Thursday, August 28, 2008

Standing up to the Russian bully

The invasion of Georgia is the first significant step towards restoring part of the old hegemony. Disagreement over the Sevastopol base could provide the pretext for the next; thus Mr Miliband's visit to Kiev yesterday.

His presence in the Ukrainian capital was symbolically important and his analysis of the situation forthright. When it came to sanctions, however, he had little to suggest beyond lessening energy dependency on Russia.

Once again, let us rehearse the minimal steps the West should take to counter Kremlin bullying: expulsion from the G8; freezing consultation within the EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the Nato-Russia Council; an invitation to Georgia and Ukraine by the alliance to join its Membership Action Plan; and the blocking of Russia's WTO membership.

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Source: The Telegraph

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