Is Putin finally being confronted?

Oh! What a tangled web we weave

When first we practice to deceive

It would seem that the 'fragrant' Mogherini may be running into the arms of Putin this Friday or so, at least, says the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov. (KyivPost : Feb. 24, 2015) (pic. the 'fragrant' Mogherini and Sergey Lavrov, that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister of Putin)

On a Sunday program (22 Feb. 2015) of the Italian television channel RAI-3 «She tempo che fa» she answered a question of the presenter as follows: 

The 'fragrant Mogherini

""The real question Putin is: what are your intentions? Back to the Cold War? We will not follow this path, for us the logic of the fifties - it's not logic, rather it was his logic (Putin), these last few months. But before the erroneous logic is the worst thing you can do - is to follow this logic. What you need to do is to go back to work, negotiations, now it is his turn to give us the answer. Cease-fire agreement had been reached, an action plan, revision of the constitution, decentralization, it is clear that the situation remains very difficult. Now he (Putin) can prove that he can be part of the solution that will lead to cooperation. It is in the interests of Russian. There's still time. It is in the interests of Russians, Ukrainians, Europeans need to find a solution to this conflict and return to work. " (Cyplive : 24.02.2015) (my emphasis)

But what does the following actually mean?

• "what are your intentions?" Has it not yet sunk into her head that Putin's intentions is to annex bits of Ukraine whilst at the same time trying to prevent the Ukrainians from seeing their future as being part of the EU rather than being a vassal of Russia?
• "for us the logic of the fifties - it's not logic, rather it was his logic ...... But before the erroneous logic is the worst thing you can do - is to follow this logic." How can the 'logic' of the fifties not be 'logic', whilst at the same time be 'logic' for Putin? Surely if it's 'not logic' then it must be 'illogical'
• "What you need to do is to go back to work, negotiations, now it is his turn to give us the answer." Is this to mean that whatever answer Putin gives us we simply have to accept it?
• "Europeans need to find a solution to this conflict and return to work." Has Putin's war with Ukraine put the European nations out of work?

With a  High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy like the 'fragrant Mogherini, who needs an enemy of Ukraine, like Putin, when she is doing rather a good job of being one herself? Is it any wonder that many EU states were against her appointment as the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

And whilst the 'fragrant' Mogherini is considering running into the arms of Putin in Moscow this coming Friday, the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France, met in Paris yesterday (23 Feb. 2015) to try and rescue the failed Minks2 ceasefire.

As reported from Paris by the Associated Press (AP),

"Talks about a fragile peace deal for Ukraine ended in tension Tuesday, with differences over who is at fault over continued violence despite a cease-fire.

The foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France met in Paris amid uncertainty that the accord will hold — in particular a promised withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line." (AP : 24 Feb., 2015) (my emphasis)

   (Ger) Steinheimer         (Ukr) Klimkin               (Fr) Fabius              (Ru) Lavrov

And while these talks in Paris dissolved into nothingness, David Cameron, UK Prime Minister, has decided to send British troops to Ukraine to act purely in a training capacity.

 

"The United Kingdom stunned officials across Europe with a unilateral announcement that it would send 75 troops to Ukraine within the month to train the country's embattled forces in four skill sets – infantry, intelligence, logistics and medical." (KyivPost : Feb. 25, 2015)

"The UK decision followed hot on the heels of the Paris meeting's conclusion, implying impatience and frustration with yet another fruitless round of talks with an intransigent Russia." (ibid KyivPost) (my emphasis)

Lt. General Ben Hodges

"For its part, the US has already pledged a full battalion of advisers to help train three Ukrainian battalions in spring this year, at the Yavariv training center in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

.....The US Army Europe commander, Lt. General Ben Hodges, said American soldiers will teach the Ukrainians how to better defend themselves against "Russian and rebel artillery and rockets." " (ibid KyivPost)

The US and Britain should now take the next step and supply Ukraine with defensive weapons.

Mindful of the fact that President Obama is a 'hairs breadth' away from sending defensive weappons to Ukraine; Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov starts to dish out threats in the event of President Obama giving the green light for sending defensive weapons to Ukraine.
 

Sergey Ryabkov

"If the US were to supply Ukraine with ammunition and weapons, it would “explode the whole situation” in eastern Ukraine and Russia would be forced to respond “appropriately,” Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

“It would be a major blow to the Minsk agreements and would explode the whole situation,” TASS quoted Ryabkov as saying.
 
Moscow would not be able to remain indifferent “to such provocative actions,” he added. “We’ll have to respond appropriately.” (RT : February 24, 2015) (my emphasis)

How Ryabkov could keep a straight face when Putin's Russian soldiers and proxies in eastern Ukraine blew Minsk2 out of the water when they attacked and over-ran Debaltseve, and are at this very moment preparing for an attack upon Mariupol, should simply leave everyone speechless, especially the likes of Merkel and Hollande. 

These threats of Putin should be confronted head-on, as Prime Minister David Cameron suggests.

"“People will be looking at Mariupol as the next potential flashpoint, and if that were to happen, I think the argument for further action would be overwhelming. I think that would be the view of countries like Poland, the Baltic states and many others." (ibid KyivPost) (my emphasis) 

David Cameron and Petro Poroshenko

The $64 question that we should now all be asking ourselves is,

The 'fragrant' Mogherini with Lavrov and Putin

"Will the 'fragrant' Mogherini be running into the arms of Putin this coming Friday, as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov has suggested, in light of all these developments that have taken place?"

Exactly whose side is she on?




(to be continued)