Top of the Agenda
NATO Plans New Bases as Poroshenko Meets Putin
NATO's secretary general announced that the alliance will deploy forces at new bases (Guardian)
in eastern Europe for the first time as it responds to the Ukraine
crisis, a move that will likely trigger a strong reaction from Moscow.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko agreed during talks in Minsk (NYT) on Wednesday with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he will work on a cease-fire plan (FT)
to end the separatist conflict in the east of the country, although he
gave no details of what the plan may entail. Separatist rebels shelled a
town in southeastern Ukraine on Wednesday (AP), raising fears of a counter-offensive on government-controlled areas of the region.
Analysis
"In looking to negotiations to end the crisis in Ukraine, the West should first make clear what steps NATO and the EU will undertake to support Ukraine
and, if required, how sanctions on Russia will be intensified if it is
unwilling to reach a fair settlement. Without this clarity, Putin may be
reluctant to accept that the endgame has begun," writes the National Interest.
"Ukraine
doesn't belong to NATO, so the alliance is not obligated by treaty to
deploy ground troops or air support. NATO could provide weapons, but the fight would be the Ukrainians to win," writes David Francis for Foreign Policy.
"Russia's
conflict with the West over Ukraine will grow more dangerous. Tougher
US and European sanctions won't change Russia's approach to Ukraine,
because President Vladimir Putin is determined that this country will remain in Russia's orbit
and eventually become the crucial addition to his "Eurasian Union", an
economic alliance that now includes Kazakhstan and Belarus," writes Ian
Bremmer for the Straits Times. | 
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment