NATO: U.S. TROOP DEPLOYMENT POSSIBLE
NATO’s top military commander in Europe, drafting countermoves to the Russian military threat against Ukraine, said Wednesday they could include deployment of American troops to alliance member states in Eastern Europe now feeling at risk. Foreign ministers of the 28-nation alliance have given U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove until Tuesday to propose steps to reassure NATO members nearest Russia that other alliance countries have their back. Asked if U.S. soldiers might be sent to NATO’s front-line states closest to Russia, Breedlove said, “I would not write off contributions from any nation.”
Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin turned up the heat Wednesday on Ukraine by threatening to demand advance payment for gas supplies.
The move was designed to exert economic pressure as Ukraine confronts possible bankruptcy, a mutiny by pro-Russian separatists in the east and a Russian military buildup across the border.
NATO’s top commander in Europe warned that the alliance could respond to the Russian military threat by deploying U.S. troops to Eastern Europe. But Putin’s latest tactics suggested he may be aiming to secure Russia’s clout with its neighbor without invading.
Speaking at a Cabinet session, Putin voiced hope that diplomatic efforts to ease the Ukrainian crisis would yield “positive results,” an apparent reference to talks set for next week that will bring together the U.S., the European Union, Russia and Ukraine for the first time.
Russia wants the talks to focus on a roadmap for Ukraine that would include constitutional reforms guaranteeing its neutral status, ensuring it does not join NATO. Ukraine has responded by saying it will not be dictated by Russia.
Taking a tough stance, Putin instructed the government to be prepared to charge Ukraine in advance for gas supplies — a step that would inflict more pain on a nation already teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. Russia has already raised gas prices 80 percent by eliminating a discount it had extended last year to Kremlin-allied former President Viktor Yanukovich, who fled to Russia in February after months of protests.
The Kremlin pressure comes as pro-Russia protesters have continued to occupy government buildings in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine and the West have accused Moscow of fomenting the unrest to create a pretext for another Russian military incursion similar to last month’s takeover of Crimea.
All the cities affected by the uprisings are in Ukraine’s industrial Russian-speaking heartland in the east, which has a large population of ethnic Russians and strong economic and cultural ties to Russia. Many residents are suspicious of the government that took power after Yanukovych fled.
While Putin kept a military option on the table, saying that “all means” could be used to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine, Moscow is clearly concerned about the grave military, political and economic consequences of invading eastern Ukraine.
The West, which has slapped Putin’s entourage with travel bans and asset freezes in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, has made it clear that it will introduce far more painful sanctions against Russia’s energy industries and other economic sectors if Moscow sends troops into eastern Ukraine.
Unlike Crimea, which was quickly swept by Russian forces who met no resistance from Ukrainian troops, an invasion into the east would likely trigger fighting that could quickly erode public support at home for Putin’s expansionist drive.
And from an economic viewpoint, taking control of a huge swath of territory in the east, which accounts for nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s population of 46 million and the bulk of its industrial wealth, would require huge investments that could be beyond Russia’s capacity.
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