Obama Speaks as Threat of Russian Invasion of Ukraine Persists

Ukraine is pulling its military
out of the recently-annexed Crimean peninsula, indicating that
Russia’s control of the region will go uncontested. But, the
Ukrainian government fears that unpredictable and forceful behavior
from their neighbor is threatening to destabilize other regions of
Ukraine. President Obama, who is on a four-day trip in Europe,
spoke about the crisis today.

“Europe and America are united in our support of the Ukrainian
government and the Ukrainian people” and “we’re united in imposing
a cost on Russia for its actions so far,” Obama assured before
heading to a meeting with other world leaders in the
Netherlands.

Michael Shear of The New York Times
suggests Obama’s approach stands “in stark contrast to the
more hopeful tone struck by President Bill Clinton,” who visited
the Netherlands in the late ’90s to better U.S.-Russian
relations.

Obama’s threats don’t seem to deter Russian President Vladimir
Putin.

The Russian government set March 29 as the deadline for Ukraine
to get off the peninsula, but isn’t passing up on the opportunity
to rough Ukrainians up before slamming the door. Reuters
writes that earlier today, Kremlin forces injured around

150 people while “using stun grenades and machine guns…
backed by two helicopters” as they “swept into [a] marine base in
the port of Feodosia” and snatched Ukrainian officers for “for
questioning.” Russian troops have detained as many as 80 Ukrainian
marines and carried out the assault despite the fact that Ukraine
has been complying with orders by presenting no armed resistance to
take-overs of military posts. In recent days, Russians have staged

similar seizures of other posts in the region, and one
Ukrainian military cartographer has been killed.

This may not be the limits of Russia’s aggressive behavior,
though, which concerns members of the Ukrainian government.
Agence-France Presse
reports:

“The aim of Putin is not Crimea but all of Ukraine… His troops
massed at the border are ready to attack at any moment,” Ukraine’s
National Security and Defence Council chief Andriy Parubiy told a
mass unity rally in Kiev.

Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya reaffirmed that message in
an interview broadcast on Sunday on a top US political talk
show.

“We do not know what Putin has in his mind and what would be his
decision. That’s why this situation is becoming even more explosive
than it used to be a week ago,” Deshchytsya told ABC’s “This
Week”.

They aren’t the only ones worried. Along Ukraine’s border,
Russia has a “very, very ready” collection of an estimated 80,000
troops conducting exercises,
according to NATO commander Gen. Philip Breedlove. Breedlove,
who is also in the Netherlands, suggests that “Russia is acting
much more like an adversary than a partner,” he said, and may have
its eyes set on a disputed sliver of land between Ukraine and
Moldova. 

Read more Reason coverage of Ukraine and Russia
here.