"His claims of Russia’s noninterference were not helped by the recent capture of ten Russian paratroopers inside Ukraine , whose pictures were on TV screens around the world at the time of the Minsk summit."

True, but then Kremlin propaganda is rarely connected with reality.

I don't think Germany can or even want to save Ukraine. It was Germany who brought caos to Ukraine after all, by supporting Maidan coupists along with the USA, sponsoring a coup against a democratically elected government.
Just to remember, Eastern Ukraine and Crimea were formerly Russian, then Ukranian, and it seems the inhabitants of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea want to get Independence from Eastern Ukraine (or even join back Russia), after their failed association to Western Ukraine when they got Independence from Russia about 20 years back.
EU and USA does not want to recognize the will of Eastern Ukranian inhabitants to be independent of Western Ukraine. They are helping to subdue the political oppositors to Kiev coupist regime, no matter how many civilians are killed by coupist regime.

Just recently Europe and the whole western world called Belorussian president Lukashenko not less as dictator. And put different sanctions on Belorussia.
And now Belorussia is West's partner.
Isn't it ludicrous and hypocrytical

Hold on, this is waiting to be approved by The National Interest.

My question can Russia save Ukraine from the EU take over????? And keep them out of the One World Order,,, then may-be they could save America.... Ukraine don't need the EU or Russia they should stand alone with good trading partners on both sides... Russia don't want Ukraine they just want a real vote by the Ukraine people.... And a fair one not like we in America have it.....

American's and EUs ,,,Aggression isn't working ... Putin is on to us !!!!!!! The dollar will fall....

Germany should not interfere. Germany is the whipping boy of the Anglo world.

Well.. Please compare Germany or Japan in 1989 or central Europe at the same point. 44 years of being "whipping boys of the Anglo world" resulted I. The 2nd and 3rd largest economies at that point (although not for long due to China' growth). Central Europe after 44 years of Soviet occupation was a complete ruin....

What's that in English?

"Quotation", Babe.

Why should Germany save Ukraine?
Before you challenge an 800 pound gorilla, make sure you can escape real fast, if things turn nasty.
Don’t rely a hunter friend with a big gun to save you. Your friend might not want to risk his life for you.

Not a good analogy at all. Russia CANT use their atomic bombs not unless they were suicidal. The US would wipe them out in a counter strike--and without using nuclear weapons the military might of the US would stop Russian armed forces well short of Germany. Then in the long run the combined $40T economies of the USA/EU/Canada and Australia would grind the $2T natural resource dependent Russian economy into dust, probably within a year or two.

I have this news for you:
Ukraine Crisis: Vladimir Putin Warns West: 'Don't Mess' With
Nuclear-Armed Russia
http://www.ibtimes.com/ukra...

That doesn't mean anything. Do you expect anyone but Russain school children and Russian dupes to pay attention?
Sure he huffs and puffs and threatens to blow your house down like the big bad wolf. So what. In addition to being a Midget, Tsar Putin the Short is an incorrigible bully and a liar. The fact is if he used atomic bombs he knows his beloved homeland would be radioactive rubble only 30-40 minutes later
. Even if he was such an insane fool as to do so, likely one of his generals would, quietly, sneak up and put a Makorov bullet between his weasel eyes to save his wife, children and grandchildren a horrible death--the same as if the President of the US were to unilaterally order a nuclear attack.

Russia Has Threatened Nuclear Attack, Says Ukraine Defense
Minister
http://www.newsweek.com/rus...

So you think only what you say, what you think mean anything,
right?
To quote your words: “Russia can’t use their atomic bombs not
unless they were suicidal. The US would wipe them out in a counter strike--and without using nuclear weapons the military might of the US would stop Russian armed forces well short of Germany.”

Even President Obama alone can’t launch a nuclear counter strike against Russia by himself, without the congressional approval. And you think you yourself alone can make that decision!

On the other hand, Putin is the chief honcho of a nuclear power.
He alone can decide when and how to attack Ukraine. He meant what he said and Russia has track records to show its resolves.

I don’t know what a US-Russia thermal nuclear war would look
like; but I can imagine what would happen to the world we live in. Just watch these movies to get some ideas of the holocaust of a thermal nuclear war.
On the Beach - 1959
Planet of the Apes - 1968
Logan’s Run - 1976
The day after – 1983
Nuclear war is not a football game; you don’t get to play it again.

To all warmongers of the world: be careful about what you ask for. Your wish may come true.

A great war leaves the country with three armies - an army of cripples, an army of mourners, and an army of
thieves - a German proverb.

A thermal nuclear war would certainly destroy our middle earth.
Do you still think we should nuke Russia to save Ukraine?

Nothing what you cited contradicts in the slightest my comment. Putin would be clinically insane to launch a nuclear attack--but would be perfectly sane--and be typical of him as a bully to threaten a nuclear attack against a neighbor who gave up its nuclear weapons in response to a treaty that his predecessor signed...
He is the ultimate warmonger. All I am saying is that he is lying through his filthy blood stained teeth, as usual, if he threatens to use these nuclear weapons--and yes I have seen the movies you cite. Precisely the reason why he will not use them---or do you want to state in TMT that he is stark raving mad.....

I sincerely hope that you would spare the time to read this
article, even though I expect your reply would be “it doesn’t meaning a thing…..”

Don't save Ukraine
http://theweek.com/article/...

Thanks for the reading material. As you expected I wasn't overly persuaded-and could review the reasons why if you desire. But I will admit it was well written

Your presumptions are all insane, if not scary because I know this is how most people in the Washington bubble think. Russia's military doctrine includes tactical nuclear strikes against superior forces - no ifs, ands, or buts.

It should be unthinkable and undesirable for ANY European to want conventional war on the continent. Nuclear war is the inevitable consequence of one, so any competent leadership should be genuinely trying to deescalate the situation. Instead, the Neocons are running ramshod over them to keep hitting the escalate button.

BTW, consider this. The Saudis (a necessary component to keep the petrodollar afloat) have witnessed the fact that Obama would rather dick around with Russia than confront Iran as its regional rival. Iran is the clear winner in this (as is China), so of course they will consider knocking out the giant's feet.

Nonsense-by that logic Putin could invade NATO counties or anywhere else because if the US fought directly we would decimate the poorly equipped Russians--then they would opt for a nuclear war guaranteed to destroy 100+ million Russians--even Tsar Putin the Short is not that nuts

> Nonsense-by that logic Putin could invade NATO counties or anywhere else

Except that this is not a game of Risk or Starcraft, actions have consequences. Just because Russia could, does not mean they will; because they are not run by 13 year old boys such as yourself.

Hardly 13
Besides you miss my point. Putin's nuclear threats are meaningless, designed as part of a Psych war operation to lessen the resolve of the Western allies opposing his invasion of the Ukraine.
I do not for a second believe he would start the guaranteed annihilation of the Russian people to rescue a floundering invasion of a foreign country.
You need to recognize a bluff when it is so clearly transparent

Another chickenhawk with an itchy trigger finger...

No, that is not the logic behind it at all. The hope is for deescalation, although everyone risen to the top since at least the Clinton administration has been a complete imbecile.

so you simply resort to an ad hominum attack rather than defend your views-how terribly predictable
also non sensical--anyone who knows anything about US politics knows that Pres Obama is not a "hawk"

The question is can Germany save any advantage fpr itself in Ukraine. That is all Germany is concerned with anyway.

Unfortunately it is true. The Ribbentrop-Molotov pact doomed Baltics and Poland in 1939 and facilitated Russian invasion of Finnland.
Apparently, both Finns and Swedes are paying attention to what is going on. They just allowed NATO forces be be based in their countries. ...

It is intersting that Mr. Putin pushes for the federalization of Ukraine, while denying similar rights to people living in differnt regions of the Russian Federation. It is difficult not to think that he aims to dimantle the state of Ukraine.
In case that Mr. Putin succeeds, I wonder if the next step will be the quest for federalization of other states harboring Russian speaking population. Such NATO states as Estonia or Latvia. If Europe says "yes, please" to the dismantling of Ukraine, how far it will compromise its ability to argue that the Baltics are diffferent..

What rights are you talking about?

PG: Sorry for being brief. I meant: the new law introduced last year which allowed Putin to forgo regional elections and directly nominate the governors of his choice.

Regional governors have to meet the approval of each parliament, so the president is not allowed to swap them at will. That is why Luzhkov (who Putin and Medvedev hated) was able to last so long (Moscow's mayor is technically a regional governor).

Good luck to Luzhkov! HE SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING!

Yes, good luck, indeed. Luzhkov has not been the mayor since 2010. Might want to brush up on your facts before posting comments.

Shaul: is it Mr Luzhkov or Mr Putin whom we shall credit with the fact that Moscow is doing so much better that the rest of Russia?
I think it is years of Luzhkov' work.

Precisely

Germany will not save Ukraine. And no one can do this if the Ukrainians don't want it deeply. As it seems, the new olygarhs in Ukr don't want to stop. Look what Kolomoyski is doing there - his private army is the main fighter, he has appointed a price for a head of an East Ukr soldier. And who is backing these bandits!? You can guess yourself. Who has and is still inspiring the turmoil? Easy to guess! Who is the greatest apologet of wars all over the world? A question of minimal difficulty, if not a minus one.

First Germany has to save it self before it save others. As long as Merkel and her gang wont change and stop listening to US thugs Germany will also sink. look what happened, US forced EU countries to put sanctions on Russia and the countries which are suffering are EU countries not the US thugs. US is just sitting at the shore and enjoying the show.

Bull, my friend.... Sanctioning Russia is much more important for Europe than for US... US left Europe after WW I, only to be forced to come back 25 years later to help save Europe again (and sacrifice many more of the US lives). Prevention always works better than treatment.

> Prevention always works better than treatment.

You're implying that sanctions are actually effective at preventing anything.

History does not support your assertion.

Considering that Holland, US/UK, and Kiev have all clamped down on the evidence for the shootdown of MH17, then the reason for the sanctions disappears.

What if it was indeed Kiev that shot down the plane? Then you support them no matter what because Russia?

Everyone knows the German economy carries the weight of the EU. When they go down, the eurozone and all of their neighboring countries will go down. Why is everyone in a rush to kill the golden goose?

Yes, indeed. The MH17 investigation seems to be going the way of the investigations of the Odessa burning in May and the Majdan shooting in February. Which is, nowhere. Not too surprising, since criminals don't usually investigate themselves

Add to that the 'suiciding' of Valentina Semenyuk earlier this week. She was the former head of the State Property Fund, who blew the whistle on the corrupt machinations around the privatization of state properties by some of the same oligarchs who are now in power in Ukraine.

What, the western mass media has not reported it? Shocking, simply shocking...

The US saved the world in the two world wars? Where did you get this utter nonsense? Oh, I know, you must have studied history in a US classroom. Too funny...!

All where America is leading is in the attacking of nations that never hurt us and in the killings and murdering millions of people all over the world. We are the greatest evil nation on earth, save perhaps our little friend, Israel.

Very intelligent of you for stating, that, "I don't even care to hear your version". Yeap, this is how debate should be conducted :-).

BTW - the Soviet definitively defeated the Germans at Stalingrad in 1943. From that date the Germans were on the run, their defeat fully sealed. The US Normandy invasion did not occur until 1944 when it was safe for the US to enter to claim victory. Go read up on your history!

Looks obvious to me that you learned your history from American schools. The Russians had absorbed huge losses while they moved all their war manufacturing out of the reach for the Germans, deep into Siberia. Once those factories were up and running, the Russians produced the best tanks, airplanes and artillery that anyone had in WWII. Yes, the US did the Land Lease but, its effects were negligible in the scales of the war. The Russians clearly defeated the Germans. Without them, Europe would be speaking German now and the US would never have entered into the war because England, France and the rest would have been lost.

"The Lend-Lease policy, formally titled An Act to Further Promote the Defense of the United States, (Pub.L. 77–11, H.R. 1776, 55 Stat. 3034, enacted March 11, 1941)[1] was a program under which the United States supplied Great Britain, Free France, the Republic of China and later the USSR and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and August 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939 and nine months before the U.S. entered the war in December 1941.[2]

A total of $50.1 billion (equivalent to $656 billion today) worth of supplies were shipped, or 17% of the total war expenditures of the U.S.[3] In all, $31.4 billion went to Britain, $11.3 billion to the Soviet Union, $3.2 billion to France, $1.6 billion to China, and the remaining $2.6 billion to the other Allies."

So, despite 3 times the Land Lease deliveries went to England, they were losing badly to the Germans. You think that 11.3 billion to Russia made much difference between winning and loosing?