europeans pull punches on russia

23/3/2014 Europeans Pull Punches On Russia

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Europeans Pull Punches On Russia

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

March 04, 2014

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.

A Czech Flip-Flop

The Czech Republic has personal experience with

Moscow invading other countries, having suffered a

Soviet invasion itself in 1968. So, some Czech officials

have reacted fiercely to news of Russia intervening in

Crimea. On March 3, Czech Defense Minister Martin

Stropnicky said he could "hardly imagine" that Russia

could now win its bid against a U.S.-based company to

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."

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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europeans pull punches on russia

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