...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...suggested to his US counterpart Barack Obama
Because I won...
in a phone call between the two leaders that the international community could examine joint steps to calm the situation in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Saturday.
Having taken what he wanted by force, Vlad can now take steps to make nice, or relatively so. B.O., having tripped over his feet, will now take steps to pretend he can dance.
Putin in the call also raised alarm over what he described as the "continued outbursts by myrmidons" in Kiev and also over the situation in the largely-Russian speaking rebel Moldovan region of Transdniestr.
Since what the Moldovans call "Left Bank of the Dniestr" doesn't border Crimea, they'll need a land corridor, won't they? Like including Odessa?
The White House said earlier that Putin called Obama to discuss a US proposal on solving the crisis in Ukraine, after Russia seized the Black Sea region of Crimea and massed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's eastern border.
Tut tut. John Kerry can solve that in an afternoon. Tut.
"The Russian leader suggested examining possible steps of the international community to help stabilise the situation," the Kremlin said, without specifying what these steps would entail.
Things like not selling natural gas to Europe. That will help stabilize things.
"The concrete parameters of this joint work will be discussed" by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John F.
I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a
lucky hat,conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
soon, the statement added.
You can rely on JFK.
In the call, Putin also raised concern over the situation in Transdneistr, a sliver of Moldovan territory bordering Ukraine which broke away from control of the Moldovan government in the wake of the fall of the USSR. Putin said there was a "de-facto external blockade of Transdniestr" which was hampering the lives of its inhabitants. The self-declared statelet is recognised by no government.
...which is why there's a "de-facto" blockade.
But Putin appeared to suggest that the Transdniestr issue should be solved not by force but by talks in the "5+2" format of Moldova, Transdniestr, the OSCE, Russia, Ukraine plus the EU and the US as observers.
There was an agreement implemented after the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) started its activity in 2005. You can see how well EUBAM has been working.
"It was emphasised that Russia is in favour of a fair and acceptable regulation of the Transdniestr problem and is interested in seeing the current 5+2 negotiating format work effectively."
"Fair" means they get their way. Just ask Imre Nagy.
Putin also told Obama that Russia was still alarmed over the situation in Ukraine after the fall of president Viktor Yanukovych. "There are continued outbursts by myrmidons, unpunished acts of intimidation," he was quoted as saying by the Kremlin.