Putin Warns Against Foreign Interference in Ukraine, Other Former Soviet R

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB0Q0FQE2E.html

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday strongly warned against foreign interference in Ukraine and other former Soviet republics, accusing the West of trying to force its conception of democracy on countries in the region.

"Only the people of any country - and this includes Ukraine in the full sense - can decide their fate," Putin told reporters after meeting with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

It was Putin's first public comment since Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled that the second-round presidential election was fraudulent and should be repeated.

On the eve of the decision, he had ridiculed Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko's call for a repeat of the bitterly disputed runoff - again staking his position very clearly on the side of Yushchenko's rival for office, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

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[Fleshdancer]

1. Isn't Putin's warning also a foreign influence?

How about when he campaigned for Yanukovych? Wasn't that foreign influence as well?

[NNN0LHI]

3. He tries to explain that discrepancy

>>>Putin defended Russia's involvement in Yanukovych's campaign, saying it was natural for his government to have closer contacts with the authorities in neighboring countries than with the opposition.<<<

He probably has a point. We wouldn't like to have a government in Canada or Mexico that was aided by China or Russia to get elected. Heck, we still have a bug up our but over Cuba.

Don

[podnoi]

10. Powerful propaganda, you are being fooled!

Granted, Yashenko is no paragon of democracy. But you folks are being so blindsided by one sided propaganda on this. It isn't so simple.

You ever notice how there is pretty much a blackout on those opposed to Yushenko (orange side). Lots of talk about Putin but little coverage of massive protests in the east. Do you even know why the east rejects Yushenko? They are a bunch of communists right? Yeah bullsh-t! Your taking this in like freepers! They are doing an incredible number. Heck, If I didn't know better I would believe it too! But it just aint simply as it is being portrayed. Yushenko's wife is American and involved with the Heritage foundation. Yushenko's assistant is an oligrarch who made her money in the Oil and Gas industry!!! anyone else here...Ding Ding Ding!

How can you trust the western media on this when they won't cover any of our issues?

Read some of the other side here. It is difficult to find as it is not being covered:

From "The Nation" Magazine <a href="http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7&pid=2034">Truth or consequences in Ukraine</a>
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4067267.stm">Sense of injustice burns in East</a>

How will there be free elections when Yushenko has said he will keep his supporters worked up and in Kyiv and still threatens revolution if he doesn't win? Is that Democracy?

[kostya]

11. Unless you have ties to actual people in Ukraine then you should

probably just shut up. I suspect you don't since you don't even use the proper transliteration of Yushchenko's name. You are the one being blind-sided by your ideology trying to throw out innuendo and loose threads claiming that makes some sort of obvious conspiracy. Please tell me for instance where you heard about "mass" demonstrations in E. Ukraine. So far, they have been a few thousand people, not the hundreds of thousands marching in Kyiv. Get a grip. - K

[podnoi]

12. Um, I have family in ukraine, check my other posts please!

If I didn't I would have also been blissfully unaware...

Did you read the nation article or will you just accept the common press version because it is easier than getting all the facts?

Here is one from the Guardian. This is not "Putin Vs the West". It is more complex than that.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1359969,00.html

[podnoi]

14. By the way, I don't "support" Yanukovich

I have been equally guilty of mispelling both names :)
And I have seen various other spellings since the any english spelling is an approximation (Russian alphabet is not the same as ours).

But after listing to family, seeing the demonstrations and rallies on TV (I get rtv and some others, rtv has been actually mostly pro Yuschenko interestingly enough). I started reading up. You know he was prime minister before Yanukovich and had a history of not paying the minors right? That was the stuff the corrupt politicians did.

I have seen interviews where he denies a split between east and west to European press. I watched Yushenko call for revolution extremely hastily, I know about the movements attempting to remove Russian books from libraries and Russian TV from the airwaves despite the predominance of the Russian language and the hardship it would create. Is that representative?

It would be sooooo ez for Yuschenko (trying to get my spelling politically correct) to appease the eastern half of the country by simply adding to his platform publically support for Russian Speaking Ukrainians.

[schyzo-nas]

2. Do as I say, not as I do...

Are people so naive as to believe Putin words anymore?

[neweurope]

4. If I were Putin, I'd be scared, too.

Matter of fact I'm not Putin and I'm still scared.

The US is positioning itself all around Russia. Look who's been financing the opposition in Ukraine, look who paid for the thousands of orange suits which miraculously appeared overnight - orange of all colours ! - and the thermo-tents... If I wanted to protest spontaneously I'd have a hard time finding a tent and an orange suit...

[wordout]

5. not at all

i find these reports refreshing. To see the only nation mighty enough to oppose the arrogant empire do so. oh-yeah.

lovin it.

[wordout]

6. 500-800 *more* interfering foreigners on the way:

http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=17921

Calls for massive Ukraine observation mission

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU has welcomed a decision to re- run Ukraine’s Presidential elections, as calls are made to dispatch a massive electoral observation mission.

The EU’s political parties and leaders have warmly welcomed the Ukrainian Supreme Courts’ call for elections to be re-run following indications of wide spread fraud the first time around.

The Court ruled on Friday that the election committee re-run of the second round, with opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko once again facing Viktor Yanukovych.

>

"It is now extremely important that a massive observer operation is prepared as quickly as possible. We must make every effort to ensure that the democratic will of the people of Ukraine prevails" said vice president Jan Marinus Wiersma.

-------

Mr Yanukovych: prepare a welcoming committee befitting of the new arrivals! Mr Putin -warm your jets!

[0007]

7. If Putin thought Afghanistan was tough, wait until Ukraine gets

hold of his scanty KGB ass.

[wordout]

8. i agree. Vladimir is weak.

The world is laughing at your weakness MR Putin!HA!

BRING IT ON!!!

[Psephos]

13. Ukraine is 40% ethnic Russians

Very different situation than in Afghanistan. Almost no useful comparisons can be made.

Putin wants to see a politically friendly regime in Ukraine, just as we would rather see a Vicente Fox in Mexico than a Fidel Castro. From Russia's point of view, it's practically their right to buffer Russia with states (like Belorussia and Tadzhikstan) that orbit closer to its interests than the West's.

They're still smarting over the stunning reversals in the slavic Eastern European countries and the Baltics. Makes Russia feel quite naked.

For my 2 cents worth, I consider the streets of Kyiv filled with hundreds of thousands of protestors day after day to be raw democracy in its undiluted form, and I hope they get what they're after, an untainted election. (I rather wish we could have seen a few of their kind here in early November.)

[American Tragedy]

9. I'd just like to remind President Putin the Soviet Union fell years ago

Thus, his public endorsement of a Ukrainian candidate is very much foreign influence, more so than any other nation that has concerned itself with this election.

Incidentally, I also think that it would be considered foreign influence for Russian agents to tamper with the physical health of an opposition candidate, not to suggest that they would ever do something so dastardly.

[podnoi]

15. Did you read The Nation article?

See above post. The Nation is a progressive mag. Also read the Guardian.
(spelling edit)