Live stream/discussion Obama Remarks on Crimea / Sanctions

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Obama statement - Russia actions go against international law.

Measures announced against Russia -

- Executive Order authorizes sanctions against specific individuals (arms sector and material support to sr. Russian officials)

- New Executive Order expands scope of sanctions.

- Close consultation with EU

- EU has own sanctions against Russia.

- Biden going over to the area. Obama going to Europe. Getting support.

- Continue to tell Russia they can't get away with it. (Even though they clearly have)
They will be diplomatically and financially isolated.

Obama says sanctions on certain "individuals"...

"Arms" related.

And he's go'in to Europe next week (Michelle too? spur-o-the-moment vacation?)


ETA; well THAT was quick !!!

The big thing .... 'AGAINST SPECIFIC RUSSIAN INDIVIDUALS
Top advisors to Putin. People dealing with arms etc.
I'm betting this means they are going to hit up the goods/svcs that the Russian elite have.

What he said was that the Russian people won't suffer, but the high level Russians will.

Or at least, that's the supposed target.

Will this change Putin's mind and have him give back Crimea to the Ukraine?

Nope. I'm sure it doesn't.

reply to post by FlyersFan


This is all stage-propping. I'd guess that the deal was made as soon as it looked like the Ukraine takeover would occur.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Hm, thanks for the info, S&F.

Something's not right in this picture, though, but I can't tell what.

Putin has something up his sleeve, something isn't right.

Just a gut feeling.

Putin had paratroopers drop in on the gas fields/operations over the weekend. He's not going to get uptight about Obama threatening to cut off his supply of Cuban Cigars. (or whatever that threat to the 'top officials' was. Maybe it was code for something ... or maybe it was just a direct threat)

So this is John Kerry's "or else" ...what a joke...oh how the mighty have fallen...

reply to post by FlyersFan


This is *not* good.

The full extent of how *not* good it is remains to be seen although I have a sense things will either escalate or deescalate very quickly here.

The sanctioning of individuals within Russia is a tell. It is rarely done so publicly and almost always in very volatile situations.

I'm going to stop here as I find myself self-editing at a furious clip...

Riffrafter
The sanctioning of individuals within Russia is a tell.

That was key, wasn't it? It sounded very personal. It was a clue for the Russian people that the West wasn't going after the people, but instead was going to go after the 'elite individuals' . Maybe the West hopes the 'regular people' in Russia will support that and start a revolution/civil war or something.

And it sounds like Obama wants Putin to feel it personally ... cut off his high-end living.
Same with the minions who help Putin.

It must be serious, he was on time.

reply to post by xuenchen


No. It is the oligarchs they are speaking of. The bazillionaires. They just had interpol arrest one guy last week.

I wish Mr Obama would impose military sanctions. Instead Obama has once again shown himself to be weak. Generally I have a lot of time for him but with his "red line" debacle in relation to Syria and his unwillingness to provide Ukraine with any other help apart from financially he has become a laughing stock. Russia don't care about sanctions. They will care when someone starts fighting back.

barry is useing 'EO's' to put sanctions on "specific people'...again with the EO's....and whats next, targeting 'specific individuals' for drone assanination? america is constantly pointing a finger and it seems like trying to get into a fight...anywhere, we have been in a constant war for what, 10, 15 years...america is just looking for its next fight..saaaay..what happened to the imminent threat that sryia was suppose to be? or how about iraq? what about north korea? the u.s. govt wasnt able to get a good-ol-fashion shootem up war going, so now they are looking elsewhere

reply to post by ProfessorT

I wish Mr Obama would impose military sanctions.

Military sanctions?

Like what?

I'm curious as I have no idea what you mean by that...

ProfessorT
I wish Mr Obama would impose military sanctions.

Do you mean you wish he'd use military force?
Military sanctions are something else.
I don't know how we'd use 'military sanctions' against Russia???

Or am I missing something??

GrantedBail
reply to post by xuenchen

 

No. It is the oligarchs they are speaking of. The bazillionaires. They just had interpol arrest one guy last week.

Sounds possible (but I would say Gazillionaires). They could be voluntary scapegoats arranged ahead of time. The sanctions might just amount to chickenfeed.

Most Russian oil and gas companies are kind of "locked out" and limited to Western investors.

And perhaps this whole thing is about that along with who actually owns the gas pipelines in Ukraine.

I think too that Ukraine is in debt to Russia.

Now maybe the IMF and some Western countries loan money to Ukraine and Russia gets paid in full and keeps control of all the natural gas or at least most of it until 3rd parties will be allowed to pipe gas through Russian owned pipes and depots.

Gazprom is the biggest interest.

This is kind of funny .not ...But the west is blinking up a storm and Putin is not taking his eyes off the ball for one moment .Sanctions , at least economic ones will not work and the west has no real military moves they could make .At least none that haven't been leaked to China or other powers on the same side . I think the vacation should by some time while his handlers figure out the inevitable .WW111 all the best to all of us ....peace

ProfessorT
I wish Mr Obama would impose military sanctions. Instead Obama has once again shown himself to be weak. Generally I have a lot of time for him but with his "red line" debacle in relation to Syria and his unwillingness to provide Ukraine with any other help apart from financially he has become a laughing stock. Russia don't care about sanctions. They will care when someone starts fighting back.

edit on 17-3-2014 by ProfessorT because: (no reason given)

So we should start killing people to show we support them? I'm sure you are willing to volunteer to go over and be on the front lines to show your support of these sanctions.

swanne
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

Hm, thanks for the info, S&F.

Something's not right in this picture, though, but I can't tell what.

Putin has something up his sleeve, something isn't right.

Just a gut feeling.

Putin hoped for some blustering and more agressive threats from the US/EU to solidify his position and by saying we will not back down from threats and thus make it and us vs them sort of thing. The sort of things Russia few supporters in the world could even justify then backing Russia. However, the US and EU have been very crafty instead. The are playing the long game knowing Putin can not afford to so. Slow gradual santions first targeting only some people can slowly be expanded to others. The lack of knowing what is coming is going to cause more havoc on the Russia economy than if the West were to just come out a say what they are going to do. It is a brilliant stragety that plays to all of the Wests streangths and all of Russia's weaknesses. I would love to know who's idea it was and how they got the everyone inline to follow it. Somebody at state is on the ball. And I give credit to western leaders who instead of playing to the crowd with bombastic statesments and threats, have listned to people who know how to put the screws to Putin. They will have to deal with some people who claim they are weak etc. but, those people are clueless anyway. In the end so long as the West keeps playing this thing they have Russia is going to have a very hard time over the next few years and change in goverment would not be a suprise.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday froze the U.S. assets of seven Russian officials, including top advisers to President Vladimir Putin, for their support of Crimea's vote to secede from Ukraine. The sanctions are the most comprehensive since the end of the Cold War.

Huh?

They froze the assets of a handful of officials?

How is that "sanctions"?

Guess they thought twice before getting into a real economic war.