Build up to WW3 - OBAMA is Not Sure of Anything about the UKRAINE CRISIS

Build up to WW3 - OBAMA is Not Sure of Anything about the UKRAINE CRISIS

President Obama expressed skepticism Thursday over a possible diplomatic deal over Ukraine and indicated that he remains ready to impose new sanctions on Russia if necessary.

As for possible consequences, Obama said that "we have to be prepared to potentially respond to what continues to be, you know, efforts of interference by the Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine." The president also said: "I think I've been very clear that military options are not on the table in Ukraine, because this is not a situation that would be amenable to a clear military solution."

Obama said he spoke Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and planned to speak with British Prime Minister David Cameron about options regarding Russia and Ukraine.

The president's statement came just a few hours after Secretary of State John Kerry announced that diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, the European Union and the United States had agreed to a series of steps aimed at de-escalating the violence in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Obama, Kerry and their aides have said they will move to put more economic sanctions on Russia if they do not stop fomenting violence in neighboring Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied the U.S. allegations of interference and protested what he calls the poor treatment of ethnic Russians by the Ukraine government. soros whistleblower

"Our strong preference would be for Mr. Putin to follow through on what is a glimmer of hope coming out of these Geneva talks, but we're not going to count on it until we see it," Obama said.

Asked about the reality of an announced deal with Russia to reduce tension in Ukraine, President Obama was blunt. "I don't think we can be sure of anything at this point," he said at a press conference on Thursday, neatly summarizing the theme of the entire tense scenario from the beginning. Which is exactly how Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to like it.

Kathleen Hennessey of the Los Angeles Times asked Obama how we could "be sure Russia will follow through" on the agreement. We can't be sure, Obama replied. But: "I think there's the possibility — the prospect — that diplomacy may deescalate the situation and we may be able to move toward what has always been our goal, which is to let the Ukrainians make decisions about their own lives."


It's a possibility, sure, but it's not a particularly robust one. The deal, as The Wire reported, is largely a stopgap measure, offering Russia relief from additional sanctions if it steps in to oppose militias in east Ukraine. Obama continued, "The question now becomes: Will they use the influence they have exerted in a disruptive way to restore order so that Ukrainians can carry out an election?" So far, the Russians have shown little indication that they intend to do so.

Each time Obama and Putin get on the phone, the public response from each varies wildly, and displays an unusual amount of overt hostility. "Last month, the administration described a constructive exchange between Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin over a diplomatic proposal to defuse tensions," the Times' Mark Landler wrote. However, "Russia said Mr. Putin warned the president about the 'continued rampage of extremists who are committing acts of intimidation.'" Whatever the conversation and agreement in private, Putin's (and Obama's) public goals are in clear opposition.

Putin's entire strategy in Ukraine appears to be built on misrepresenting his country's position and involvement. "This war," Applebaum wrote, "involves not soldiers but local thugs and volunteers, some linked to the ex-president, Viktor Yanukovych, some from criminal gangs, and some who mistakenly think they are fighting for some form of benign local autonomy." The Russian goal as flexible and camouflaged as its expeditionary forces, adding an additional level of uncertainty for those trying to track the conflict from the the West. Obama was clear that he didn't buy the argument that Putin wasn't involved. "Russia's hand," he said, "is in the disruptions and chaos that we have been seeing."