by
N. Peter Kramer
On Monday it became clear that NATO has started military exercises in West-Ukraine and –according to the Ukraine government- in the meantime some NATO countries started to deliver weapons to the Kiev regime. It looks like US, EU and NATO are not happy with the fragile progress made in the talks about the situation in Eastern-Ukraine. You remember the western indignation about Russian troops on the Russian side of the border with Ukraine or even on the Ukrainian side? Now NATO military forces are inside Ukraine. And NATO memberstates, the US and some EU countries, are delivering weapons to Kiev. But didn’t EU leaders say recently that there is ‘no military solution’ to the conflict? And isn’t there a ceasefire agreed between Ukraine and Russia? Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatseniuk made clear he did not view the ceasefire as the start of a peace process and Ukraine’s defense minister Heletey said that his country needs the NATO weapons to fight pro-Russian separatists and to 'stop Putin'. Ceasefire? What ceasefire? We want war.
In a move seen as an appeasement gesture to Russia, the European Commission decided to delay the entering into force of its Association Agreement with Ukraine till the end of 2015. This didn’t please all Ukrainian leaders. It will harm president Poroshenko’s popularity; a minister resigned over it; but Yatseniuk is happy with it. Do you understand Ukrainian politics?
In the meantime it becomes clear that the Russian counter-sanctions on the EU have effect on especially the agriculture sector. The European Commission is compensating as much as possible of the damage. And see: the Polish farmers send a claim to Brussels for an amount much higher than their normal trade. Smart guys the Polish… Viva Europa!
