From:
slider@anashram.com
Russia's military buildup on its border with Ukraine has prompted the
world's largest regional security organization to suggest war is possible.
Kyiv has called for patience while Moscow says time is running out.
The world's largest security body met in Vienna on Thursday, seeking to
bring Russia, the United States and its European allies toward a closer dialogue.
A meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) hoped to defuse the mounting crisis on Ukraine's border, where
there is a large Russian military presence, but ended with organizers
saying no breakthrough had been made.
Poland kicked off proceedings by warning that "the risk of war in the OSCE
area is now greater than ever before in the last 30 years," Foreign
Minister Zbigniew Rau told delegates gathered in the Austrian capital. Rau
was speaking at the launch of his country's year-long chairmanship of the security-orientated organization.
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-tensions-osce-chair-warns-risk-of-war-highest-in-30-years/a-60407944
Russia: Time running out
Helga Schmid, the secretary-general of the OSCE, said the ongoing
situation in the region was "perilous" and that there was an "urgent need
to reinvigorate the debate on European security."
"It is imperative we find a way through diplomacy to deescalate and begin rebuilding trust, transparency and cooperation," she said at the meeting attended by all 57 member states including Russia and the US.
But Russia's envoy to the OSCE said patience in Moscow is running thin
over what it views as "unacceptable threats to our national security," Alexander Lukashevich tweeted on Thursday.
Later in the day, Lukashevich expressed disappointment regarding the talks
that he described as a "moment of truth" but he hadn't given up hope that
a diplomatic solution could be found.
"Russia is a peace-loving country. But we don't need peace at any price."
Drumbeat of war is loud, says US
The US envoy to the OSCE, Michael Carpenter, said after talks with Russia
in Vienna, that "we're facing a crisis in European security. The drumbeat
of war is sounding loud, and the rhetoric has gotten rather shrill."
Carpenter said Moscow's buildup of troops and increasing its weaponry near
its border with Ukraine "begs a lot of questions about what Russia’s intentions are."
"We have to take this very seriously. We have to prepare for the
eventuality that there could be an escalation," he said, adding that the
US preferred "dialogue and de-escalation."
Plenty of accusations
The West has looked on warily as Russian tanks, artillery and some 100,000 troops deployed to the border with Ukraine in what some observers have
said could be preparations for an invasion.
While the Kremlin insists the military buildup is a response to what it
sees as the growing presence of NATO in Eastern Europe, namely the
alliance's combat units in Poland and the Baltic republics of Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania. Russia is also keen for NATO to stop deploying
missiles in countries such as Poland and Romania.
Russia wants NATO to rescind a 2008 promise that Ukraine could someday
join the military alliance.
"For us it's absolutely mandatory to ensure Ukraine never ever becomes a
member of NATO," Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said
after bilateral talks with the US in Geneva earlier this week.
Ukraine notes 'unsatisfactory week' but calls for patience
Thursday's talks come amid a week of intense diplomacy, with Russian
officials holding talks with the US, NATO and OSCE in Europe.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday urged Russia to demonstrate it did not want to resolve the situation with aggressive
actions.
"Despite the unsatisfactory week of great diplomacy for Russia, I believe
that the only way for the Russians to confirm their lack of intention to
solve problems by force is to continue the discussion in the established formats, in particular in the OSCE," Kuleba said in a statement.
Russia 'doesn't trust the other side'
There is little chance of Ukraine joining NATO any time soon, according to experts, as Kyiv doesn't meet membership requirements. But Moscow "doesn't trust the other side," Ryabkov said. "We need ironclad, waterproof, bulletproof, legally binding guarantees. Not assurances. Not safeguards."
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Thursday that there should be
no negotiations with Russia so long as Moscow continues with its military presence near its border with Ukraine.
### - the above last statement seems a bit ridiculous considering there's
even any talks/discussion going-on at ALL simply & solely 'because' of the current russian buildup?? duh!
obviously: the russians are 'forcing' the issue this time... an issue that
they feel was otherwise being completely ignored! (which is absolutely correct!) they say they're willing to negotiate as long as THEIR interests
are considered too?
the question being: are we (the west) gonna be 'reasonable' about this, or
not?
coz if nato continues its expansion then russia's point is that they gotta
do something about it to protect themselves!
that by 'insisting' - instead of negotiating - we're basically giving
them no other choice?? (their only other choice being to roll-over and let
the west DO whatever the hell it wants with russia! and they're very
unlikely to ever go for that...)
nope... ALL the moves here are clearly currently in the hands of the west!
that IF we agree to talk then SOME of russia's security interests will
HAVE to be considered!
a reasonable/fair/equatable solution will have to be sought & struck!
in which case, it looks like we're gonna be seeing just HOW reasonable the
west actually is??
truth is: the west has quite deliberately 'created' this current, very
tense, situation with russia, so it's actually up to the WEST to back down?
we could, for example, DO that and russia would pack up its troops and go
home (just like last time) and it'd all go away!
only THEN we'd perforce all be back to the stalemate situation of before
innit huh, and THAT'S what the west doesn't want and/or is seeking to
resolve by bringing it ALL to a head right now??
either way, and from what they're saying, it looks like russia has finally
had enough of being bullied/pushed-around... THIS time they want a
'permanent' + 'binding' agreement!
so then, we either TALK or it's gonna be... conflict.
and i don't think the west WANTS to talk??
riiiiiiight......
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)