Obama Says ‘Deeply Held Grievance’ Led Putin to Seek Crimea

[TomClash]

Source: NYTimes

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Friday attributed Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its buildup of troops at the border of Ukraine to a deep-seated resentment by President Vladimir V. Putin about the fall of the Soviet Union.

“I think he’s been willing to show a deeply held grievance about what he considers to be the loss of the Soviet Union,” Mr. Obama told Scott Pelley of CBS News in an interview Friday as the president was leaving Rome for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Putin, the president added, “has said that he considers the breakup of the Soviet Union to be tragic. I think there’s a strong sense of Russian nationalism and a sense that somehow the West has taken advantage of Russia in the past.”

Mr. Obama drew attention to the massing of Russian troops along the border of Ukraine, and urged Moscow to enter into talks about a peaceful resolution of the conflict with Ukraine. He said the presence of Russian forces could be an attempt to intimidate Ukraine, or it could be a signal of future military moves.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/29/world/europe/obama-says-deeply-held-grievance-led-putin-to-seek-crimea-annexation.html?_r=0

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Intelligent comments.

[go west young man]

1. If Obama's defining motives....

it's tough to beat the one the BBC put out today. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26761346 Checkmate neocons. They got everything they wanted and they got Obama to do it for them.

[cosmicone]

3. Follow the money

This sounds logical and American energy interests probably were behind CIA's takeover of Ukraine.

[karynnj]

9. There is no proof that the CIA "took over" Ukraine

What seems clear is that Ukraine includes a large block of people who want closer ties to Europe. There is also a large group of people who are strongly linked to Russia. From past elections, these groups may be nearly the same size. The Russian aligned President who left actually ran on seeking closer ties with Europe. The riots started when he rejected the EU offer under pressure from Russia.

The best evidence your ct has is the Nuland tape. However, there is nothing on the tape that suggests the US was doing anything. It was a segment of a discussion of who the players were in the opposition - and opinions on them. This is likely one function of the diplomats in every country. We saw many similar summaries from Wikileaks of State Department cables. Also consider we KNOW the source. The Russians bugged the conversation. This suggests that the portion put out was the MOST damning available.

When the President left, the Parliament set elections in 90 days. The interim President is just that an interim President.

American and European officials have spoken of a Ukraine with ties to both Russia and Ukraine - just as they hoped for the same thing in Moldova, where Russia excluded their wine after Moldova signed an agreement with EU. (That happened at almost the same time as the Nuland visit in Ukraine.)

It is Putin who has amassed troops and declared that he needs to protect the "Russian speakers". It is Putin who has annexed the Crimea and over half the world's countries in the UN GA condemned it.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

14. The Nuland tape has as much bearing on what happened in Ukraine...

....as some guy's fantasy football team had a bearing on who won the Super Bowl.

Seriously, that tape just sounded like Nuland and Pratt were playing fantasy football over Ukraine.

[karynnj]

18. Agreed - they were simply discussing the possible players and what they thought of them

Not to mention, this was what the Russians thought was the MOST INCRIMINATING piece.

It is mind boggling that the Russians have annexed part of Ukraine and - as much as anyone, precipitated the coup by pushing the Russian aligned President to renege on EU ties that he was supposedly for when he ran -- and posters here are repeating propaganda from RT.

[JackRiddler]

23. You know the source of the Nuland tape?

How is that? What's your evidence on the source?

[karynnj]

7. Nothing in that article speaks of neocons

It describes the US production of national gas from our shale resources. There are MAJOR issues with this environmentally that are not mentioned here. Their main point is that the US is now producing more fossil energy than it is using. This could lead to lower world prices - as the NET US demand - supply has gone from a HUGE positive to a negative. It is obvious that if our energy costs are less, we will have an economic advantage.

As Russia's economy is highly dependent on its energy production, it is obvious that anything that lowers international market prices hurts them.

There is NOTHING nefarious in the US acting to become energy independent. It has been a national goal - for both parties - since at least the Carter administration. If anything, it will make the US less dependent on unstable countries for oil.

My personal concern is NOT that increased US production will hurt Russia, but that fracking will harm large areas in the US and their water supply.

[cosmicone]

2. Yeah yeah .... West's land grab threatening Russian

Navy's strategic operations from warm water ports had nothing to do with it right? right?

[mrchips]

4. Benghazi?

Putin invaded Crimea. But just like FAUX News ditto heads, idiots on this site conclude Obama must have made Putin do it.

[freshwest]

5. What Obama says here:

Mr. Putin, the president added, “has said that he considers the breakup of the Soviet Union to be tragic. I think there’s a strong sense of Russian nationalism and a sense that somehow the West has taken advantage of Russia in the past.”

Matches exactly what some of the Russians I know have said they feel. It's not just Putin's idea. This is part of their world view.

[reformist2]

6. Other nations should start psychologizing the behavior of the US.

[Lars28]

12. Diagnosis: narcissistic megalomania.

Amiright?

[arewenotdemo]

16. By all indications.

[adirondacker]

8. I actually think it is a distraction for the economic woes that the deep seated corruption has

inflicted on the masses in Russia. The citizens are being fooled into believing that their Oligarchy has their best interest in mind.

[snappyturtle]

10. Could be said of the U.S. too. nt

[Lars28]

11. Exactly. nt

[adirondacker]

15. Interesting how that works.

[Lars28]

19. When you point the finger at someone...

...there are 3 fingers pointing back at you and a thumb pointed up to God.

[uppityperson]

21. God lives in my middle finger?

When I point my index finger, my thumb curls into my hand on to my middle finger.

[Lars28]

22. Uh-oh. :)

[Sunlei]

13. I don't know if Putin could understand such a gracious, intelligent statement.

Get your military and your angry Putin ass- back to your corrupt, criminal, economic disaster of a 'country'!!!!

Получите ваш военные и ваш сердитый Путина задницу назад к вашему коррумпированной, преступной, экономической катастрофы в «страны» !!!!

[snappyturtle]

17. It may be gracious but it's also simplistic and easy for media dumbed

down Americans to get behind. imho

[hollowdweller]

20. Obama is always trys

To be non confrontational in his statements. However if you listen to a lot of the statements about Putin you can pretty much discern that he thinks he's a half crazy throwback to the cold war who is not very well hung together mentally. I think it was a huge letdown for Obama I think he really hit it off with Medvedved and thought they would work today.

[JackRiddler]

24. Sounds like he's preparing for a concordat of some kind...

Looking for a line where he can show understanding while announcing disapproval, and create an opening for deescalation. Better than WWIII, right? No one ever said the man is stupid (which is why the apologias for the Iraq war can't be parsed away, incidentally).

U.S.G. logically would be looking to settle this on the basis of the current stand. They're ahead in the imperialist game. The West gets to economically sack the Ukraine for at least a few years, while Russia keeps Crimea as consolation.

It will probably work as an arrangement, except for what may develop within Ukraine. The very likely neo-liberal/right government coming up after elections will be implementing debt slavery and austerity. They'll have nothing to offer the people, other than the divisive strategy we've seen in the coup (oh, sorry, interim) regime: stoking Ukrainian ethno-nationalism with a Russian image of the enemy. This will foster and encourage the Nazi types and keep the situation explosive.