UndercoverElephant wrote:fifthcolumn wrote:I reckon some time in the next couple of years or so the Russians are going to pin Europe's behind to the energy wall that is their dependence on middle eastern oil.
They're already doing it, or pretty close. They walked into Crimea and said "this is ours", and the entire western world said "Ermm...guess it is then." They hold all the best cards in their hands, they will use them as and when they see fit, and there is bugger all anyone in Europe can do about it, especially those of us at the furthest end of the pipelines.
That's not really true UE, so far as I can tell. Though, I am happy to be shown evidence to the contrary. From everything I have read from a large variety of sources, the elected government of Ukraine did a trade deal with Russia that would have meant a closer economic relationship with them and a rejection of the economic/political overtures made to them by Europe. The reason for them doing this was largely based on them owing a bloody fortune to the Russians for gas for which they have been underpaying for years, and even that was at a discounted price. Those back bills, coupled with a sinking economy more generally, in the context of seeing what the Europeans were doing to the likes of Greece and Ireland meant that a deal with Russia, which was not proposing to impose the kind of heinous restructuring package that would come with greater EU integration, meant that the Russian economic deal was by far the least worst option for them.
At which point we coincidentally get wall to wall media coverage over here of a so-called "Ukrainian Spring" where the people of Ukraine were seen to apparently rise up against their [democratically elected] government. I have read many and varied sources and have also been on many forums and have conversed with a fair number Ukrainians and a sizeable majority of them are saying loud and clear that the so-called uprising was pretty much a staged event occurring only in Kiev and that its so-called leaders were a small group of neo-fascists who seemed to be miraculously armed and ready to overtake key government structures in Kiev at a moment's notice. So much so, in fact, that it is entirely reasonable to suspect the hand of Washington and/or the EU was behind that level of organisation.
Meanwhile, pretty much the entire Eastern flank of Ukraine has revolted at what has been essentially a neo-fascist, anti-democratic coup in Kiev. It's true enough that much of the Eastern flank is of Russian ethnic descent. However, that's always been an underlying issue with Ukraine and so nobody should be surprised at their pro-Russian stance. They don't need any encouragement from Russia to revolt. They are motivated to do so all by themselves. So much so in Crimea, of course, that they held a remarkably democratic referendum, given the extraordinary circumstances. The result of which was both voluminous and overwhelming. Around 97% of those that voted (which was at least 75% of the entire adult population) did so in favour of secession. I repeat,
97% voted for
cessation. Russia
did not annex Crimea. The Crimeans democratically
chose to secede from Ukraine in
response to a fascist coup in Kiev. During all of this tumultuous process, as well, not a single Russian soldier entered Ukraine other than those already existing there as part of a prior agreement with Russia. Furthermore, not a single Crimean or any other Ukrainians were killed by those Russian soldiers during that time despite several suspicious provocations that have also continued to occur on a regular basis since Crimea's cessation.
In addition to all of the above, although several other regions to the East of Ukraine have indicated they wish to go the way of Crimea, Russia has made it clear to them that while it will certainly intervene, in extremis, to protect the lives of Russian speakers in Eastern Ukraine, it cannot accept further requests for cessation. Hardly the response of a dangerously expansionist Russia wouldn't you agree?
Oh, and one final thing, the MSM over here has conveniently omitted to mention that the EU's attempt to get Ukraine further politically and economically integrated into the EU was and is
in direct contravention of a treaty made between Russia, the US and the EU several years ago.
I fail to see, given all of the above and more I have not mentioned, how Russia may be painted as the prime or, indeed, the initial aggressor in any of this.
