The Globe got the wrong number because the web version is a rewrite:
"Putin calls Obama to discuss crisis in Ukraine; Leaders want Kerry, Lavrov to meet soon" by Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear | New York Times March 29, 2014
My printed byline says Shear and Herszenhorn.
WASHINGTON — President Vladimir Putin of Russia reached out to President Obama on Friday to discuss ideas about how to peacefully resolve the international standoff over Ukraine, a surprise move by Moscow to pull back from the brink of an escalated confrontation that has put Europe and much of the world on edge.
After weeks of provocation punctuated by a menacing buildup of troops on Ukraine’s border, Putin’s unexpected phone call to Obama hinted of a possible settlement.
I don't know how he could have heard it ringing with his head in the sand.
The two leaders agreed to have their top diplomats meet to discuss concrete proposals for defusing the crisis that has generated the most serious clash between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
But it remained uncertain whether Putin was interested in a resolution that would go far enough to satisfy the United States, Ukraine, and Europe, or was seeking a diplomatic advantage when he has been isolated internationally.
While the White House account of the call emphasized the possible diplomatic movement, the Kremlin’s version stressed Putin’s complaints about “extremists” in Ukraine and introduced into the mix of issues on the table the fate of Transnistria, another pro-Russian breakaway province outside his borders.
Neither US nor European officials expect Putin to easily reverse his seizure of Crimea, the largely Russian-speaking Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow annexed last week after Russian troops took control.
Well, there was a vote to secede, but that is omitted from the NYT narrative.
The Kremlin statement made no mention of Crimea, suggesting that Putin considers that a fait accompli and no longer up for discussion. Analysts said he might be seeking some sort of de facto acceptance of that new status quo in exchange for not sending troops massed on the border into eastern Ukraine.
This is about the worst reporting I've ever read. What shit spin!
Obama took the call at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after he finished a two-hour dinner with King Abdullah to discuss Iran, Syria, and other security issues.
Actually, that's wrong. (Blog editor sighs)
Amid intelligence reports warning of a further Russian incursion into Ukraine, US officials were trying to puzzle through the situation Friday night, unsure what Putin was up to, but deeply suspicious.
This is really gross war propaganda, even by war propaganda standards.
What rank rot! So rank it is making me angry!
“President Obama underscored to President Putin that the United States continues to support a diplomatic path in close consultation with the government of Ukraine and in support of the Ukrainian people with the aim of de-escalation of the crisis,” the White House said in a statement. “Obama made clear that this remains possible only if Russia pulls back its troops and does not take any steps to further violate Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
What a hypocritical asshole!
On its website, the Kremlin said Putin “drew Barack Obama’s attention to continued rampage of extremists who are committing acts of intimidation toward peaceful residents, government authorities, and law enforcement agencies in various regions and in Kiev with impunity.”
“In light of this,” it added, “the president of Russia suggested examining possible steps the global community can take to help stabilize the situation.”
Why would they when they have created the crisis?
Neither the Kremlin nor the White House said what those steps might be.
The White House said Putin was responding to a US proposal that Secretary of State John F. Kerry had presented to Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov during a meeting at The Hague earlier in the week, a proposal developed in consultation with Ukraine’s interim government and European allies.
Kerry and Lavrov have been passing a “working document” back and forth that explores ways for the Russians to pull back militarily, as well as ideas for how the international community could support constitutional reform in Ukraine. It could include guaranteeing more autonomy for certain regions, disarming the militias that have emerged, and defining Ukraine’s relationship to international alliances like NATO.
Like including them now?
In citing extremist action, Putin sought to capitalize on an internal showdown in Kiev. Members of a nationalist group, Right Sektor, have surrounded the Ukrainian Parliament over the past two days, demanding the resignation of the acting interior minister over the shooting death of one of the group’s leaders this week in western Ukraine.
Related: Russia in Wrong Sector
The presence of masked, armed demonstrators threatening to storm the Parliament building offered the Russian government an opportunity to bolster its contention that the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych, a Moscow ally, after pro-European street protests last month, was an illegal coup by right-wing extremists with Western encouragement.
A contention that is true and know to everyone paying attention other than the delusional NYT.
While not mentioning Crimea, the Kremlin drew attention to Ukraine’s blockade of Transnistria, a breakaway, pro-Russian region of Moldova, another former Soviet republic to the south. Frozen for years in an international limbo, neither accepting Moldova’s rule nor formally part of Russia, Transnistria has relied on land access through Ukraine for crucial imports.
The Kremlin said a new blockade would “significantly complicate the living conditions for the region’s residents,” and it urged negotiations to address the situation.
US officials and analysts saw Putin’s reference to Transnistria as an ominous sign.
Putin’s willingness to negotiate suggested some confidence that he will be dealing with the West from a position of strength, having consolidated his grip on Crimea and largely dispersed remaining Ukrainian military units that had been holed up....
The web article ended with this beauty:
But US officials hoped that the move reflected a growing realization that much of the world was against Putin.
--more--"
I found these omissions most telling:
"Putin initiated the phone call as the sanctions and growing political isolation have hit Russia economically, with its currency losing value, stock market dropping all amid fears of capital flight and a drop in foreign investment. Russia has since asserted that it has acted to defend its legitimate interests in Ukraine, which was once a part of the Soviet Union, and has accused the interim government there of seizing power in a Western-backed coup."
That's how they do it.
And could this be the possible reason for the flare-up?
"Norway’s ex-premier to lead NATO" New York Times March 29, 2014
BRUSSELS — The appointment of Former Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, 55, comes as the United States reaffirms its commitment to the Western alliance as a way of containing an increasingly assertive Russia led by President Vladimir Putin.
A NEW COLD WAR!
Putin’s decision to order troops to seize Crimea this month and his blunt rejection of criticism from Europe and the United States seem likely to reinvigorate NATO and give the alliance a central role as a counterweight to Moscow.
Stoltenberg, whose appointment by NATO member countries was expected, will succeed Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a Dane who will have served about five years when he steps down in October.
Among the challenges Stoltenberg faces is determining how to define collective security if Putin tries to expand Russia’s influence across other parts of Ukraine and into other countries that once were in the Soviet bloc but that are not members of NATO....
--more--"
Time to hang up the Globe for today.
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
I'm just going to let it ring this morning.
John Kerry, Russia envoy to talk on Ukraine
The EU holds the power to foil Putin’s ambitions — but will it?
Why Putin’s Crimean move crosses the line
I think those articles do. Not a good Idea to read them because you would just be wasting your time.
