Putin's Russia and Ukraine at the critical point of full-scale war

Yesterday (Nov 17,2014) Putin warned in an interiew in Germany that he won’t let Ukraine defeat the eastern rebels.

"You want the Ukrainian central authorities to annihilate everyone there, all of their political foes and opponents,” Putin said in an interview yesterday with Germany’s ARD television. “Is that what you want? We certainly don’t. And we won’t let it happen.” (Kateryna Choursina and James G. Neuger Nov 17, 2014) (my emphasis)

Putin interview in Germany (ARD Television) shortly after the G20 Summit

In his interview, Mr Putin [also] said that "anyone waging a fight that they believe fair will find weapons".

The Full Interview (English) (Germany's ARD Television)

Meanwhile, as Roland Oliphant reports (Dnepropetrovsk 17 Nov 2014), Angela Merkel is warning that,

" ...Russia could seek to destabilise vast areas of eastern Europe if it is not challenged in Ukraine ..

[Her] strongly worded statement came as Ukraine's president warned of a resumption of "total war" in the strife-torn country's east. "

 

Finally it would seem that Angela Merkel is waking up to the fact that Putin is really at war with the EU. And in the frontline of this war stands Ukraine. 

"Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko today (Nov 17, 2014) said he is ready for 'total war' against Russia as he claimed the crisis in eastern Europe is more serious than the threat from Islamic State. "   

Ukrainian President Poroshenko

But whilst Poroshenko is mobilizing for a possible all-out war against Russia, EU foreign ministers

" .....said they would add more separatist figures to the bloc's list of sanctioned individuals by the end of this month" (ibid Roland Oliphant)

Furthermore,

" ....EU ministers in Brussels shied away from imposing further sectoral sanctions against Russia." (BBC: Nov 17, 2014)

 

The 'fragrant' Mogherini explaining the feeble response of many EU foreign ministers to Putin's escalation of Russia's war against Ukraine 

What is even more galling is that the 'fragrant' Mogherini has stated that,

" ......sanctions would not work unless Ukraine reforms moved ahead." 

So while Ukraine may very soon be at war with Russia, the 'fragrant Mogherini wants Ukraine to start reforming its institutions to make sanctions work. 

Maybe those EU foreign ministers tacitly supporting Putin, including the 'fragrant Mogherini, need to watch a short review of the development and escalation of Putin's war with Ukraine. (Daily Telegraph)

(to be continued)