Europeans Pull Punches On Russia

23/3/2014
Europeans Pull Punches On Russia
RFE/RL Sites by Language
TOP STORIES:
UKRAINE CRISIS
AFGHAN ELECTIONS
DOKU UMAROV
Mobile
Russia
Middle East
Central Asia
Caucasus
South Asia
Balkans
Eastern Europe
Listen
Press Room
About
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Ukraine

Print
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Share:
1 . Live Blog: Crisis In Ukraine

2. The Purpose of Starting A Rumor About
Ukraine Giving Territory To Poland
3. Germany's Steinmeier Warns Against New
Division Of Europe
4. RFE/RL's Baghdad Bureau Chief Shot
Dead
5. Podcast: Tactical Victory. Strategic
Defeat?
6.
Explainer: How The International

Sanctions Game Is Played
7 . OSCE To Deploy Ukraine Observers After

Russia Drops Objections
8. Kyiv Signs EU Agreement As Putin Signs
Crimea Annexation
British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been criticized for allowing economic issues to keep
them from punishing Russia for its intervention in Crimea.
By RFE/RL
TEXT SIZE
9. RFE/RL Mourns Slain Baghdad Bureau

Chief
1 0.
March 04, 2014

Tw eet
20
Recom m end
Share
207
1
subm it
Follow @RFERL
Related Articles
Kremlin Aide: Sanctions Go Both
Ways
he Ukrainian crisis has sent European leaders

scurrying to find responses to Russia's
aggression. But so far, they seem more confused over
what to do than they are united. One reason for the
confusion is that many EU member states have close
trade ties with Moscow and are loathe to jeopardize
them by slapping punitive sanctions on Moscow. In the
meantime, the scramble over what to do is producing
some notable moments: from threats, to backpedaling,
to even some embarrassments.
Most E-Mailed
Most-Viewed Multimedia
1 . The Purpose of Starting A Rumor About
Ukraine Giving Territory To Poland
1.
RFE/RL Video Roundup - Mar. 21
Editors'
2. Podcast:Picks
Tactical Victory. Strategic
2. Defeat?
Russian Forces Storm Ukrainian Base
Shadow Of 1944
In Crimea
3. 'Toy Invasion' At Controversial
CrimeanPrague
Tatars
Memorial
Invoke
3.
Crimean Tatar
LeadersFears
Urging Of Ethnic
Cleansing
Keep
Ukrainian
Passports
4. Crimeans
RFE/RL's To
Baghdad
Bureau Chief
Shot
4.
A Czech Flip-Flop
U.S. Condemns Russia's

'Aggression'
The Czech Republic has personal experience with

Moscow invading other countries, having suffered a
Soviet invasion itself in 1968. So, some Czech officials
Ukrainians Answer Call To Enlist
have reacted fiercely to news of Russia intervening in
Amid Russian Threats
Crimea. On March 3, Czech Defense Minister Martin
Russian Forces In Crimea: Who
Stropnicky said he could "hardly imagine" that Russia
Are They And Where Did They Come
could now win its bid against a U.S.-based company to
From?
carry out the planned $10 billion expansion of the
Czech Republic's sole nuclear plant. But by day's end, Czech Prime Minister
Bohuslav Sobotka walked back the defense minister's statement. "It is
impossible to imagine that we will burn all bridges by rupturing all commercial
ties with Russia because of this crisis," Sobotka said. "That would be very
unwise."
Putin's Ukraine Strategy: Crazy,
Shrewd, A Little Of Both?
http://www.rferl.org/content/europeans-pull-punches-on-russia/25285309.html
Ukraine's Military Bases Targeted In

Crimea
Dead
Live Blog
Radio Azadi Nominates Ihsanullah
Following
Bayat As The Norouz
"Person of Latest
the Year"
Ukraine Developments
5.
Kerry Hopes For No Russian Tension

Power Vertical
Spillover
6.
Victory.
Strategic
Kerry On Norouz
And Iran
Nuclear
Defeat?
Talks
Podcast: Tactical
7.
Already Weakened
Donetsk Protesters Demand Return Of
Crimea Annexation
Yanukovych
8.
Economy
Crimean Tatar
Woman Fears War
Threatens Russian
Russia Sanctions
U.S. Businesses Fear

For Bottom Line
Villain In Chechnya
Russian War Hero

Honored With A Street
1/3
23/3/2014
In Grozny
Britain Warns Of 'Significant Costs' -- But No Trade Sanctions?
British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned President Vladimir Putin
that Russia will have to pay "significant costs" unless the Kremlin changes
course on Ukraine. So a photo of an apparently official document as it was
being carried into Downing Street on March 3 caused quite a stir by
suggesting London might, in fact, oppose curbs on Russian trade. The
document says "the U.K. should not support for now trade sanctions...or close
London's financial center to Russians." Downing Street has refused to
comment.
RFE/RL Tweets & Retweets

Tweets from a list by RFE/RL
The German Contact Group

Germany says it is counting on a "contact group" to open channels between
Kyiv and Moscow and de-escalate a crisis that could endanger trade ties
between Berlin and Russia, the source of almost 40 percent of its oil and gas,
But Berlin, which has suggested the contact group could be composed of
states and international organizations, is moving ahead slowly. Chancellor
Angela Merkel's spokeswoman said on March 3 that the initiative so far has
been limited to just one phone call between the chancellor and Russian
President Vladimir Putin.
RFE/RL
@RFERL
9m
U.S. Businesses Fear Russian Sanctions May

Hurt Bottom Line bit.ly/NCAjDh
Luke Allnutt
@lukeallnutt
39m
Don't care about your cookie policy.
Aimal Faizi
@AimalFaizi
6h
president.gov.af/en/news/30706 President
#Karzai: We respect the decision the people of
Crimea took through a recent referendum
The EU: 'Sanctions Are Not In Order Today'

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on March 3 united over
calls on Moscow to return its troops to their bases and threatened to put visa
liberalization and economic cooperation talks on hold. But they made it clear
they wouldn't go as far as the United States in terms of economic steps.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for more diplomacy,
saying "crisis diplomacy is not a weakness." The Netherlands' foreign
minister, Frans Timmermans, said "sanctions are not in order today." Some
numbers may help provide context: trade between Russia and the EU states
is worth $460 billion yearly, while U.S. trade with Russia is worth just $40
billion.
Retweeted by AbuSid
Expand
sayed salahuddin
6h
Latest Blog Posts

Caucasus Report
Two Prominent
Azerbaijani
Oppositionists
Sentenced On Fabricated Charges
Transmission
Long Hours At NATO -- And A New Europe, Old Europe Divide?

Warsaw has pushed NATO to hold emergency meetings over Ukraine, saying
the crisis endangers Poland. But the most recent meeting went four hours
overtime on March 3 as the members struggled to agree on a statement. The
new member states, which only recently left Moscow's orbit themselves,
wanted tough warnings for Russia. So did Britain and the United States. But
France and Germany prefer a more moderate tone. Germany says it is still of
the opinion that one can talk to the Russians without coming to threats and
ultimatums. That came as, separately, German officials denied U.S. reports
that Merkel said on March 3 in a phone call with U.S. President Barack Obama
that Putin has lost touch with reality.
'Toy Invasion' At
Controversial Prague
Memorial
The Power Vertical
Podcast: Tactical
Victory. Strategic
Defeat?
Ukraine Unspun
The Purpose of Starting

A Rumor About
Ukraine Giving
Territory To Poland
The Rundown
The Rundown -- March

21
Print
Tw eet
Share:
20
Recom m end
Share
207
subm it
Follow @RFERL
You Might Also Like

2/3
23/3/2014
U.S. Businesses Fear

Russian Sanctions May
Hurt Bottom Line
Crimean Tatars, Still

Living In Shadow Of
1944, Invoke Fears Of
Ethnic Cleansing
Explainer: How The
International Sanctions
Game Is Played
SERVICES:
Podcast
RSS
Mail Subscription
Our Cov erage Area
Mobile
Browse
Quick Hits
Social Networks
Russia
Armenia
News
About
Del.icio.us
Tatar-Bashkir
Azerbaijan
From Our Bureaus
Press Room
Digg
North Caucasus
Georgia
Features
Contact
Facebook
Iran
Afghanistan
Blogs
Terms of Use
Google Bookmarks
Iraq
Pakistan
Multimedia
Privacy
Newsvine
Kazakhstan
Balkans
History / Archives
Site Map
Reddit
Kyrgyzstan
Belarus
Subscribe
StumbleUpon
Tajikistan
Moldova
RFE/RL Newsline (Jan 2000-May

2008)
RFE/RL Jobs
Twitter
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Marketing & Affiliates
Analytical Reports (Jan 2000June 2008)
Broadcasting Board of
Governors
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2014 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3/3

Europeans Pull Punches On Russia

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Europeans Pull Punches On Russia

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

23/3/2014