WHILE AMERICANS ARE ‘SMOKING’, RUSSIANS ARE RE-DRAWING THE MAP OF EUROPE

America must save Ukraine from Russia’s Aggression

On Saturday, armed men took over police stations and official buildings in Sloviansk and two other eastern towns - Kramatorsk and Druzhkovka.

 Similar reports emerged from Sloviansk and Kramatorsk of armed men dressed in camouflage arriving in buses and storming the police stations.

Do you remember last week’s same scenario in which pro-Russian demonstrators seized government buildings in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Lugansk and other cities in the region???.

Thank God that Ukraine’s police re-captured government buildings in Kharkiv and Lugansk but Pro-Russian demonstrators continue to occupy the main administrative building in the regional capital Donetsk, which they have held for one week.

We shall walk into Thursday’s round table negotiations when Russia is still a victor in toning Ukraine apart.

Politically, the occupation of Russian speaking cities by demonstrators daring to secede like Crimea is a win for Putin. Logically, Americans will be pleading with Russians to publically at least condemn occupation of government buildings by Kiev enemies.

Economically, Russia is skyrocketing price of gas. It has already increased price by almost 85% and worst of it all Ukraine will always pay in advance.
According to Russian energy firm Gazprom, price of Russian gas for Ukraine has gone up to $385.5 (£231) per 1,000 cubic metres in the second quarter of 2014 from the previous rate of $268.5. And Ukraine's unpaid gas bills to Russia stand at $1.7bn

By statistics Russia is number gas producer world-wide. However USA is the second but it hasn’t made any effort to help Ukraine while other Europe gas producers such as Netherlands, Norway, among other are silent while Ukrainians are crying.

 As measured by the International Energy Agency, the top 10 natural gas producers in 2011 were (66.7% of total) (bcm): 1) Russia 677 (20.0%), 2) United States 651 (19.2%), 3) Canada 160 (4.7%), 4) Qatar 151 (4.5%), 5) Iran 149 (4.4%), 6) Norway 106 (3.1%), 7) China 103 (3.0%), 8) Saudi Arabia 92 (2.7%), 9) Indonesia 92 (2.7%) and 10) Netherlands 81 (2.4%).

As America and Europe pile sanctions on Russia, the question is who will shepherd implementation of these sanctions. At most, it will be European countries but Russia still has a chance to intricate the situation.

Economically, it can also hut powerful European countries as it is doing to Ukraine by hiking gas prices. For example, Germany gets 36 percent of its gas from Russia, Italy 27 percent, and France 23 percent. So none of these countries would be interested in direct confrontation with Russia

To avoid further conflicts with Russia, powerful Europeans countries will always declare verbal sanctions but none of them will be willing to execute them.

It must be America to come on board and front the move to punish Russia economically since it has little economic leverage; only 2 percent of its trade is with Russia.

With Russia troops stationed at Ukraine’s boarders, Europe’s favour to Kosovo must be extended to Kiev.

In 2008 when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, it became a protectorate of European Union. It received the EU's economic backing on top of hosting 16,000 NATO soldiers and 1,800 EU policemen to protect its independence.

Remember, this crisis started in November 2013 when protests erupted in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, after the Ukrainian government suspended preparations for signing an Association Agreement and a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, in order to seek closer economic relations with Russia.

Fuelled by EU, these protests led to deposition of President Viktor Yanukovych who is currently living in Russia. With a government EU had desired, there is need to support it to the fullest.  

Crisis timeline

·        Nov 2013: President Viktor Yanukovych abandons an EU deal

·        Dec: Pro-EU protests erupt

·        20-21 Feb 2014: Dozens killed in Kiev clashes

·        22 Feb: Mr Yanukovych flees;

·        27-28 Feb: Pro-Russian gunmen seize key buildings in Crimea.

·        16 Mar: Crimea voters choose to secede in disputed referendum: Russia later absorbs region

·        Apr: Pro-Russia activists take over government buildings and police stations in eastern Ukraine.

                        

 If Americans go on ‘smoking’ other than aiding Kiev politically, economically and socially, Ukraine will wiped from map of Europe in the near future.