LA Times: Russia sends tanks and troops into Ukraine, seizes a strategic town

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/17/us-georgia-nato-idUSKCN0I60SH20141017?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Defying Russia, Georgia to host NATO training center: minister

 

Georgia will not allow pressure from Russia to stop it hosting a NATO training center on its territory or deter its plans to deepen ties with the West, the former Soviet republic's defense minister said.

 

The South Caucasus country of 4.5 million, crossed by pipelines that carry Caspian oil and gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, went to war with Russia in 2008 and remains wary of antagonizing Moscow as it tries to move further out of its orbit.

 

"Confrontation with Russia should be avoided. Georgia needs stability," Defense Minister Irakly Alasania told Reuters in an interview. "But we will never bow to the Russians ... to a 'diktat' from Russia on what is better for Georgia."

 

Georgia has watched closely as the conflict unfolded in eastern Ukraine, where Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula in February and pro-Russian separatists rose up in mid-April against Ukrainian government forces.

 

The 2008 war between Moscow and Tbilisi was fought over breakaway moves by the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are now under Russian control.

 

"We want Ukraine to be successful and in this regard we see Russia's actions as the main threat to the security of the region," the minister said in the interview on Thursday.

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/world/unbowed-putin-chews-the-scenery-in-milan.html?_r=0

Making Merkel Wait, Finding Time for Truffles

 

He was at it again this week.

 

First, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia stopped in Belgrade, Serbia, for a military parade evocative of the Cold War. He questioned Kosovo’s sovereignty, took a swipe at President Obama in the Serbian news media and reached a summit meeting in Milan so far behind schedule that he was hours late for a private evening meeting with Europe’s most powerful leader, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

 

Nor was Mr. Putin done. When he left Ms. Merkel at roughly 2 a.m. Friday, his entourage streaked through Milan to the home of his friend and Italy’s former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. The men talked and enjoyed truffles until about 4 a.m., whereupon Mr. Putin departed, leaving him barely four hours before he joined European leaders, including Ukraine’s president, Petro O. Poroshenko, for a pivotal breakfast meeting.

 

For Mr. Putin, the helter-skelter blitz through Milan was only the latest demonstration of an unpredictable, often theatrical, diplomatic style that he has employed during the Ukraine crisis to throw his rivals off balance. This time he kept Ms. Merkel waiting late at night. Last month he upstaged President Obama on the eve of a NATO summit meeting focused on Russian aggression when he unexpectedly announced a seven-point peace plan for Ukraine — written on the back of a napkin as he flew for a state visit in Mongolia.

[JMS]

41 Rubbles to buy 1 Dollar...   new record.   and the Rubble is still dropping...

 

The Rubble is going to strengthen here in a few days as the EU anounces it has sucessfully negotiated  a natural gas purchase on behalf of Ukraine with Russia..   Give Russia a few billion to see Ukraine through the winter.   That's what Merkle is trying to negotiate with Putin between miliutary parades in Serbia and Truffles with Silvio Berlusconi.  

 

But then the Ruble is going continue to drop and accellerate it's drop...   Nothing tells us that more than the way Putin continues to mishandle this mess with his barn storming approach to diplomacy.

 

Events which will continue to put downward pressure on the Ruble.

 

(1) EU is brining on Natural Gas import facilities to compete with Russia's monopoly on suppying Natural Gas..  That's going to drop Russia's NG revenue in half.

 

(2)  Continued weakness in the oil markets.   As massive US and Canadian oil shale deposits continue to flood the capacity of the market beyond demand.

 

(3)  Putin's lack of access to western money markets to shore up the Ruble.

 

(4)  Continued uncertainty about russia's commitment to capitalism and the free markets in the face of new series of crackdowns on business leaders.

 

(5)  Western Sanctions which while not overwhelming,  have added to the jitters plaguing foreign investors with regards to Russia.

[Larry]

It's one of the funny things I think I'm seeing, here, with the Russians. 

 

The impression I'm getting is that the sanctions aren't really hurting them as much as the market is. 

 

It's like, they aren't getting punished by Obama, they're getting punished by the Fortune 500. 

 

(But, hey.  I'll take it.) 

[mcsluggo]

the sanctions and the market are not unrelated.   (double negatives anyone?)

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

41 Rubbles to buy 1 Dollar...   new record.   and the Rubble is still dropping...

 

[zoony]

You missed out on another great gazoo reference

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Russian investigators: driver of snow-plough which crashed into plane killing chief exec of oil firm Total was drunk at time of collision

1:59 AM

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

You missed out on another great gazoo reference

 

I have never been more disappointed in the reaction to a post. I was giggling like a 9 year old girl when I made it. And all I get is you. So upsetting.

[Dan T.]

I have never been more disappointed in the reaction to a post. I was giggling like a 9 year old girl when I made it. And all I get is you. So upsetting.

I gave it two Hardee-Har-Hars and a Yabba-Dabba-Doo.

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/26/us-ukraine-crisis-election-idUSKCN0IF00R20141026?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter

War-weary Ukraine set to pick pro-Western parliament in election

 

War-weary Ukrainians are set to pick a pro-Western and nationalist-leaning parliament on Sunday that should give President Petro Poroshenko a mandate to end separatist conflict in the east, but may inject new tension into ties with Russia.

 

It is the first parliamentary election in the ex-Soviet republic of 46 millions since street protests in the capital last winter forced Moscow-backed leader Viktor Yanukovich to flee and ushered in a pro-Europe leadership under Poroshenko.

 

The results are expected to turn a political grouping supporting the 49-year-old confectionery tycoon into the leading force in the 450-seat assembly, giving him a mandate to pursue his peace plan for the east and carry out deep reforms sought by Ukraine's European Union partners.

 

Poroshenko said on Saturday in a televised address he wanted a majority to emerge that would see through laws to support a pro-Europe agenda and break with the Soviet past.

 

"Without such a majority in parliament, the President's program ... will simply remain on paper," he said.

[visionary]

http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-vote-takeaways-things-we-learned/26659694.html

Ten Takeaways From Ukraine's Vote

 

Ukrainians have voted in a new parliament for the first time since the Euromaidan protests ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Russian government earlier this year.

 

Here are some takeaways from the October 26 vote:

 

The West-Russia divide is no longer relevant in parliament

 

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine's parliamentary battles have largely taken place between so-called pro-Western factions and pro-Russian ones. No more. For the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, the country's parliament will be dominated by parties that support strong ties with Europe. The likely top three parties all support EU accession and, combined, upwards of 75 percent of the seats are expected to be held by pro-Europe deputies.

 

Poroshenko's party underperformed

 

President Petro Poroshenko will have a pro-European coalition, but his party is not coming out looking as strong as he had once hoped. At one point, members of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc thought it possible to win an outright parliamentary majority. And just days before the elections, opinion polling showed it likely to be at least 10 points ahead of the closest runner-up. Instead, as results came in, the party was running neck-and-neck with the People's Front party led by Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. They have put on a united front -- saying they will form a coalition together -- but we can likely expect a budding rivalry.

 

Radical protest vote falls flat

 

Polling had predicted that ultra-populist candidate Oleh Lyashko (his Radical Party logo is a pitchfork) would place second, as Ukrainians -- growing disenchanted with the slow pace of reforms and the sagging war effort in the east -- looked to cast a protest vote. Instead, the Radical Party came in a distant fifth, with about 7.5 percent of the vote.

 

The 'upstart' looks a lot like the other guys

 

If there was an upstart in this election, it wasn't Lyashko but Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadoviy and his Samopomich ("Self-Reliance") party. Sadoviy's strong showing -- he won Kyiv, according to exit polling, and was poised to place third nationally with 11 percent of the vote -- combined with the failure of any other pro-European party to dominate the vote seem to signal that Ukrainians support a pro-European path but aren't yet wedded to any particular party or political figure.

 

Goodbye, Lenin

 

For the first time in 96 years, there will be no Communist Party in the Ukrainian parliament -- a milestone important enough that Poroshenko noted it with glee in his three-minute postelection speech to the nation:

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-will-be-plunged-into-a-recession-if-oil-prices-fall-further-2014-10

Russia Will Be Plunged Into A Recession If Oil Prices Fall Further

 

Russia will struggle to avoid falling into a recession if oil prices are allowed to drop to $80 a barrel — and could face calamity if prices fall below that level.

 

Brent crude oil prices have fallen from a June high of $115 a barrel to just over $86 a barrel Wednesday. This poses a huge problem for Russia as oil and gas account for around two-thirds of total exports from the country:

[Elessar78]

Not sure if it belongs here but . .. 

 

While I was in Europe last week, one of the big news items was that submarine was spotted off the coast of Sweden and their navy had deployed to locate it. Today, The Guardian is running an article about Russian Bombers flying over international airspace in an excessive manner and Norwegian F-16s were scrambled to escort them. 

 

In the Pacific, maybe unrelated or maybe not, China is agitating Japan over some rocks. China is also laying claim to wider than normal "nautical borders" into Vietnam and the Philippines (mainly for underwater gas hydrate reserves). 

 

I wonder if our enemies are funneling arms to ISIS, in order to create another front for us to fight on and spread our resources thin.

 

I wonder if demonstrations in China are, on some level, fueled by the US to cause China some headaches and possible instability.

 

Maybe my tinfoil hat is on too tight.

[KingGibbs]

"We are.......in a world......of ****."

[visionary]

Not sure if it belongs here but . .. 

 

While I was in Europe last week, one of the big news items was that submarine was spotted off the coast of Sweden and their navy had deployed to locate it. Today, The Guardian is running an article about Russian Bombers flying over international airspace in an excessive manner and Norwegian F-16s were scrambled to escort them. 

 

 

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-29/nato-jets-intercept-seven-russian-aircraft-lavtia-says.html?hootPostID=3eee490e00e059a87df8985170176317

NATO Fighters Intercepted Russian Jets Today, Latvia Says

 

NATO fighter planes made interceptions of seven Russian military aircraft near Latvia’s border today, following a similar incident yesterday, the country’s army said on its Twitter account.

 

F-16s based in the Baltic states intercepted two Russian Su-24 fighter aircraft and then later a group of five, comprising two Su-24, two MiG-31 and one Su-27 fighter, a day after North Atlantic Treaty Organization planes intercepted seven Russian jets, the Latvian army said.

 

With the conflict in eastern Ukraine bringing ties between Russia and NATO to their lowest level since the Cold War, Russia’s relations with alliance members and non-aligned countries around the Baltic Sea are being strained due to increased activity by Russian military aircraft and ships.

 

Estonia and Finland reported increased violations of their airspace, while Sweden earlier this month staged its biggest naval mobilization since the Cold War in a week-long hunt for a suspected foreign vessel in the Stockholm archipelago.

 

Estonia accused Russia of kidnapping one of its security officers from Estonian soil last month, while Lithuania said one of its fishing vessels was seized by Russia in international waters. Russia, which has rejected U.S., European Union and Ukrainian accusations that it’s fueling the Ukraine crisis, has also rejected both Baltic claims.

[visionary]

http://anton-shekhovtsov.blogspot.ca/2014/11/fake-monitors-observe-fake-elections-in.html?m=1

Fake monitors "observe" fake elections in Donbass

 

The "Donetsk People's Republic" (DNR) and "Luhansk People's Republic" (LNR), which are officially considered terrorist organisations by the Ukrainian authorities, will hold "parliamentary elections" on Sunday, 2nd of November, on the territories occupied by them with the help of the Russian army.

 

These "elections" are widely considered illegal and illegitimate, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored "the planned holding by armed rebel groups in eastern Ukraine of their own “elections” on 2 November, in breach of the Constitution and national law" adding that "these “elections” will seriously undermine the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum, which need to be urgently implemented in full".

 

Nevertheless, the Kremlin is said to be willing to recognise these "elections", yet again completely dismissing the advice from the UN let alone defying the laws of Ukraine that Russia has invaded in February-March 2014. The DNR/LNR "elections" will not be recognised as legitimate either by the EU or the US that threaten Russia with further sanctions for undermining Ukraine's independence and sovereignty.

 

As it happened before, the Kremlin will employ puppet "election monitors" that will "observe" and legitimise the "elections" held by the terrorists. Evidence suggests that two "election monitoring organisations" have been in charge of setting up the "election observation missions" for the DNR/LNR: the Eurasian Observatory of Democracy and Elections (EODE) run by Belgian fascist Luc Michel and the European Centre for Geopolitical Analysis (ECGA) run by Polish far right politician Mateusz Piskorski - both have been in the service of the Kremlin's foreign policy since 2005-2006.

[visionary]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/east-ukrainians-head-to-the-polls-in-controversial-election/article21419055/

East Ukrainians head to polls with hopes of lasting peace

 

Residents of two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine went to the polls Sunday, with exit polls suggesting they had elected the military men already leading them to be “prime ministers” of their unrecognized statelets. Many of those who voted said they were doing so in the hopes that the military men would now seek to make a lasting peace.

 

That may not get that. Large and unmarked military convoys transporting ammunition, anti-aircraft guns and Grad rocket launchers arrived in Donetsk on Saturday and Sunday, sparking rumours that the separatist militias – who allegedly get military support from Moscow – were planning a new offensive following the vote.

 

The Ukrainian government, which slammed the elections in Donetsk and Lugansk as “phoney” complained Friday of “intensive” military moves “from the territory of the Russian Federation.”

 

There were long lines at polling stations Sunday – some perhaps lured by the cheap groceries on sale outside – as residents of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic voted for the second time in just over six months. But while the mood in a May referendum was one of anger and defiance – when a large majority in this Russian-speaking region voting to declare independence from Kiev following a pro-Western revolution there – Sunday’s vote was tinged with sadness and fatigue at the war that has since killed more than 4,000 people.

 

“We want to live without being shelled and spending five months without receiving a pension,” said Nadezhda Ivanova, a 65-year-old who before the war ran a small grocery store near Donetsk’s shattered airport, the scene of fierce daily fighting between the Ukrainian army and the Moscow-backed separatists. Ms. Ivanova, who voted for Alexandr Zakharchenko, who was already the acting prime minister and military leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said she had no idea what condition her store was in today, since she was afraid to go near that part of the city.

 

An exit poll released late Sunday showed Mr. Zakharchenko winning easily against two opponents with 81 per cent of the vote. In adjacent Lugansk, military commander Igor Plotnitskiy was similarly expected to retain the prime minister’s post against his three competitors. Official results were expected Monday.

 

None of those running against Mr. Zakharchenko or Mr. Plotnitskiy offered a program that suggested reunion with Kiev, but election billboards around the region promised of peace and economic development, rather than further military conquests.

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/tggrove

There is so much support for the Donetsk rebels, that candidates for its leadership get 100.1 percent 

3:54 PM

[visionary]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/03/ukraine-rebel-elections-illegal-eu-mogherini

Ukraine rebel elections illegitimate, says new EU foreign policy chief

 

The “illegal and illegitimate” elections in breakaway eastern Ukraine on Sunday may have killed off all prospects of a political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine crisis, the European Union’s new foreign policy chief warned on Monday, while also questioning whether EU sanctions on Russia would force Vladimir Putin into a policy shift.

 

In her first newspaper interview as successor to Britain’s Catherine Ashton , Federica Mogherini, the former Italian foreign minister, told the Guardian that the rebel elections, supported by Moscow and denounced almost everywhere else, were a grave setback to the chances of Russia and Ukraine reaching a deal on the country’s future structure.

 

On her first working day in office as high representative for foreign and security policy, chairing meetings of EU foreign ministers as well as being a vice-president of the new European commission, Mogherini doubted whether the blunt instrument of economic and financial sanctions against Russia, while hurting, were having any impact on Putin’s thinking and behaviour.

 

“The effect of sanctions on the Russian economy are clear to everybody, first to the Russians and to the Russian leadership, and the surroundings of the Russian leadership, the circle that is close to the Russian political leadership,” she said. “The real point is, is that going to be the element that is going to change significantly the Russian political attitude towards the crisis? This is still an open question mark and the answer is only in the hands of the Russian authorities. But we need an answer to that question mark before we go on.”

 

Mogherini’s remarks to the Guardian and five other European newspapers will harden suspicions that she is more dovish than hawkish on Putin, in line with Italian foreign policy which has been relatively pro-Russia in recent years.

 

But she denounced the elections in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of eastern Ukraine as illegal and illegitimate and praised President Petro Poroshenko for his full commitment to the Minsk accords signed this year with Russia, which preserved the territorial integrity of Ukraine while allowing for regional autonomy and local elections in the east.

 

[JMS]

46.04 rubles to 1 dollar... 

 

Holding your savings in Russian banks in dollars as a hedge against inflation is now so popular in Russia,  the Duma (Russian legislature) is considering outlawing the practice.

 

 

Russia may ban circulation of US dollar

 

http://en.apa.az/xeber_russia_may_ban_circulation_of_us_dollar_218603.html

 

looks like Russia is putting a stop to it's private citizens keeping their savings/checking accounts in US dollars... vs rubles.   A bill before the duma will give them 1 year to switch over to the Ruble or have their accounts frozen.   Exempt from this new law  are accounts owned by Russian Central Bank, the Russian government, ministries of foreign affairs and defense, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Federal Security Service. 

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/06/us-ukraine-crisis-military-idUSKBN0IQ1RJ20141106

Ukrainian forces deny launching fresh offensive in east

 

Ukrainian forces denied allegations by pro-Russian separatists that they had launched a new offensive in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, saying they were strictly adhering to a ceasefire agreement that has come under increasing strain.

 

Sporadic violence has flared since the Sept. 5 truce, but the ceasefire has looked particularly fragile this week with both separatists and the central government accusing each other of violating the terms of a 12-point peace plan.

 

Earlier on Thursday Andrei Purgin, deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said the Ukrainian army had launched "all-out war" on rebel positions, Russian news agency RIA reported.

 

Ukrainian military spokesman Vladyslav Seleznyov denied this, saying the army remained in agreed positions.

 

"We refute these allegations...we're strictly fulfilling the Minsk memorandum (on a ceasefire). We remain within the previously defined boundaries, in our positions. We're not advancing," Seleznyov said by telephone.

 

A Reuters witness in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk said there was no sign the conflict was escalating.

[visionary]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ed541b65eb8e4f4c9e65d863b6e1523a/ukraine-accuses-russia-sending-dozens-tanks

Ukraine accuses Russia of sending dozens of tanks

 

Ukraine on Friday accused Russia of sending dozens of tanks and other heavy weapons into rebel-controlled eastern regions and said five servicemen were killed in clashes with the rebels.

 

Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said at least 32 tanks, 16 artillery systems and 30 trucks loaded with fighters and ammunition had crossed into eastern Ukraine from Russia. He said three mobile radar units loaded on trucks also came over the border from Russia.

 

Lysenko provided no specific evidence and it wasn't immediately clear how his agency had obtained the information, since parts of Ukraine's eastern border with Russia have been under rebel control since August.

 

Ukraine and the West have continuously accused Moscow of fueling a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine with troops and weapons. Russia denies those accusations.

 

Russia's Defense Ministry had no immediate comment on Lysenko's statement, but earlier Friday it rejected Western allegations that Moscow was deploying more troops near the border.

 

NATO had no immediate confirmation on the latest Ukrainian report.

 

"We are aware of the reports of Russian troops and tanks crossing the border between Ukraine and Russia and are looking into these reports," said a NATO military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.

 

"If this crossing into Ukraine is confirmed, it would be further evidence of Russia's aggression and direct involvement in destabilizing Ukraine," the officer added.

 

He said the alliance had seen "a recent increase in Russian troops and equipment along the eastern border of Ukraine."

 

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the movement "if confirmed ... would be another blatant violation of the Minsk agreement," referring to the Sept. 5 pact between Russia, Ukraine and the separatists on a cease-fire and the pullback of heavy weaponry.

[JMS]

http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/10/news/economy/russian-economy-putin/
 

5 reasons Russia may face worse times

Things in Russia are going from bad to worse.
A double whammy of falling oil prices and sanctions imposed over Ukraine has led to rampant inflation, a plunging currency, a stagnant economy and a loss of confidence among foreign investors.

1. Banks squeezed

Russian banks are accumulating debt in dollars and are having to liquid deflated rubles to service this debt

2 Budget hole
Government documents show that Russia's 2015-2017 budget is based on oil trading at $100 a barrel. The central bank forecast of zero growth next year is based on a price of $95. Both assumptions are way above the current price of $84 a barrel.
 
3. Sanctions
 
4. Inflation - The tit-for-tat sanctions Russia imposed on Europe, the U.S., and other western countries have backfired. The near complete ban on Western food imports is pushing Russian inflation up. The central bank now expects inflation to exceed 8% in 2014 -- well above its 5% target.
5. Putin in denial -Despite the warnings from his own ministers and central bankers, Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be in denial about the state of the economy.
"These events in the currency market which we see now in Russia are not at all connected to the fundamental economic reasons and factors," he said

[visionary]

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/155258

Cameron: More Russia Sanctions if Ukraine Crisis not Resolved

 

Russia could face further sanctions if it does not commit to resolving the conflict in Ukraine, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday, as he called Moscow's actions "unacceptable".

 

Cameron, who was in Canberra to address Australia's parliament, said existing sanctions imposed by the West were having an impact on Russia's economy.

 

The West's relations with the Kremlin have become more tense since the downing of Flight MH17 over territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in July, killing 298 passengers and crew.

 

"Russian action in Ukraine is unacceptable," Cameron told reporters before heading to the G20 leaders summit in Brisbane where he will rub shoulders with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

"If Russia takes a positive approach towards Ukraine's freedom and responsibility, we could see those sanctions removed. 

 

"If Russia continues to make matters worse, we could see those sanctions increase. It's as simple as that."

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the Kremlin's increasing military assertiveness -- including the appearance of four Russian navy ships off his country's north coast ahead of the G20 -- was "part of a regrettable pattern".

 

"Whether it's the bullying of Ukraine, whether it's the increasing Russian military aircraft flying into the airspace of Japan, European countries, whether it's the naval task group which is now in the south Pacific, Russia is being much more assertive now than it has been for a very long time," Abbott said in a joint press conference with Cameron.

 

"Interestingly, Russia's economy is declining even as Russia's assertiveness is increasing.

 

"Russia would be so much more attractive if it was aspiring to be a superpower for peace and freedom and prosperity... instead of trying to recreate the lost glories of tsarism or the old Soviet Union."

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/15/us-g20-summit-idUSKCN0IZ03C20141115?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Putin put on notice at G20 summit to end Ukraine crisis

 

The Ukraine crisis overshadowed talks on global economic growth at a G20 leaders meeting on Saturday, with Europe calling on Russia to stop the flow of weapons and troops into the country and holding out the threat of further sanctions if it did not.

 

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said Europe's foreign ministers will meet on Monday to assess the situation in Ukraine and whether further steps including additional sanctions were needed against Russia.

 

"Russia must stop the inflow of weapons and troops from its territory into Ukraine and Russia must withdraw those already present," Van Rompuy told a news conference in Brisbane, the venue of the G20 leaders meeting.

 

He added that Ukraine would be high on the agenda when EU leaders meet U.S. President Barack Obama at the G20 summit.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also attending the meeting and the comments clearly flag that he will come under intense diplomatic pressure to change tack on Ukraine.

 

"I want to restate that the European Union continues to believe that there can only be a political solution to the crisis. We will continue to use all diplomatic tools, including sanctions, at our disposal," said Van Rompuy.

[visionary]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/putin-plans-to-leave-g20-early-after-west-blasts-russia/article21603779/#dashboard/follows/

Putin facing threats of new sanctions from G20 leaders

 

Vladimir Putin is facing threats of new sanctions from leaders at a Group of 20 summit in Australia unless he stops backing pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraine, where NATO says Russian combat troops are crossing the border.

 

The reception for Mr. Putin in Brisbane included sharp rebukes from Stephen Harper and Barack Obama.

 

The Canadian Prime Minister told Mr. Putin flatly that he needs "to get out of Ukraine," when the two met on Saturday during the summit.

A spokesman for the Canadian Prime Minister relayed the details of the encounter and, according to director of communications Jason MacDonald, "Mr. Putin did not respond positively."

 

Russian officials later said Mr. Putin's reply to Mr. Harper was "that's impossible because we are not there."

 

A Russian official told Reuters that Mr. Putin planned to skip a working session on Sunday at the two-day summit in Brisbane and bring forward his departure because he needed to attend meetings in Moscow.

But the Kremlin later denied this.

 

Russia is already being battered by Western sanctions over its annexation of Crimea, measures that are hurting Moscow even more because of falling crude prices that are putting pressure on the Russian government's budget.

But it was Russia’s conduct that hung over the G20 summit.

 

Mr. Obama, speaking at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, said Moscow’s behaviour is dangerous.

 

“We're opposing Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which is a threat to the world, as we saw in the appalling shoot-down of MH17” the U.S. President said, a reference to the downing of a Malaysian Airlines jet in Ukraine this past July.

 

The European Council, which represents the heads of government and state in the European Union, called on Russia to end the aggression.

 

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy demanded Moscow “stop the inflow of weapons and troops from its territory into Ukraine” and “withdraw those already present."

 

Europe's foreign ministers are set to meet Monday to determine whether further sanctions are now necessary.

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, perhaps the European leader with the best relationship with Mr. Putin, said the EU was now weighing further punitive measures against Russia over the latest crisis in Ukraine. This could include adding more individuals to the sanction target list.

 

"The present situation is not satisfying," Ms. Merkel told journalists in Brisbane. "At present the listing of further persons is on the agenda."

 

Mr. Putin was not accorded the normal level of attention at the summit. He was placed at the outside edge of leaders for the formal “family photograph” and only Australia’s assistant defence minister was on hand to greet him when his plane arrived in Brisbane.