Foreign Policy:
Stars and Stripes:
We still have that pesky treaty guaranteeing Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for her giving up her nuclear weapons...
Putin can make things very difficult for the West if he wants (UN vetos, jacking up military spending and provocations, etc.), but he's not going to invade NATO states or make overt moves in Ukraine.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
The White House points to the billions of dollars moving out of Russia, the volatile Micex stock index, and the ruble’s falling value as evidence that sanctions are inflicting economic pain. But if the goal of the sanctions was to get Putin to stop bullying Ukraine, then they have yet to hit the mark. Instead, Putin is telling the head of the European Union that he could conquer Kiev in two weeks — if he wanted to. Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin foreign-policy advisor, told the Guardian on Tuesday that Putin’s remarks were taken out of context. NATO plans to station rapid-response forces to protect Eastern Europe, though it’s unclear whether the United States — the most powerful military in the 28-member alliance — will participate.
Stars and Stripes:
Published: September 8, 2014
Sea Breeze 2014
Three NATO ships take part in the multinational Sea Breeze 2014 military exercise, which started on Sept. 8, 2014 in the Black Sea.
The USS Mount Whitney leads a formation during exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) in June, 2013. The U.S. is crafting plans to deploy rotational ground troops and naval forces into the Baltics as part of an effort to reassure allies shaken by Russia's intervention in nearby Ukraine. Josh Bennett/U.S. Navy
Biden signals plans for more US military drills in the Baltics
The U.S. is crafting plans to deploy rotational ground troops and naval forces into the Baltics as part of an effort to bolster the capabilities of regional allies and reassure nations shaken by Russia’s intervention in nearby Ukraine, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said.
The U.S. Navy began a three-day exercise in the Black Sea with Ukraine and several other militaries on Monday.
Exercise Sea Breeze 2014, a long-standing U.S. European Command exercise, will focus on maritime interdiction operations as a primary means to enhance maritime security. Other components of the exercise focus on communications, search and rescue, force protection and navigation, according to EUCOM.
The Navy’s USS Ross is one of the vessels participating in the drill, which was planned before relations with Russia soured over Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine earlier this year.
About 280 U.S. servicemembers will participate in the event.
This year’s exercise, now in its 13th iteration, is being co-hosted by the U.S. and Ukraine.
The other participants are Georgia, Romania and Turkey. Three ships from the Standing NATO Maritime Group Two Task Unit also will participate: Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Toronto, Spanish frigate ESPS Almirante Juan De Borbon and Romanian frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand.
Next week, troops from the Vicenza, Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade will also be taking part in more training with Ukrainian forces when soldiers head into Yavoriv, Ukraine, for the multinational ground forces exercise Rapid Trident.
Some 1,300 troops from 15 countries will take part in the exercise, the first to be held on Ukrainian soil since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula.
We still have that pesky treaty guaranteeing Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for her giving up her nuclear weapons...
Putin can make things very difficult for the West if he wants (UN vetos, jacking up military spending and provocations, etc.), but he's not going to invade NATO states or make overt moves in Ukraine.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.