International Reactions to the Ukraine-Russia Crisis

“revoke their [Russia’s] favorable tariff rates, which would increase the taxes Russian firms have to pay to sell their goods in the United States, or impose quotas so that those companies can only sell a certain amount of their goods here. We [US] could also implement a trade embargo. That embargo would cover certain goods, certain state-run organizations, or be a blanket policy that would prohibit U.S. individuals and companies from doing any business with Russia. We [US] could also prevent Russians from accessing U.S. financial markets, denying them a liquid source of funds.”

Russia’s land grab in Crimea is possibly only the first of many. Pro-russian movements continue to spread in the countries surrounding Russia. With the current series of events happening in Crimea it could be possible that Russian influence could spread into these countries and covertly influencing pro-russian movements. With the recent events with Russia retaking Crimea there are many possibilities for what will happen next. Whether it could be a simple land grab or the beginnings of a new cold war or worse, all options are possible.

On 25JUL17, Germany called for additional sanctions on Russia, urging the EU to add up to four more Russian nationals and companies to the bloc's sanctions blacklist over gas turbines. The German governments said that these turbines were illegally moved to Crimea to help support separatist operations. The proposed additions to the blacklist could include Russian Energy Ministry officials and the Russian company that moved the turbines to the Black Sea peninsula.

Other sources also reported on this particular government-centered, anti-Russian response to the court’s ruling. However unlike the previous cited articles, they assume the role of devil’s advocate, calling attention to a potential for harm if the

After the break up of the Soviet Union it became obvious that the leaders of the Russian Federation didn’t welcome attempts by the European Union and NATO to extend their sphere of influence into countries once part of the Soviet Union nor did they approve of any of the former Soviet satellite states encouraging this influence. Furthermore, it has also become well known that Putin and many others within the Russian government, along with his allies elsewhere, dislike the detachment of Crimea from Russia for a multitude of reasons, not limited to the historic and

Russia and the United States are growing superpowers in our world, and their strong militaries and economies are only aspects of their growth. However, these two strong powers come with completely different ideological views and strategies. These differences have helped create the tension between Russia and the US. As problems arise, their tensions continue to grow, to today, where we are at an all-time low.

This was an appropriate policy of Putin’s because it allowed for Russia to become known to the world again after the Soviet Union had fallen. Concerning the relations between Russia and the United States under Putin, many believe that the relations between these two countries had reached their lowest point in 2013. This was eventually resolved when Putin went to a United Nations meeting in order to discuss the anti-terrorist policies and what to do in regards to Syria and Ukraine. This helped to strengthen the relationship between the two countries

On November of 2013 the citizens of Ukraine took to Kiev’s streets. Mass protests broke out in dispute of the governments plan to drop agreements with the European Union and instead seek closer economic ties with Russia. Since the protests broke out Ukraine has seen an ongoing conflict in the east of the country. In order to illustrate a clearer understanding of the current situation in Ukrainian I will first discuss a brief history of Ukraine and its relationship with Russian since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The crisis in Ukraine and Crimea’s recent accession to Russia are events that clearly highlight the underlying sources of conflict in global politics. While Russia sees its actions in Crimea as a “reunification” and the respect for the right of self-determination, the West views it as a threat to European security and a violation of territorial integrity. Crimea has been a debatable topic from the time it came under the control of the Russian Empire in 1783 during the reign of Catherine the Great. The justification then was similar to the reasoning being used by Vladimir Putin today. Catherine declared that she was protecting ethnic Russians in the region from the Ottoman Empire, much as Putin is claiming to protect Russians from Ukrainian

Under international law Russia’s invasion of the Crimean Peninsula is illegal as the Referendum held on the 16th of March by Russia infringed upon the

In March, Russia annexed Crimea by a referendum with an unrealistic 97% in favor, claiming that they were protecting ethnic Russians. This Russian move was criticized by the international community since Russia was violating its promise. In foreign policy, countries priorities are in order from security, economy, autonomy, environment, identity and then prestige. Russia knew by annexing Crimea, it would ensure the safety of Crimea’s ethnic Russians. However, Russia needs Crimea for potential long term economic gains and better security in the Black Sea. Russia is also being suspected of supplying weapons to separatist held territories through dubious aid trucks. Again, Russia is supplying so called aid in the name of protecting ethnic Russians, though it is clear he has other economic and security reasons in

SUMMARY: As of 26JUL17, major international players are warning the U.S. against imposing further sanctions on Russia, saying that doing so could further isolate America from the world community. EU President Jean-Claude Juncker issued a warning to the U.S. stating that the “bloc would act “within days” if it doesn’t get assurances that new sanctions wouldn’t significantly impact European interests. The economic bloc worries that American sanctions developed without their input could jeopardize the continent’s energy security.

The United Nations “could deploy observers into Crimea and other parts of Ukraine to report on the situation…the UN isn’t completely sidelined yet” (Brown, 2014). For NATO, this is the exact type of crisis they were formed for. However, the former Ukraine President rejected a NATO plan that could be integrated into the defense pact, making a military response from NATO unlikely.

The citizens of Crimea have done nothing to deserve this treatment and need someone there to protect them in their time of vulnerability. This article is incredibly news worthy as something needs to be done about it. The only way that people can help this to be stopped is in others know about it and are aware of what is happening in other parts of the world like this. The vulnerability of the citizens of Crimea at this time is uncanny and is taken advantage of by Russia’s occupation of their home. Although the occupation may not be stopped the violations of human rights most certainly can and should be stopped.

The reason behind Vladimir Putin’s decision to ban all food imports signals that Russia does not want to back down from the ongoing confrontation it has with the Western World, specifically the United States, The European Union consisting of 28 nations, Norway, Canada and Australia. The stricter sanctions put on Russia on July 16 by the United States and the Western World were an attempt to limit the support Russia was giving the pro-Russian Separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine. These stricter sanctions included limiting funds directed towards Russia’s defense industry including the banks and energy companies. The original sanctions were primarily individual based and were merely seen as an inconvenience by Russian Government. Russia was willing to risk food shortages and increased prices for the benefit of showing the rest of the world that they were self-sustainable and does not need to rely on other countries for support or trade. Specifically, Russia banned all imports on meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and dairy products.