effect, if not then go for biting sanctions, its a signal  to Moscow that the West is in the game, if Russia formally takes over the Crimea then the West should consider tougher sanctions, if there is a threat to Eastern Ukraine then we have to at least make it clear that the East is a line that Russia can not cross, yes another red line, NATO should send a couple of thousand goodwill troops to the Western border of the Ukraine, and yes a few fighter planes and tanks.   If we have to punch lets make sure our fist is steel and snaps the claws of the Russian Bear. 

Putin on Crimea Vote - Ukraine Crisis Latest

BBC News: Reports the following, " Russian President Putin recognises Crimea as nation ".

Lets Get Real:

This is an interesting move by Putin, it allows him a get out clause, the Kremlin is wondering if the new sanctions have any effect on Putin' s supporters and it allows Moscow to go either way, if Putin thinks that the West will never impose tougher sanctions he can take Crimea, if on other hand more serious sanctions come that  effect him he might decide to allow Crimea to stay in limbo, part of Russia without being a formal part of Rusisia, interesting strategic move by Moscow. 

US Sanctions on Russia - Ukraine Crisis

The White House: Statement by President Obama on US sanctions on Russia for the Crisis in the Ukraine, " Today, I’m announcing a series of measures that will continue to increase the cost on Russia and on those responsible for what is happening in Ukraine.  First, as authorized by the executive order I signed two weeks ago, we are imposing sanctions on specific individuals responsible for undermining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and government of Ukraine.  We’re making it clear that there are consequences for their actions.

Second, I have signed a new executive order that expands the scope of our sanctions.  As an initial step, I’m authorizing sanctions on Russian officials -- entities operating in the arms sector in Russia and individuals who provide material support to senior officials of the Russian government.  And if Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine, we stand ready to impose further sanctions.

Third, we’re continuing our close consultations with our European partners, who today in Brussels moved ahead with their own sanctions against Russia.  Tonight, Vice President Biden departs for Europe, where he will meet with the leaders of our NATO allies -- Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.  And I’ll be traveling to Europe next week.  Our message will be clear.  As NATO allies, we have a solemn commitment to our collective defense, and we will uphold this commitment.

Fourth, we’ll continue to make clear to Russia that further provocations will achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world.  The international community will continue to stand together to oppose any violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continued Russian military intervention in Ukraine will only deepen Russia’s diplomatic isolation and exact a greater toll on the Russian economy.

Going forward, we can calibrate our response based on whether Russia chooses to escalate or to de-escalate the situation.  Now, I believe there’s still a path to resolve this situation diplomatically in a way that addresses the interest of both Russia and Ukraine.  That includes Russia pulling its forces in Crimea back to their bases, supporting the deployment of additional international monitors in Ukraine, and engaging in dialogue with the Ukrainian government, which has indicated its openness to pursuing constitutional reform as they move forward towards elections this spring.

But throughout this process, we’re going to stand firm in our unwavering support for Ukraine.  As I told Prime Minister Yatsenyuk last week, the United States stands with the people of Ukraine and their right to determine their own destiny.  We’re going to keep working with Congress and our international partners to offer Ukraine the economic support that it needs to weather this crisis and to improve the daily lives of the Ukrainian people.

And as we go forward, we’ll continue to look at the range of ways we can help our Ukrainian friends achieve their universal rights and the security, prosperity and dignity that they deserve."

Lets Get Real:

This is at least is a start, these sanctions in combination with EU sanctions will hardly have Putin running to take his troops back from the Crimea but at least it shows that the Oval is starting to man up in his fight with Putin, slow hits first then if that does not work harder sanctions.   Lets see how Putin's rich friends react to these sanctions.  Welcome to a New Cold War 2.