Obama Administration Issues Stern Warning as Russian Tanks Penetrate Ukraine

Although a
two-month ceasefire is still technically in place, Russia’s
invasive ground war in Ukraine is escalating. The United States has
some stern words for Vladimir Putin over this incursion.

Yesterday U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette
Meeha issued
this statement on behalf of the White House:

We are very concerned by intensified fighting in eastern
Ukraine, as well as numerous reports, including from the Special
Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE), that Russian backed and supplied separatists are
moving large convoys of heavy weapons and tanks to the front lines
of the conflict. We continue to call on all sides to strictly
adhere to the cease-fire. Any attempt by separatist forces to seize
additional territory in eastern Ukraine would be a blatant
violation of the Minsk agreements. We reiterate our call on the
Russian Federation to honor all of the commitments it made in
Minsk, including ending its military supply to the separatists and
the withdrawal of all of its troops and weapons from Ukraine.
Furthermore, Russia must enable the restoration of Ukrainian
sovereignty along the Ukrainian side of the international border,
to be monitored by the OSCE, and facilitate the release of all
hostages. We continue to stress that adherence to the framework
agreed upon in Minsk is the best chance of achieving a peaceful
resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Secretary of State John
Kerry had an unofficial meeting with Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov this weekend at the Asia-Pacific Cooperation summit
in Beijing. It appears Russia, which continues to deny any
involvement in the war despite enormous evidence to the contrary,
has the upper-hand and is framing the debate. “If Washington is
interested in contributing to the reconciliation of the situation
and creating dialogue between Kiev and the rebel leadership… I
think that would be a step in the right direction,” said
Lavrov.

Kerry stated, “We
do have some disagreements about some of the facts on the ground
with respect to Ukraine. We have agreed to exchange some
information between us regarding that. We have also agreed this is
a dialogue between us that will continue.”

President Barack Obama and Putin are supposed to have an
unofficial meeting at the summit, too.

Radio Free Europe
reports that this weekend eastern Ukraine faced “some of the
most intense shelling since the cease-fire” began.

Whether Putin can sustain this war is yet to be seen. Russia’s
central bank is predicting three
years of economic stagnation. The nation’s currency continues
to drop to record lows, and this weekend The Moscow Times

reported “rising demand for foreign currency mean[ing] that
U.S. dollars and euros were unavailable at some Russian banks and
exchange points Friday as the ruble went into free fall during
morning trading.” Earlier in the year, Russia invaded and annexed
Crimea, which “is now Russia’s poorest region,” and will
cost tens
of billions of dollars on development.