Parks are taurical

On March 13, the US Senate went on vacation, without making any decision on financial assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. The profile committee of the upper house with 14 votes against 3 recommended the Senate to adopt a bill. The holidays end on March 24. The voting date has not yet been set.

The House of Representatives voted for its version of the bill, which provides only for credit guarantees of the government, but no sanctions. The republican majority of the Lower Chamber expected the Senate will quickly approve the project, but the leader of the democratic majority in the Senate Harry Reid excluded such an opportunity - the state said, there was no money for such guarantees. The Republicans did not like the idea to withdraw money from the US accounts in the International Monetary Fund - they are afraid that as a result, Washington’s influence on the IMF will weaken. Some of them are not approved by the proposal to guarantee a loan to Ukraine at the expense of the budgets of the Pentagon and the State Department.

This week, the Senate delegation led by John McCain goes to Kyiv. They hoped to bring the testicle to Christ the day - but they go empty -handed. The delegation also includes the Republican from Wyoming John Barrasso, who formally blocked the bill in the ward. He made two amendments to him, allowing American companies to supply liquefied natural gas to Ukraine, NATO members and WTO members.

It is believed that American export is able to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas. Meanwhile, competent people have already explained why this measure would not give any effect, in any case in the short term. Currently, American companies can sell GAZ Canada, Mexico and other countries with which free trade agreements are concluded. An application for export to another country can be approved by the Ministry of Energy if it comes to the conclusion that this meets the interests of the company. But the American economy is market. The government does not have the right to dictate to exporters the prices at which they should sell their products. And Gazprom at the Kremlin command can easily reduce prices. Therefore, if the congress cancel export restrictions, American gas will be exported to Asia, where energy prices are much higher than in Europe. In addition, the appearance of American gas on the European market is possible only after the creation of the appropriate infrastructure, and this will require huge investments.

However, Washington could not allow the violation of the Red Line to once again without consequences. Therefore, on March 6, President Obama signed an administrative decree in which, after consulting with the Secretary of State, the right to introduce personal sanctions against persons who “undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine, threaten its world, security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity and contribute to the extension of its assets”.

But no action was followed by decree. The impression was that the president again, as in the case of Syria, seeks to shift responsibility to Congress or uses the threat as the last argument in negotiations.

The slightest impression on Moscow did not make a threat. Russia continued to behave with impudence, bordering on hooliganism. At the last meeting in London, the last meeting in London, Sergei Lavrov handed John Kerry " proposals " to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, which is difficult to name otherwise than an ultimatum.

Probably, after this barren conversation in Washington, it was decided to introduce a presidential decree. But for a boring effect, one should wait for the European Union, which worked on its version of sanctions. This work, about which the Financial Times told , was extremely difficult. The initial list was the ambassadors of European countries accredited in Moscow. On Friday, March 14, he was discussed all day in Brussels EU Council on foreign policy at the ambassador level. EU members were divided into two fractions: Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, having significant trade with Russia, insisted on the minimum version, while the northern countries of Europe, Germany and the UK sought to form an expanded list, which would include high officials not only of Crimea, but also in Russia. East European countries took a decisive position, the countries of the former Soviet bloc, according to FT, - careful.

On March 15, Russia was in full isolation at the UN Security Council: 13 members of the Security Council voted for the draft resolution on the non -recognition of the results of the Crimean referendum, China abstained. In order to block the resolution, Russia had to use its right veto. On March 16, on the day of the referendum, Barack Obama called Vladimir Putin and said that the United States and the world community would never recognize his results and that America and its allies "are ready to force Russia to pay dearly for its actions."

Putin did not heed this last warning. Or did not hear him. The Kremlin’s press service report said that he “drew attention to the inability and unwillingness of the current Kiev authorities to curb the ramps of ultra-rational and radical groups, destabilizing the situation and terrorizing civilians” and that “the inhabitants of the peninsula was guaranteed the possibility of free will and self-determination,” and President Obama in response in response in response "He congratulated the President of Russia on the successful holding of the Paralympic Winter Games and asked to convey greetings to the competition participants."

Finally, on Monday, March 17, the EU foreign ministers agreed on the “ black list ” of 21 names, and President Obama signed a new decree that includes 11 names, as well as the US Minister of Finance, the right to supplement the list, not only at the expense of individuals and legal entities that occupy the official position in the Russian state hierarchy, but also those who use the unofficial channels of influence for the purpose of the purpose of the purpose deterioration in the situation of Ukraine.

“We know,” the explanation of the document says, “that the Russian leadership receives significant support from persons who do not hold an official position and acts through them. Our current task is to identify such persons and send sanctions against their personal state, and not against the companies that they lead on behalf of the Russian state.”

On the occasion of the entry into force of the White House, a briefing in a television conference mode. A senior administration employee said that Russia would pay an additional price if he tries to annex Crimea, take a military promotion or capture any objects outside the peninsula. As an illustration of the inaccuracy of the referendum results, the official brought the results of the vote in Sevastopol, where 123 percent of the population living there according to the last census voted for reunification with Russia.

Indeed, the census data is difficult to agree with the announced referendum results. According to the head of the referendum commission, Mikhail Malyshev, the turnout at the referendum in Crimea amounted to 82.71 percent. 95.5 percent of voters spoke out for the accession of Crimea to Russia. According to the All -Ukrainian Census of 2001 , the share of Russians in the population of Crimea is 58.5 percent, Ukrainians - 24.4 percent, Tatars - 12.1 percent. Even if the Russian population voted for the accession without exception, 95.5 percent "for" does not work out. This result is only possible if almost all Ukrainians “voted for”. And the Tatars, as you know, was boycotted, although the officials of the Crimea and claim that 40 percent of the Tatars voted.

Without waiting for the announcement of the official results of the referendum, Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the recognition of Crimea by an independent state. The document begins with the words: “Given the will of the peoples of Crimea in the general Crimean referendum ...” But in the referendum the peoples of Crimea, no one asked if they want Crimea to become an independent state: no one provided such a choice for them. In other words, the President of Russia does not give a damn about the actual will of the peoples of Crimea.

It is quite obvious that such a referendum cannot be recognized. Nobody recognized him. Crimea now for many years will become an illegitimate education, another controversial territory, which are enough in the world and without it.