Time to arm Ukraine against Putin

Matthew Holehouse yesterday reported that,

Dr. Liam Fox (former UK Defence Sec.)

"Dr [Liam] Fox warns that the West must not “appease” Putin, and argues that while sanctions are harming the Russian economy, the President appears indifferent to the sufferings of his citizens.
Instead, Nato powers must “give the Ukrainians the capabilities they most require in order to defend themselves against the military superiority of the pro-Russian separatists and their Kremlin allies." (The Telegraph :  21 Feb 2015) (my emphasis)

Finally many are waking up to the lies and deceptions of Putin. Typical of his 'maskirovka' strategy; Putin's proxies and Russian soldiers are to start implementing the withdrawal of heavy artillery from Donetsk and other unimportant military objectives, whilst building up their forces for an impending advance on Mariupol.

As reported yesterday in Aljazeera International,

"The Ukrainian military said the rebels were pressing on with attacks on government forces near Mariupol, a port in government hands that is seen as the rebels' next major target.
Spokesman Andriy Lysenko said a military train carrying 60 armored vehicles including tanks had arrived in the town of Amvrosiivka from Russia on Saturday. A convoy of military equipment had later crossed the border near Novoazovsk, east of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.
He said fighting was in progress at the village of Shyrokyne, east of Mariupol." (Reuters as reported in Aljazeera: February 22, 2015) (my emphasis)

Lt Col Anatoliy Stelmakh

And three hours ago (current BST : 10.45),

"The Ukrainian military has said it cannot start withdrawing heavy weapons from the front line in the east until the rebels stop shelling its positions.
Military spokesman Lt Col Anatoliy Stelmakh told reporters the rebels had not stopped firing." (BBC News Europe : 23 February 2015)

And yesterday Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, speaking on 'Face The Nation' (22 Feb. 2015), said that

" .....the U.S. handling of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine represents a "shameful" chapter of American history.

"I'm ashamed of my country, I'm ashamed of my president and I'm ashamed of myself that I haven't done more to help these people," McCain said in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation." (my emphasis)

 Furthermore that,

"Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, ...........  "legitimized for the first time in 70 years the dismemberment of a country in Europe." (ibid Face The Nation) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile,

Merkel and the Pope

"Pope Francis and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the conflict in Ukraine and the fight against poverty during a private audience on Saturday. (Daniela Petroff : AP : February 22, 2015) (my emphasis)

Since this was a 'private audience', we shall never know what was said between them. Was Merkel simply 'filling him in' on what the current German strategy towards events in Ukraine is, or was she summoned by the Pope.

And whilst Merkel was having an audience with the Pope, "an explosion at a pro-Ukrainian peace rally in Kharkiv has left at least three people dead and scores more injured. A police officer and a leader of the city’s Euromaidan movement are among the dead, local officials report." (Ukraine Today : 22 Feb 2015) (my emphasis)

David Stern reports that,

"Security service detained persons who may have been involved in the preparation and carrying out of crimes of a terrorist nature in Kharkiv, including the explosion," security spokesman Markian Lubkivskyi wrote on his Facebook page.

He later said the four suspects were Ukrainian citizens who had received instruction and weapons in the Russian city of Belgorod, just across the border." (BBC News : 22 February 2015) (my emphasis)

"Kharkiv has been the target of numerous attacks in recent months. According to a Foreign Policy report, the Interior Ministry has declared that 700 separatists have been detained in the city, and several attacks have struck Ukraine's second-largest city since October." ( Eliott C. McLaughlin : CNN : February 22, 2015)

This heinous crime against innocent people merely underscores the fact that Putin is a sponsor of 'terrorism' against the Ukrainian people, on a par with the 'terrorism' supported by Hamas, Iran, and the Taliban in particular.

We now await to see whether the US will send arms to Ukraine within the next few days, and exactly what the EU will decide to do with regard to also sending arms to Ukraine and increasing sanctions against Putin's Russia.

(to be continued)