by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright February 25, 2015
All Rights Reserved.

                Accusing Russia of lying about its involvement in supplying troops and weapons in Southeaster Ukraine, 70-year-old Secretary of State John Kerry got a mouthful from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.  Since seizing Crime March 1, 2014, President Vladimir Putin has denied sending Russian troops and military hardware to pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region of Southeastern Ukraine.  Kerry’s public remarks about Russian lies in Ukraine prompted Lavrov to unload both barrels, blasting the U.S. for its hypocrisy.  Turning tables on Kerry’s critique, Lavrov read the U.S. the riot act about causing the chaos in the Middle East and North Africa.  Lavrov called U.S. intervention in Iraq, Libya and Syria “violations of the fundamental principles of the United Nations.” Russia sat idly by while former President George W. Bush invaded Iraq March 20, 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein.

             Raising past mistakes in Iraq, Lavrov hoped to turn the tables on Kerry, whose stinging criticism has resulted in several rounds of U.S. and European Union sanctions harming the Russian economy.  “All of this is the result of attempts to dominate global affairs, to rule over all, everywhere, to use military force unilaterally to push one’s interests,” Lavrov told the U.S. Security Council.   While juggling many things, including delicate nuclear talks with Iran, the Security Council finds itself wedged between the biggest spat between the U.S. and Russia since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.  Obama’s Feb. 6 admission that the U.S. is considering supplying weapons to Ukraine caused gyrations in Brussels.  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande pushed hard for the Feb. 12 Minsk cease agreement, calling on all sides to stop the fighting.

             Merkel and Hollande don’t want the civil war in Ukraine to morph into a proxy war with U.S. and Russia.  Battling recession in the European Union, both leaders want to deescalate the fighting, not watch a proxy war develop between the U.S. and Russia.  Obama’s Feb. 20 decision of join Turkey in arming the Free Syrian Army to fight ISIS and Syria President Bashar al-Assad, puts the U.S. in a proxy war with Iran and indirectly with Moscow.  “These [U.S. intervention in Iraq, Libya and Syria] have plunged the Middle East and North Africa into instability and chaos, and to a large extent have created a breeding ground in which extremists thrive,” said Lavrov, responding tit-for-tat for Kerry’s denunciation of Russia’s Ukraine policy.  Dumfounded by Lavrov’s salvo, U.N. Amb. Samantha Powers could only trade barbs, plunging the diplomatic façade into childish name-calling.

             Kremlin officials have taken off the gloves after Kerry accused Putin of lying about what’s really going on in Southeastern Ukraine.  When Poroshenko signed onto the German-and-French-backed Feb. 12 Minsk agreement, he essentially split Ukraine in two parts.  Ukraine’s 40-year-old outspoken Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk confessed that Poroshenko had no choice but to go along with a disastrous proposal, handing Alexander Zakharchenko’s pro-Russian separatists—and the Kremilin—Southeastern Ukraine.  U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was so disgusted by the agreement, he told CBS’s “Face the Nation” anchor Bob Schieffer he was ashamed of his country, the president and himself.  Lavrov blasted the U.S. for causing the Ukrainian crisis, backing the so-called pro-Western Feb. 22, 2014 coup that toppled duly elected Kremlin-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.

             Once the Ukrainian revolution took place, the Kremlin no longer accepted past Ukrainian borders.  Seizing Crimea March 1, 2014 was only the first step in Russia redrawing the Ukrainian map to exclude Crimea and the Donbass region.  All the hot air from the U.S. and EU hasn’t stopped Putin from securing the territory needed to make his land bridge from Russia to Crimea.  Having just taken the strategic railway hub of Debaltseve Feb. 20, Russian-backed rebels move on to Mariupol to complete Putin land corridor to Russia.  Putin’s main message to the U.S. and EU is stop blaming Russia for the problems you created in Ukraine.  Trading barbs with Lavrov on the U.N. Security Council, Powers doesn’t help put into perspective the next U.S. move.  Threatening Russia with more sanctions if Zakharchenko’s rebels move on Mariupol has little effect on Kremlin politics.

             Signing a new ceasefire agreement in Minsk had no bearing on Russian moves in Southeastern Ukraine.  “We call for the strict implementation of all provisions of the Minsk accords starting with a total ceasefire and complete withdrawal of heavy weapons,” said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, knowing full-well his government sold Ukraine out to the Kremlin.  Pretending he thought Russia would call back the dogs before taking Debaltseve and now moving on to Mariupol deliberately obscures the facts.  “No one needs a conflict, moreover an armed on, on the periphery of Europe,” said Putin, insisting he doesn’t want “apocalyptic” war.  Putin’s put the fear-of-God into Merkel and Hollande, knowing how more armed conflict would hurt EU economic recovery.  Threatening more sanctions if Zakharchenko marches to Mariupol won’t change Putin’s mind.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2005 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.