So we do not want a compromise.

[Dondilion]

Apparently the EU realized that when in last November it forced Ukraine to
choose between Russia and EU it dealt the leader of Ukraine a bad hand.

The Russians were saying why not Russia and the Eu, but that was rejected.

Ukraine was in a bad shape and the EU was not prepared to pay the price.
The only Russia was prepared to pay the price.

The Ukraine leader then decided to sing the Russian tune and this brought out to the streets anti Russians, patriots and people who just want to emigrate to EU.

Anyhow overtime the extremists took over the streets and sidelined the moderates. The streets now are ruled by anti Semites, racists and hard lined fascists.

The EU realized that situation is unraveling and decide to sue for a compromise ...a negotiated settlement.
But we want no part of that. We are more hard line than the hard line.
We want to rub Russia face in the ground.

A bugged conversation of one of our senior diplomat to the EU, indicates insults to our allies and exposes our hardline stance.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-diplomat-39...115853335.html

[finnbow]

It actually brings to light what everybody knew already. Vestiges of Cold War geopolitics remain intact. Gotta hand it to the Russians for using Youtube to further their designs on Ukraine. It looks like the folks of western Ukraine will be dragged against their wishes under Putin's thumb (where the folks in the east seem perfectly comfortable). I suppose you could call us hard line. You could also call the EU feckless. It has long been a foreign policy ideal of the USA to support fledgling democracies and I think there's little doubt that Ukraine would be more democratic with a European orientation than with a Russian one.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by finnbow

It looks like the folks of western Ukraine will be dragged against their wishes under Putin's thumb (where the folks in the east seem perfectly comfortable).

Basically, Putin's still an ass.

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Basically, Putin's still an ass.

Yes for wanting to hand over Russian assets to a man who is not in control.

[finnbow]

I'm less concerned about pissing off Putin than Angela Merkel. To me, it seems as though the Ukrainians have a choice of becoming a country like the Czech Republic, Hungary or Poland or one like Belarus or Kazakhstan. It's pretty clear to me what kind of country I'd prefer to live in. As for Merkel, she had taken a pretty good load of criticism within Germany for her feckless handling of the Ukraine situation. That's why she's pissed. Deserved criticism (albeit with unnecessarily salty language) hurts a lot more than undeserved criticism.

[piece-itpete]

F the EU lol. I don't know the real situation, but I don't trust Putin either.

Pete