[Putin asking the Russian parliament to revoke the right granted earlier on March 1 last to intervene militarily in Ukraine to protect Russian interests in Ukraine is a sort of first definitive public statement, though only sort of, to the effect that Putin is abandoning the option of direct military intervention in Ukraine, on the pretext of preventing massacre of Russian-speakers or whatever, in the immediate future. Earlier, of course, Moscow had eventually demobilised its forces, presumably in tens of thousands, amassed on the Ukraine border. (That was only half a statement.) But subsequent to that it asked its forces in Siberia, the Urals and beyond (far from Ukraine) to be on combat-ready alert. (See: <http://rt.com/news/167496-putin-central-military-drills/>.) That sent out a contradictory signal.
The rulers in Kiev, and their international backers - the US/NATO, allege that apart from moral support Russia is regularly supplying both fighters and armaments, including tanks, to the rebels in Ukraine from across the border, which Moscow, of course, denies. The act of revoking the right to militarily intervene will have no direct bearing on that. But it'll definitely dim the hopes, if any still persisting, of the rebels that Russia would resort to direct military intervention in their favour if the situation turns bloody enough. That may, to an extent, affect their morale despite Putin continuing to make contradictory noises. But the situation in the troubled regions is, nevertheless, sure to remain troubled, at least for quite a while.] I/II. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/24/us-ukraine-crisis-putin-idUSKBN0EZ0Y120140624 Russia's Putin renounces right to send troops to Ukraine BY KEVIN LIFFEY AND ALEXEI ANISHCHUK MOSCOW/VIENNA Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:20pm EDT (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin asked Russia's upper house on Tuesday to revoke the right it had granted him to order a military intervention in Ukraine in defence of Russian-speakers there. Minutes before he spoke, Kiev said pro-Russian rebels in east Ukraine had shot down a military helicopter, most likely killing all nine on board. It was the most serious breach of a temporary ceasefire agreed in talks between government and rebels less than 24 hours earlier. (Full Story) Putin's move received a cautious welcome in the West as a sign Moscow was ready to help engineer a settlement in Ukraine's largely Russian-speaking east, where a pro-Russian uprising against Kiev began in April. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called it a "first practical step" following Putin's statement of support last weekend for Poroshenko's peace plan for eastern Ukraine. But later he told security chiefs to "open fire without hesitation" if government forces came under attack, and "did not rule out bringing the ceasefire regime to an early end" if rebels continued to breach it, his press service said. Putin himself said he now expected Ukraine to begin talks on guaranteeing the rights of its Russian-speaking minority, which Russia would continue to defend. "It is not enough to announce a ceasefire," he told reporters on a visit to Vienna. "A substantive discussion of the essence of the problems is essential." In the March 1 resolution, the Federation Council had granted Putin the right to "use the Russian Federation's Armed Forces on the territory of Ukraine until the social and political situation in that country normalises". That resolution, together with Russia's March annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, helped push East-West relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War and led the United States and Europe to impose sanctions on Moscow. The Federation Council was due to discuss the reversal requested by Putin on Wednesday and expected to approve it. NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said: "We expect Russia to withdraw its troops and military infrastructure from the Ukrainian border, end its support for armed separatist groups, and the flow of weapons and mercenaries across its border, as well as denounce publicly separatist violence in Ukraine." EU SANCTIONS A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton declined comment when asked whether Putin's step would reduce the likelihood of tougher sanctions being agreed at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday. The White House welcomed Putin's backing for the ceasefire, but said there must be "tangible actions" to defuse the crisis. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Poroshenko on Tuesday and "underscored the importance of having monitors in place to verify violations of the ceasefire, as well as the need to stop the supply of weapons and militants from across the border," the White House said. Even the limited sanctions already imposed by Washington and the EU have chilled investor sentiment in Russia at a time when its economy is already on the brink of recession. However, signs that the crisis in eastern Ukraine may be easing have helped markets regain ground. News of Putin's decision on Tuesday pushed the rouble-based MICEX .MCX up 2.2 percent to its highest level since November, and the dollar-denominated RTS index .IRTS up 3.8 percent to its highest close since January. At 1730 GMT, the rouble RUB= was up 0.9 percent against the dollar, which fell below 34 roubles for the first time since January. There was no word on the progress of peace talks, at which Russia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe are represented alongside rebel leaders and Kiev's representative, former president Leonid Kuchma. But it was clear that the ceasefire, due to expire on Friday morning, was under heavy strain. The Ukrainian helicopter downed near the rebel stronghold of Slaviansk was carrying technicians who were installing equipment to monitor violations of the peace plan, the government said. Igor Strelkov, the top rebel commander in Slaviansk, was quoted on a rebel Facebook page as saying: "Talks with them (the Kiev government) are possible only from a position of strength." Elsewhere, a witness said rebels had opened fire on two Ukrainian armoured personnel carriers leaving Donetsk airport, which is under government control. Kiev said three servicemen were killed in rebel attacks on military posts and checkpoints. But rebels accused government forces of firing first. Putin himself appeared to cast doubt on a central element of Poroshenko's plan: that rebels should lay down their weapons. He said it was "pointless" to demand this when far-right militants who had helped to topple Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich in February had not been disarmed by Kiev. Russia itself has already pulled back tens of thousands of troops it had moved close to the border earlier in the crisis. Those troops had also provided an unspoken threat to support the well-equipped but sometimes disunited rebels in eastern Ukraine against government forces trying to wrest back the towns and administration buildings they had seized. Like many of eastern Ukraine's Russian speakers, Moscow was infuriated by the fall of Yanukovich after he pulled out of an association agreement with the EU in favour of closer relations with Moscow, Kiev's former master within the old Soviet Union. Russia denies accusations from Kiev and the West that it has helped foment the separatist unrest and knowingly allowed military equipment to cross into Ukraine or built up forces along the 1,900-km (1,200-mile) joint border. However, the election last month of billionaire businessman Poroshenko as president appears at least to have reduced fears in Moscow and eastern Ukraine that the ex-Soviet republic was being run by far-right nationalists ready to trample over the rights of the large Russian-speaking minority in the east. Since then, the rebels have been gradually losing ground in a conflict where scores have been killed on both sides. On Friday, Poroshenko is set to sign a free trade agreement with the EU - the very pact that Yanukovich rejected in January under heavy pressure from Russia, which had wanted Ukraine's 45 million people to join its own Eurasian Economic Union. Russia is certain to respond by raising trade barriers to Ukrainian exports in order to protect its markets, further fraying an economic relationship already badly soured by Ukraine's refusal to accept an increase in the price of Russian gas, imposed after Yanukovich was ousted. Russia's Gazprom GAZP.MM has now cut off the gas, and its CEO Alexei Miller repeated on Tuesday in Vienna that Kiev must settle $1.95 billion of its debt and pay up front for future supplies before the taps can be reopened. (Additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel and Gabriela Baczynska; and Jeff Mason in Washington; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Ken Wills) II. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28002993 24 June 2014 Last updated at 21:27 Ukraine army helicopter shot down despite ceasefire Before Tuesday, the rebels had shot down at least two Ukrainian army helicopters and a plane The Ukrainian military says one of its helicopters has been shot down by pro-Russian rebels in the east, killing all nine people on board. It says the Mi-8 helicopter was hit by a rocket shortly after take-off outside the rebel-held city of Sloviansk. It comes a day after the rebels vowed to observe a ceasefire until Friday, in response to a government peace plan. But Ukraine's president said he may end it due to "constant violation by rebels who are controlled from abroad". A statement from Petro Poroshenko's office said "the head of state does not exclude that the ceasefire regime may be revoked ahead of schedule". In a further sign that the truce might be unravelling, Alexander Borodai, leader of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic which is defying the Ukrainian government, said that in his view there was no point keeping to the ceasefire. "I say officially now that there has been no ceasefire and, judging by everything, there will not be any," he told Russian television . "In general, all that is left to us is to continue fighting," he added. On Monday, Mr Borodai said his forces would observe a ceasefire until Friday morning. *Analysis: David Stern, BBC News, Kiev* One would suspect that the Ukrainian government's truce in the east is now a dead letter. President Petro Poroshenko's plans to respond to the attack are still unclear, but public outrage alone would seem to demand some sort of military retaliation. And if the Ukrainian government uses force, then very likely the Ukrainian insurgents and their Russian comrades-in-arms will answer in kind. An escalation seems inevitable. At this point, it is close to impossible to determine why the militants decided to carry out such a provocative act, just one day after they declared a ceasefire. Maybe this was some rogue element. Maybe the insurgents were never serious. Maybe Moscow told them to do it. Whatever the reason, the hopes of just 24 hours ago, that Ukraine's east could finally see peace, if only temporarily, ring especially hollow. [image: line] Russian President Vladimir Putin said the truce should be extended to try to hold "substantive talks" between the Ukrainian government and the separatists. The rebels have not commented publicly on the downing of the helicopter. Before Tuesday, the separatists - who continue to hold towns in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk - had shot down at least two Ukrainian army helicopters and a plane. 'Russian world' Earlier in the day, President Putin asked the Russian parliament to revoke the right of military intervention in Ukraine. The move was aimed at "normalising the situation" in the eastern regions of Ukraine, Mr Putin's press secretary said. The parliament authorised Mr Putin to use force in Ukraine on 1 March. Mr Poroshenko said Mr Putin's latest move was a "first practical step" towards settling the crisis in the east. It came after Russia had officially supported Ukraine's peace plan, which included the week-long ceasefire. But speaking later during a visit to Austria, Mr Putin stressed that revoking the right on using force did not mean that Russia would stop protecting "ethnic Russians in Ukraine... who consider themselves part of the broad Russian world". Since March, Moscow has annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula - a move condemned by Ukraine and Western leaders. The takeover achieved with the help of troops without insignia. Despite initial denials, Mr Putin later admitted that they were Russian armed forces. However, Russia denies accusations by Ukraine that Russian troops are helping and arming the separatists in eastern Ukraine. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
