Ukraine War A very large explosion in Donetsk city 31 08 2014
Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis war war war ukraine war 2014 ukraine war 2014 ukraine war 2014 donetsk donetsk...
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Ukraine War A very large explosion in Donetsk city 31 08 2014 - Video
Mariupol, Ukraine residents rally to defend against pro-Russian rebels
Ukrainian troops and local residents rally to defend the port city of Mariupol, the next city in the path of pro-Russian rebels. CCTV America #39;s Kate Parkinson reports.
By: CCTV America
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Mariupol, Ukraine residents rally to defend against pro-Russian rebels - Video
SHOCK! Ukraine WarToday 2014Column of tanks and military equipment are moved to Lugansk 30 08 2014
SHOCK! Ukraine WarToday 2014Column of tanks and military equipment are moved to Lugansk 30 08 2014 30.08.2014 ...
By: meleki aslan
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SHOCK! Ukraine WarToday 2014Column of tanks and military equipment are moved to Lugansk 30 08 2014 - Video
One is a throwback to nationalist wars of the past. The other is a worrying harbinger of the future. But for Ukraine the future is now.
Now is the time for the West -- whether NATO, the United States, or individual European states --to provide or sell the high-tech weaponry Ukraine needs to defend itself effectively. The argument against such a move -- that it would provoke a Russian escalation--is no longer valid, now that Russia has escalated. A well-armed Ukraine could stop Putin from embarking on any of these more alarming scenarios.
I was at the gym, minding my own business, when the President took over all of the televisions in the room to make his big announcement: The plan is...that there is no plan.
It's not quite 1914, but troops are on the move again around the world. Find out what's happening by taking the Week to Week news quiz. Here are som...
John Zipperer
Vice president of media & editorial, The Commonwealth Club of California
The long-term solution everyone's been talking about -- including Merkel and her Foreign Minister, Walter Steinmeier --is "federalization." For Russia, long a champion of federalization in the Donbas (and long a foe of federalization at home), federalization means near-independence. Presumably after having been briefed by Ukrainian officials about why the term is unacceptable, Merkel emphasized that what she really meant was "decentralization."
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Ukraine: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News - The Huffington Post
Will for war?
Even if the will for war with Russia was there, there are problems facing the Western powers.
Defense budgets have dwindled in the Western powerhouses. Members of NATO made up most of the top 20 declining defence budgets between 2012 and 2014, according to research from IHS.
At the same time, Russian defense spending has overtaken the UK, making it the third highest military spender globally. And this pace is set to continue as the Russian military replaces old equipment and bolsters its defenses - in 2016, it is forecast to spend $98 billion on defence, up from $78 billion this year.
So Russia itself is a much more formidable opponent than a decade ago. Its relationship with China, which has so far stayed on the sidelines of the dispute, also complicates the picture, and makes the increasingly China-dependent Western powers more likely to pursue a soft power approach.
The fly in the appeasement ointment may be the Ukrainians themselves.
"Ukrainians seem willing to fight in defense of their country and, if this is added to Russia's determination to keep a tight grip on Ukraine, this all bodes ill still for the future," Ash pointed out.
- By CNBC's Catherine Boyle
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Ukraine: The struggle between hard and soft power