David Cameron compares Russia to Nazi Germany on eve of Putin meeting
Source: The Telegraph (London)
By Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent, Canberra
5:09AM GMT 14 Nov 2014
David Cameron has compared Russia to Nazi Germany because of its actions in the Ukraine on the eve of a tense meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Mr Cameron will on Saturday night challenge Mr Putin about Russia’s continued acts of aggression in the Ukraine as it supplies heavy weapons and tanks to the separatists.
In a reference to World War II, Mr Cameron said that the world must “learn the lessons of history” and intervene to stop “a larger state bullying a smaller state”.
He said: "Russian action in Ukraine is unacceptable. We have to be clear about what we are dealing with. It is a large state bullying a smaller state in Europe.
"We have seen the consequences of that in the past and we should learn the lessons of history and make sure we don't let it happen again."
Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/11230326/David-Cameron-compares-Russia-to-Nazi-Germany-on-eve-of-Putin-meeting.html
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Feral Child
(2,086 posts)
pampango
(24,692 posts)Yet despite the extreme Right’s much-vaunted irredentism, it has also mounted strong critiques of the very modern phenomenon of globalization. The internationalization of capitalism, its unprecedented ability to cross the boundaries of national political and legal jurisdictions, has led to a sea-change in the way fascists respond to the vital question ‘where does the national interest lie’. Today, fascist and nationalist movements don’t just wave the flag of the nation-state. Despising the liberal values of Europe, deploring the subservient actions of European governments in the face of the EU’s hegemonizing tendencies, extreme-right leaders gaze admiringly across the EU border to authoritarian leaders abroad, longing for the day when they too can govern illiberally.
But for many of the up-and-coming demagogues of the populist and anti-Communist extreme Right, ranging from UKIP’s Nigel Farage to the FN’s Marine Le Pen, from Gábor Vona of Jobbik to Nikos Michaloliakos of Golden Dawn, it is the autocratic leadership of Russian president Vladimir Putin that is most admired and emulated.
HRF suggests that eight European far-Right parties – the Austrian Freedom Party (FPO), Vlaams Belang of Belgium, the FN in France, the German National Democratic Party, Golden Dawn, Jobbik, Lega Nord in Italy and the Lithuanian Order and Justice party (TT) – have aligned themselves with Russian interests and hints that Russia is funding some or all of these parties. In the context of the ‘Trojan Horse’ theory, the modest gains for the extreme Right in the European parliamentary elections could be seen as ‘a victory for Moscow’.
Despite this analytical weakness, there are solid accounts of the roots of Golden Dawn in its support for past military dictatorships, new information on anti-immigration violence and a welcome critique of the government’s failure to allow non-Greeks the benefits of witness protection schemes (which would have allowed immigrants to give evidence against Golden Dawn), as well as intimations that GD’s ability to maintain seventy offices and distribute food to the poor could be due to the financial backing of major ship owners and businessmen. Rather oddly, though, there is no mention of the mass racial profiling, Operation Zeus, under which, between April 2012 and June 2013, more than 120,000 foreign nationals were subjected to identity checks and countless were exposed to racism, brutality and other abuses of their human rights.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/protecting-european-democracy-or-reviving-the-cold-war-the-rising-tide-of-fascism/5407372
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Vladimir Putin has admitted for the first time that he is prepared for his country to face a “catastrophic” slump in oil prices, as David Cameron said Europe would have no choice but to step up sanctions if the Russian president did not abide by previous agreements to respect Ukraine’s independence.
Putin was speaking before a bilateral meeting with Cameron on the margins of the G20 summit in Brisbane. The meeting is likely to be a bruising affair, especially after the British prime minister likened Russia to Nazi Germany, saying Europe had learned lessons from history about the way that a big country could bully others.
Putin said Russia’s economy had the reserves to withstand a collapse in oil revenues, but added: “We are considering all the scenarios including the so-called catastrophic fall of prices for energy resources which is entirely possible and we admit it.”
He said he regarded sanctions as pointless, illegal and likely to harm not just Russian but world trade. “This contradicts international law because sanctions can only be imposed within the framework of the United Nations and its security council.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/14/putin-russia-oil-price-collapse-sanctions-g20
bemildred
(90,061 posts)KIEV: Ukraine's top priority is to build an army strong enough to stop Russian military aggression, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said on Friday, as the country's military reported more deaths in a separatist conflict.
Ukraine has accused Russia of sending soldiers and weapons to help pro-Russian rebels in eastern regions launch a new offensive in a conflict that has killed more than 4,000 people.
"Building an army, which is capable of stopping aggression from Russia, is the number one task," Yatseniuk said in a televised briefing with journalists in which he gave his recommendations for top positions in a new coalition government.
Increasing violence, truce violations and reports of unmarked armed convoys travelling from the direction of the Russian border have aroused fears that a shaky Sept. 5 truce could collapse.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/ukraines-main-task-is-to-build-army-to-stop-russia-pm-yatseniuk/articleshow/45149192.cms
That last bit is interesting, as IIRC the rebels in the East ended the cease fire some time ago.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed today a decree which declares the first day of last year's pro-EU protests an official holiday.
TASS reports that November 21 will be celebrated as Day of Dignity and Freedom, according to the President's press service.
The protests started after the refusal of the then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union.
http://www.novinite.com/articles/164767/Poroshenko+Declares+Start+of+Pro-EU+Protests+Official+Holiday
bemildred
(90,061 posts)PARIS (AP) -- The French president will meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the coming days, amid renewed Western concern about violence in Ukraine and mounting Russian pressure on France over a stalled warship deal.
An official in the French president's office said Friday that Francois Hollande will meet with Putin at the G-20 summit in Australia this weekend, where Ukraine's unrest is a point of division among world leaders.
A cease-fire in Ukraine has effectively collapsed and convoys of weaponry have been seen in rebel-held areas. Some European leaders have urged more sanctions against Russia and Russian-backed separatists.
Meanwhile, France suspended delivery of a billion-euro helicopter carrier to Russia because of the Ukraine tensions. The ship was scheduled for handover this year, and France risks big penalties if it doesn't deliver.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_RUSSIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-11-14-04-19-26
bemildred
(90,061 posts)A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it's important to continue talking with Russia's president despite disagreements about Ukraine.
The comment followed the release of an interview with President Vladimir Putin in which he denied any rift with Merkel.
German government spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz said Friday that Merkel "has been talking with the Russian president for weeks and months, since the beginning of the crisis" and "listens to what the Russian president has to say."
As the cease-fire in Ukraine effectively collapsed and convoys of unidentified weaponry were recently seen in rebel-held areas, some European leaders called for more sanctions against Russia and the separatists it backs.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russias-putin-denies-rift-germans-merkel-26905758
bemildred
(90,061 posts)BRUSSELS - Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU has warned Brussels that Russia is preparing “a new full-scaled offensive operation” in Ukraine.
Konstiantyn Yelisieiev wrote in a letter - seen by EUobserver - to EU embassies in Brussels on Wednesday (12 November) that the Russian intention is clear from troop movements and from increasingly hostile anti-Ukraine propaganda.
He urged the EU to put “diplomatic pressure” on Moscow to return to US and EU-mediated peace talks in the so-called Geneva format.
He urged it to impose “a new wave” of preventative sanctions, such as blacklisting more Russian officials and raising the “economic … cost” of Russia's actions.
http://euobserver.com/foreign/126513
bemildred
(90,061 posts)MOSCOW/LONDON — Russia’s international isolation over the conflict in Ukraine does not include the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
As the US and European Union impose asset freezes and visa bans on some of his closest allies, President Vladimir Putin has received his annual invitation to the event in January, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Russia’s presence at Davos shows no sign of ending after Mr Putin initiated the biggest international crisis since the Cold War with the seizure of the Crimean Peninsula. Russian companies throw some of the glitziest parties at the ski resort and two banks under sanctions, OAO VTB Bank and OAO Sberbank, are "strategic partners" of the World Economic Forum.
Some attendees say there is no point in shying away from inviting potentially controversial guests. This year, Davos hosted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose country is subject to sanctions over its nuclear programme.
http://www.bdlive.co.za/world/europe/2014/11/14/russia-welcome-at-davos-summit
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Fears may be rising in the West that eastern Ukraine could be plunged back into all-out conflict but a new offensive by pro-Russian forces is unlikely any time soon, analysts said Thursday.
The amount of military hardware being moved into the war-torn region is insufficient for a major operation, which would probably not be launched during Ukraine's harsh winter, experts told AFP.
Instead, the deployments may be designed to deter Ukraine from launching a bid to reclaim the territories or send a message to a domestic audience in Russia.
"There is a positional war of attrition going on. Any large-scale offensives are highly unlikely," said Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst based in Moscow.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/new-ukraine-offensive-unlikely-despite-build-up-fears-experts/article/414982
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that US and EU sanctions will harm not just Russia but the global economy.
He said the sanctions were a mistake, going against trade accords and only the UN had the right to impose them.
The sanctions were introduced over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's region of Crimea and its alleged involvement in eastern Ukraine.
Mr Putin was speaking ahead of the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, which is to focus mainly on promoting growth.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30051352
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)hollowdweller
(4,229 posts)I certainly think the US overplayed it's hand in the wake of the cold war ending. I don't think we took the feelings of the Russians too much into consideration and some of our decisions have sort of messed up our relations. I think this is partly due to the Bush admin hawkish stances.
However I really think Putin is somebody to worry about. I'm not wanting to see us get into any potentially nuclear conflict and I'm certainly not wanting to see his brinksmanship give the US military industrial complex any excuse to further push a new cold war to increase their profits.
The republican party that used to be fairly diplomatic foreign policy wise is now sort of unhinged as far as their foreign policy braintrust and combined with Putin it's NOT a good combo!
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Donetsk, Ukraine - Signs of a conflict are everywhere in war-torn Donetsk, but with glimmers of normalcy. Shelling can still be heard despite a ceasefire, but that doesn't deter pedestrians in this rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine.
Roads remain relatively empty in what was once home to about one million people, however.
On one street in the city centre, a shoe store blares dance music from its entrance. Next door, a shop is closed up with tape across its windows - a common sight here as the adhesive protects the glass from shattering during artillery fire.
Most businesses have closed, some boarded up, but the grocery stores that remain open are well-stocked.
At night, the few bars operating are visited by women in full make-up and heels who stand next to booths filled with men carrying rifles and wearing camouflage. Old billboards advertising spring clothing dot a main road, oblivious to a recent snowfall.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/11/ukraine-separatist-vote-stirs-up-tensions-201411315753377183.html
Bragi
(7,650 posts)Seriously, why should it matter to anyone other than the contestants what Russia does with/to/for some of the countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union?
Why should we care that Russian-speaking Crimea is again part of Russia, which has been the case for what, hundreds of years?
In particular, why should it matter to anyone who isn't there whether the majority Russian speakers in east Ukraine are governed as part of Russia, or as part of the non-Russian Ukraine? Why can't they be left to decide?
And how do the western politicians vying to win the Nobel Prize in Anti-Putin Rhetoric help me or anyone by taking actions that could result in the collapse of the not-insignificant Russian economy, with huge adverse repercussions for Russians, Europeans, and the global economy?
Personally, I think this whole anti-Russian, cold warriorish thing is likely to do great harm, with no likely gain.
I think our mouthy leaders ought to knock it off. Calm down. Let things work themselves out.
Respectfully submitted.