Frank Sellers
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The European Union is committing to its policy of perceiving revolutionary determination as its course of legitimacy. Apparently, a referendum gaining nearly 100% popular support isn’t sufficient to qualify for the self determination of a region. Therefore, the EU will continue to consider the Crimea as politically a part of the Ukraine. This, of course, means that the EU has reason for its sanctions regime against Crimea, which it will be extending for yet another year.
Deutsche Welle reports:
The European Union extended economic sanctions on Crimea and its port city of Sevastopol on Monday. The 28-member bloc imposed the measures after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula four years ago.
The EU said it remains “firmly committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” reiterating that “it does not recognize and continues to condemn this violation of international law.”
The measures — which will now stay in place until June 23, 2019 — ban the import of products originating in Crimea. They also prevent EU nationals or companies based in the bloc from investing or buying real estate in Crimea and Sevastopol, and ban EU cruise ships from docking there, except in an emergency.
The move comes three weeks after French lawmakers voted in favor of a resolution to lift parallel sanctions targeting Russia — currently set to expire at the end of next month — over its role in an ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. “(The sanctions are) totally ineffective today to solve this international crisis and are dangerous for France’s interests,” said conservative MP Thierry Mariani, who put forward the resolution.
Some French lawmakers also highlighted the importance of forming an “alliance” with Russia to fight the “Islamic State”, a common enemy, and find a solution to the Syrian conflict.
The general idea is that Crimea, now considered Russian territory by Moscow, isn’t responsible for its present predicament, and that Russia is the one to blame for the sanctions. EU hits someone with sanctions and points the finger elsewhere. The West, therefore, loves to create economic hardship on citizens of certain nations in an effort to stir up popular discontent against its government which the West then hopes to employ its efforts to control a method of regime change, commonly referred to as ‘color revolutions’. How this jives with democracy is anyone’s guess, as it appears to violate democratic processes going and coming.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Considering the unelected European Commission one can understand why they don’t accept the vote of the Crimean’s.
Fak the EU.
Kosovo did not even need a referendum to be made into a state, while Crimea did and already had a level of autonomy and a government at a time when there was no legal government in Ukraine (even the voting did not meet the numbers after the coup and threat to kill the President.
Russia is doing well in diversifying under the sanctions (extorrtions,as they are not legal, only the UNSC can impose such sanctions).
Luckily, Ukraine heeded Putin’s warning not to start an invasion of Donbass during the World Cup, but they’re eventually going to invade Donbass, They’re as dumb as Saakashvili was in shelling Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia (how’d that work out for Georgia? 🙂
Take a look at the date; timing is everything. 1991. Even before Bubba.
It is crystal clear that both Banderised Ukraine and enslaved EU suffer from the same affliction as a result of the mysterious forces of exceptionalism, supremacism, expansionsm and racism. These are deep animal instincts that prevent logical higher order thinking. These political animals have to be trained by simple methods that work on real live animals. There is no need and no chance for Crimea to be recognised as Russian land. Like some mindless animal on the hunt they are still salivating at the thought of possessing Crimea and outraged that Crimea returned Russia in 2014. Consider this: will the… Read more »
The Russian Foreign Office should start emphatically stating that the reciprical sanctions will not be removed until 12months after the EU sanctions are removed. So that the Wests’ farmers know that they will have a whole extra year of suffering after western sanctions are removed, this may cause some blow back at home and if it doesn’t then really who cares? Obviously not their own governments!
The EU are only accelerating their own demise … I suspect many senior Russian political figures are enjoying the show.
Thought that Italy was going to appose further sanctions against Crimea. Italian new government mentioned their opposition to sanctions not long ago, well the Italians have been known to be all bluster and talk with very limited action.
God-damned gutless, chicken-assed, weaklings, need some one to wipe your asses eh ??? How can any one in the “FREE” world respect you pompous asses, you have zero integrity !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apparently Israel is the only imperialist nation that’s allowed to annex other people’s land without getting sanctioned.
This might make sense if Russia was holding Crimea against its will.
“…..Crimea, now considered Russian territory by Moscow,………” Rather more to the point Mr. Sellars — Crimea is now, and indeed has always been, considered Russian territory – by Crimea. Moscow is in no way “at fault” for Crimea being formally and legally announced to be part of Russia. This was done in response to a referendum and vote conducted by the Crimean people. You write as though the EU is being unfair to Crimea in applying sanctions to her, because it was Russia [i.e. Moscow, i.e. Kremlin, i.e. Putin ] which is the guilty party which enforced the situation on… Read more »
The per capita GDP of basket case Ukraine was only 1/3 of Russia and Poland before the U.S. instigated Maidan fiasco. The people of Crimea would not accede to a return to Ukraine authority even if Russia tried to simply hand it back.
Moreover, the U.S. “self-determined” the breakup of Yugoslavia with that inspired chaos and Nitwit Joe Biden and other U.S. political hacks ruminated about partitioning Iraq in 2009. So in other words, the U.S. has no problem breaking up countries when it sees fit.
I had hopes for some sensibility from the EU, but those hopes are now dashed. I guess they are still a bunch of stupid US vassals.
Incidentally, the Ukraine has never been a legal state. Until 1991 it was part of the Russian Empire, then part of the USSR. A group of ruffians in Kiev announced that Ukraine had become an independent nation in July 1991 – six months before the USSR dissolved itself.
Since Ukraine’s secession from the USSR and its successor state, the Russian Federation, was illegal, Crimea – like the rest of Ukraine – has always been part of Russia.
If the EU doesn’t accept the legality of Crimea’s decision to secede from Ukraine and return to Russia, does it accept the legality of the American colonists’ self-interested rebellion against their legal government in London? Or does that get a pass under one of the two great overriding moral principles:
1. It happened a long time ago.
2. It was done by friends of ours so it doesn’t count.
“How this jives with democracy is anyone’s guess”.
The word is “jibes”. I recommend an English dictionary – or you can look one up online. It’s not hard. If you go on using words at random, sooner or later your articles will become completely incomprehensible.
meh sanctions.. eu r toothless