In These New Times

“The United States, like the Europeans, have never voiced privately any concerns about this,” a French government official told AFP, asking not to be identified.

 

“And we are anyway used to such thundering declarations from her (Nuland). She’s a neo-con. And the fact that it comes from her is actually reassuring.”

One theory about US strategy in Ukraine is that it’s an attempt to draw Europe back into the US orbit. In that case, why is Nuland , whose views on Europe are famously forthright, still at large?

GMANews

9th May, 2014

WASHINGTON  – US officials voiced concern Thursday at the sale of French warships to Moscow as they mulled tougher sanctions on Russia for the political upheaval triggered by the Ukraine crisis.

The Local 

8th May, 2014

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed Vladimir Putin‘s “constructive tone” on Ukraine on Thursday, after the Russian president told rebels in the east of the country to halt plans for an independence vote.

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End of violence main condition for launching dialogue in Ukraine – President Putin

Voice of Russia

7th May, 2014

Russia demands that the current Kiev administration immediately halt all military operations in the southeastern regions of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the end of violence is an imperative condition for settling the Ukrainian crisis. “An imperative condition of the beginning of this dialogue is the end of any violence: the engagement of both the armed forces – which is absolutely unacceptable – and illegal armed units of radicalized elements,” Putin told a press conference.

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Asahi Shimbun

6th May, 2014

PARIS–With both of their countries cautious about sanctions against Russia, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Francois Hollande agreed to focus on dialogue to settle the dispute in Ukraine.

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