From:
slider@atashram.com
Washington (CNN)The US military responded this week to what it calls
Russia's "unlawful and destabilizing actions" in Ukraine and elsewhere by pushing back against Moscow on the seas and in the air.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/06/politics/us-russia-military-maneuvers/index.html
In the second US military operation in as many days, a US Air Force OC-135 observation aircraft conducted an "extraordinary flight" Thursday under
the Open Skies Treaty "to reaffirm US commitment to Ukraine," the Pentagon said.
The flight came the day after the US Navy had sailed the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell near the Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan,
a move that irked Russia, which maintains a territorial claim on the
disputed waters that is not acknowledged by the US.
'A pattern'
Also on Wednesday, CNN reported that the US has begun making the necessary preparations to sail a warship into the Black Sea as a possible response
to Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and sailors following a clash in
the Kerch Strait.
The Pentagon is "signaling a counter to the latest series of Russian
actions and provocations that ramped up tensions in the region yet again," Peter Singer, a strategist and senior fellow at the think tank New
America, told CNN.
"Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea
near the Kerch Strait is a dangerous escalation in a pattern of
increasingly provocative and threatening activity," Pentagon spokesperson
Eric Pahon told CNN on Thursday.
"The United States seeks a better relationship with Russia, but this
cannot happen while its unlawful and destabilizing actions continue in
Ukraine and elsewhere," he said.
The military's robust response to Russia in recent days underscores the
silence from President Donald Trump when it comes to criticizing Russian aggression, Singer noted, pointing to the clash in the Kerch Strait as a
recent example.
"What is fascinating is the utter disconnect between what the Pentagon is trying to communicate to Russia and the silence of the President," he said.
But while Trump has appeared reluctant to initiate the full range of
sanctions and diplomatic options at his disposal to counter Russia, the administration may be using the military as a way to apply pressure until officials determine they have struck the right balance, according to Boris Zilberman, a Russia expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
"The US Navy is right to conduct these freedom of navigation operations
and should continue to do so," Zilberman said.
Russia continues its push to militarize waters near the Sea of Japan and
has been trying to project an increased role in the Pacific, according to Zilberman. He said the latest US operation in the Sea of Japan may
indicate increasing US concern about Russia's posturing in the Pacific.
Line in the sand
The Pentagon is likely trying to draw a line in the sand early on to
prevent further escalation in the region, he said.
"Russia must know that the US will not allow them to militarize
international waterways in key areas such as the Black Sea, the Sea of
Japan or Okhotsk, or elsewhere," Zilberman said. If not, he added, "it
should be clear by now that when (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is not confronted, he will continue to act aggressively against the interests of
the United States and our allies."
A US Navy official told CNN that the USS McCampbell's passage through the disputed waters was the first time the US has conducted a freedom of
navigation operation in that area since 1987, when the Soviet Union was
the government making those claims.
Amid the flurry of Russian and US activity, the President has been
relatively quiet.
As world leaders denounced Russia's aggression against Ukraine ahead of
the G20 summit, Trump waited more than a day before offering a muted
response, leaving the task of criticizing Moscow to the outgoing US
ambassador to the UN.
When asked how he felt about the clash, Trump said, "Not good. Not happy
about it at all." He seemed reluctant to blame Russia, adding, "We do not
like what's happening either way. And hopefully it will get straightened
out."
Ultimately, however, Russia's actions and its detention of Ukrainian
sailors prompted Trump to cancel a planned meeting with Putin during the
G20 summit.
"Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to
Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties
concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with
President Vladimir Putin," Trump tweeted from Air Force One en route to Argentina.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking at a NATO conference in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, said the alliance "will collectively develop a set of responses that demonstrate to Russians this behavior is unacceptable."
Unlike Trump, Defense Secretary James Mattis has consistently made his
views on Russia's intentions known and has repeatedly warned that Putin
aims to undermine NATO and the US itself.
He was also unequivocal in his response to Russia's seizure of three
Ukrainian vessels, calling it a "a flagrant violation of international
law" and saying "it just shows that Russia cannot be counted on right now
to keep its word."
### - so then, maybe not so much just plonkershenco himself, posturing/grandstanding his upcoming election in a bid to gain votes by deliberately taunting the russians via blatant incursions, so much as a
set-up move, by the west, to justify now bringing US vessels into the
area? something that's no doubt bound to be viewed as provocative by the rouskies, forcing some kind of response from them...
white pawn to knight-4
black to play...
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