Is Putin using his accelerating invasion of Ukraine to throw down the gauntlet to NATO and the US?

There is something quite arrogant that,

Rebels Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego

"A representative of pro-Russian rebels said on Friday he was traveling to the Belarussian capital Minsk for talks with envoys from Kiev, Moscow and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a separatist news agency reported." (Alessandra Prentice and Natalia Zinets : Reuters : Fri Jan 30, 2015) (my emphasis)

even though,

OSCE chairman Ivica Dacic

"The press service for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the Foreign Ministry said they had no information whether a Ukrainian envoy was traveling to Minsk for talks on Friday.


The OSCE, whose chairman Ivica Dacic said on Thursday he hoped new talks would be held in Minsk "as soon as possible," declined to comment on Pushilin's statements." (ibid Prentice and Zinets) (my emphasis)


This rather obscene diplomatic ploy by Putin, whilst the level of indiscriminate killing by his proxies in eastern Ukraine, as well as by his invading Russian soldiers, has rapidly accelerated as yet more arms and Russian soldiers pour across the border into Ukraine signifies, more than anything else, that Putin is trying to cover his naked invasion of Ukraine with a rather pathetic figleaf.

It is thus rather timely that,

"The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has passed a resolution declaring Russia to be an aggressor state and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics to be terrorist organizations." (UTR : Tuesday, 27 January 2015) (my emphasis)

Anna Gopko

Furthermore, as the Head of Ukraine's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs Anna Gopko said, quoting the text of the resolution,

""It is necessary to declare the Russian Federation to be an aggressor state that has fully supported terrorism and blocked the activities of the UN Security Council, putting international peace and security at threat,"  (ibid UTR) (my emphasis)

and that it is,

"It is necessary to limit the authorities of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe while Russia ignores the demands of the international democratic community," (ibid UTR) (my emphasis)

 Then there is the adoption of the conclusions of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council Meeting held in Brussels on the 29th January. The Trojan Horse conclusion, that has the fingerprints of the 'fragrant' Federica Mogherini all over it, states that,

"..... Moreover, it calls on the High Representative and the Commission to present within a week a proposal on additional listings for decision at the FAC on February 9, 2015. The Council will continue to closely follow the situation on the ground and the current diplomatic efforts, and asks that further preparatory work by the Commission Services and the EEAS be undertaken on any appropriate action, aiming at ensuring a swift and comprehensive implementation of the Minsk agreements." (Council of the EU : 29/01/2015)

The key phrase here is, " on any appropriate action, aiming at ensuring a swift and comprehensive implementation of the Minsk agreements. ". Why? 

Because it seems rather co-incidental  that suddenly Putin's eastern Ukraine proxies are today headed for Minsk, ostensibly to try and rescusitate the original Minsk talks. 

It is therefore no wonder that the press service for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the Foreign Ministry said that, 

"... they had no information whether a Ukrainian envoy was traveling to Minsk for talks on Friday.[i.e. today]" (ibid Prentice and Zinets) (my emphasis)

 

Yet again one is left to wonder who may have tipped off  Putin about that 'key' phrase before the Brussels meeting on the 29th January [i.e. yesterday], so that his obscene 'diplomatic' ploy in sending his proxies to Minsk could so swiftly be put into action. 

Let us just remind ourselves of what has recently transpired in eastern Ukraine.

Russian tanks heading for Ukraine

Mariupol bombing

Lituanian Foreign Secretary on events in Mariupol

Refugees fleeing from eastern Ukraine regions controlled by Putin's proxies

   

  
The Economist declares that,

"After several months of relative quiet in Ukraine and at home, [Putin] has raised the stakes. In Ukraine, he has shattered a fragile ceasefire, along with last September’s Minsk peace deal. The rebels are advancing and Mr Putin has called the Ukrainian Army a NATO foreign legion. At the same time, he is building up his defences at home by mobilising paramilitary brigades to fight potential Maidan-style protests. The latest violence in Ukraine is, in many ways, a sign of Mr Putin’s desperation." (The Economist : 30 January 2015) (my emphasis)

Unfortunately, as Gorbachev warns,

"...  the West's decision to respond to the violence by blaming Russia and cutting it off from access to US and European capital markets threatened to spiral into open warfare with dire consequences across the world.
"Where will that lead all of us? A Cold War is already being waged openly. What's next?" the 83-year-old Nobel peace prize winner asked.
"Unfortunately I cannot say for sure that a Cold War will not lead to a 'hot' one." (AFP : Thursday, 29 Jan 2015) (my emphasis)

What also gives absolute credence to Gorbachev's statement is the fact that,

"Russia's top general said on Friday a strong nuclear arsenal will ensure military superiority over the West as Moscow forges ahead with a multi-billion dollar plan to modernize its forces by 2020". (Credit: Reuters/Aleksey Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/Kremlin : Reuters : Fri Jan 30, 2015) (my emphasis)

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov watch military exercises in Russia's Zabaykalsky region July 17, 2013.

 Is this why,

"Russian war planes have increasingly been spotted over Europe in recent months. Britain summoned the Russian ambassador on Thursday (29 January 2015) to complain about two Russian long-range bombers that flew over the English Channel, forcing British authorities to reroute civil aircraft." (ibid Reuters/Aleksey Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/Kremlin)

Is all of this a sign of Putin's 'desperation', as the Economist contends? Is his 'desperation' also signified by his proxies in eastern Ukraine suddenly turning up in Minsk today (30 January 2015), one day after the EU's Foreign Affairs Council Meeting held in Brussels on the 29th January? Or is Putin really throwing down the gauntlet to NATO ..... more specifically ... to Obama.

(to be continued)