Comments 09:29 04/03/2014

‘No chance of Russia being able to back down on Ukraine’

The West organized the coup in Ukraine and they can make this very ugly, but there is no chance of Russia being able to back down, Danny Welch, blogger and anti-war activist, told RT.

Russia’s dispatch of a stabilization force in Crimea on official request from local authorities was harshly criticized by US Secretary of State John Kerry over weekend, threatening to isolate Russia economically and politically and warning of potential asset freezes and visa bans.

“You just don’t invade another country on phony pretext in order to assert your interests,” John Kerry said during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press. “This is an act of aggression that is completely trumped up in terms of its pretext. It’s really 19th-century behavior in the 21st century.”

Welch says the Kerry’s statement has an obvious weak point.

RT: John Kerry's criticism appeared very harsh. But will Washington follow through with concrete action?

Danny Welch: The harshness of his [Kerry’s] reaction is indicative of the weakness of his position. In the first place it is absolutely surreal for the Secretary of State of the US to state that a country doesn't have a right to invade other countries without a pretext, when right at the moment his own government is involved in up to a dozen countries. And I think the whole world thinks it sounds crazy except for the Western press.

RT: Western countries back Kiev ... are we seeing a self-appointed government receiving international recognition?

DW: I'm not sure that’s international recognition. The Western powers always use a term international community when they mean themselves and a few of their closest friends. I think what remains to be seen is Russia and China - they are the two strongest members of the UN Security Council. They'll obviously withhold recognition. Turkey basically agrees with Russia on the Crimean issue.

The coup is unraveling. The Navy commander defected and swore his leniency to Crimea. It's not a tenable position for anyone involved, I think [the West] will try and they have military muscle, if they really want to start a war they can. [The West] started the coup, they funded the coup, they organized the coup - they can make this very ugly. But there is no chance of Russia being able to back down, so I don't think they can do much.

RT: Washington and Brussels appear to be ignoring the nationalists and extremists within the Kiev government. Why is that?

DW: Because it's supremely embarrassing. I was in Kiev and in Moscow many years ago, and one of the things that you can see when you’re on the ground there, that you are never taught in American schools, is the overwhelming pride at having defeated the fascists, and having pushed back the Nazis, and at what an incredible sacrifice of tens of millions of people for the Soviet Union and how important that is to the national identity. And now to have these Western powers actually paying fascists, paying neo-Nazis, to seize power in a country on Russia's border is simply too evil and too embarrassing to admit, and so they'll just continue to deny it.

There were also reports that neo-Nazis from all over Europe are descending on Kiev to join the mobs that have been patrolling the city with bats. It's not law, it's not order, it's a lawless coup and it should be scary to anyone who is invested in peace and order.

RT: Many Russians live in Ukraine, especially in Crimea. Does Moscow have the right to protect them in the way it is proposing?

DW: There is no question either under 1994 agreement, under any sense of moral duty, any sense of national pride or simply as a matter of being the power in the region that has power to prevent chaos. There is no question that Russia is within her right to protect these people in this way. Absolutely no question. The only people who can shriek about the international law ironically are the people who have been violating it without cease for at least the last 15 years flagrantly and on view for all the world [to see].

RT: Where will things go from here?

DW: My prediction is that Russia will come out of this better than they went in. Crimea is basically is a de-facto secession already. The Western Ukraine is a basket case, the EU never wanted them. And they are going to scream when austerity comes in and ruins their lives much more than Yanukovich ever could have. It is an absolute disaster for the West, a security disaster for Russia, and there is no way for it to end well except for the eventual peaceful partition of the country.
 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:03
Temperatures to drop further across Armenia
Scattered rain is expected in Armenia’s regions on Friday, Saturday and next week. Foggy conditions are possible in some parts of the...
16:30
Khachanov makes it to second round of China Open
Russian-Armenian Karen Khachanov, the No 7 seed, won against Spanish lucky loser Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-4 to move into the second round...
16:06
Opposition MP blames Pashinyan's government for 2020 war defeat
Opposition deputy Tigran Abrahamyan accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government of deliberately leading the country to defeat in the...
15:36
‘National disgrace': Opposition leader slams Pashinyan's meeting with Erdogan in New York
Seyran Ohanyan, the leader of the opposition Hayastan faction in the Armenian parliament, said opposition forces were striving to prevent the...
15:05
NSW MPs call on Australians to boycott COP29
Three members of the New South Wales Parliament have delivered powerful addresses on the floor of the Legislative Assembly to mark the first...
14:32
Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan arrives at Mother See
Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, on Friday arrived at the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin, the Armenian church...
14:04
Artsakh president commemorates 2020 war anniversary
Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan on Friday visited the Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan to pay tribute to fallen soldiers on the...
13:30
Alen Simonyan to reportedly attend re-consecration of Echmiadzin cathedral
Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan will attend the re-consecration ceremony of the Mother Cathedral in Etchmiadzin on Sunday,...
13:03
No decision yet on next stage of Armenian-Azeri border delimitation, official says
No decision has yet been made on the next stage of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border delimitation process, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher...
12:34
Ruben Vardanyan, other Armenian leaders mark one year as political prisoners in Azerbaijan
Today marks the first anniversary of the arbitrary arrest by Azerbaijani authorities of eight Armenian leaders, commencing with the arrest of...
12:15
Ex-defense minister set to become Japan's next PM
After five tries, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba will finally lead the Liberal Democratic Party — and Japan, The Japan Times...
12:03
Pashinyan at UN: Armenian proverb says, 'Let us speak the positive in order to be well'
As part of his working visit to New York, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday delivered a speech at the 79th session...
11:36
Armenian deputy PM acknowledges problems in relations with Russia
Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan acknowledged problems in relations with Russia and other countries. "We need to make...
11:15
Artsakh president pays tribute to fallen soldiers on war anniversary
Artsakh President Samvel Shahramyan on Friday visited the Yrablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan to pay homage to fallen soldiers on the...
11:00
Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to put additional efforts towards signing of peace deal
On September 26, under the initiative and with participation of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat...
17:15
Wheat production in Armenia unprofitable, economy minister says
Wheat production in Armenia is economically unprofitable, Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan told reporters outside the Armenian government...
16:46
Martin Scorsese's two film projects postponed
Martin Scorsese, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind some of cinema’s most iconic works, had planned to begin shooting two highly...
16:34
Yerevan to host Meghraton exhibition and sale of bee products
Meghraton exhibition and sale of honey and other bee products is set to take place at Yerevan's Yeraz Park on September 28-29. The event is...
16:17
Political analyst slams Pashinian's UN speech, photo with Erdogan
Political analyst Suren Surenyants hit out at Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for his speech at the Summit of the Future held on the sidelines of...
15:35
UNICEF and Germany to scale up child protection services for refugee children in Armenia
UNICEF and the German Embassy in Yerevan announced a new contribution of 2,9 million Euros from the German Federal Foreign Office in the...
15:05
New COVID strain cases detected in Russia
Specialists from the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing have recorded two coronavirus...
14:35
Armenian Airlines to launch direct flights between Yerevan, Volgograd
Armenian Airlines will launch direct flights between Yerevan and Volgograd, a city in southwest Russia, starting from 1 December 2024....
14:07
Political analyst says South Caucasus turning into a 'powder keg'
Political analyst Sergei Melkonian, a research fellow at the Applied Policy Research Institute (APRI Armenia), warns that the South Caucasus...
13:45
Today marks Komitas' 155th anniversary
September 26 marks the 155th birth anniversary of Komitas Vardapet, a prominent Armenian composer, priest, musicologist, arranger, singer and...
13:30
Georgia seeks to transform South Caucasus into a region of opportunities, PM says
Georgia has led the effort to transform the South Caucasus into a region of opportunities, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli...
12:55
Pashinyan's wife chats with Turkish first lady in New York
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's spouse, Anna Hakobyan, on Wednesday attended a reception in New York hosted by U.S. First Lady...
12:30
U.S. government announces $20,600,000 support to Armenia
Secretary of State Blinken and USAID Administrator Power spotlight democratic progress in Armenia and announce $20,600,000 from the United...
12:17
Blinken to meet with Armenian, Azeri FMs on Thursday evening
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun...
11:55
The government has decided to remove Mikayel Minasyan's brother from his position as minister, continuing its repressive measures
For three days, members of Armenia's ruling "Civil Contract" faction have been collecting signatures to dismiss Justice Minister...
11:35
Iran warns Israel against 'full-scale war' in Lebanon
Israel's leaders must understand their crimes won't go unpunished, Iran's foreign minister has said on the sidelines of the UN....

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}