Action and Consequences

"I am not surprised at the kind of cavalier reaction of Putin and then to strut and shrug off any reaction. That is how he handles these things."
"We believe that these actions being taken by ourselves and our partners in the G7 ... are meaningful. Russia's increasing diplomatic isolation is not, we believe, trivial."
"The reaction to the illegal occupation of Crimea is not going to be brief. This is going to be ongoing pressure to indicate that a large part of the world community is simply never going to accept this because it is a precedent that is just too dangerous for global peace and security."
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

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Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Joseph Harper, left, and Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, right, attend the opening session of the Nuclear Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on Monday, March 24, 2014.   Photograph by: AP Photo/Yves Herman, Pool

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Yves Herman/AFP/Getty Image -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt attend the Nuclear Security Summit, The Hague, Netherlands

"International law prohibits the acquisition of part or all of another state's territory through coercion or force. To do so violates the principles upon which the international system is built. We condemn the illegal referendum held in Crimea in violation of Ukraine's constitution. We also strongly condemn Russia's illegal attempt to annex Crimea in contravention of international law and specific international obligations. We do not recognize either."
"This clear violation of international law is a serious challenge to the rule of law around the world and should be a concern for all nations."
"We remind Russia of its international obligations and its responsibilities, including those for the world economy. Russia has a clear choice to make. Diplomatic avenues to de-escalate the situation remain open, and we encourage the Russian government to take them."
G7 statement affirming "Our support for Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence."

Russia is now quite isolated. Diplomatically, that is. In Western spheres most certainly. However, as a member of the BRICS nations representing upcoming economic powerhouses; Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, there is tepid support there for one of their own. China, which usually vetoes or abstains in the Security Council when resolutions against rogue states like North Korea, Iran or Syria come to the fore, is more reserved on this occasion.

"China has always held a 'just and objective attitude' toward [the] Ukraine crisis", according to the Xinhua news agency, quoting President Xi Jinping after his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday. An international co-ordination mechanism was put forward as a proposal by China, in an effort to solve the crisis, urging all parties in the issue not to commit to anything "that might lead to the further deterioration of the situation."

Beijing abstained from voting on a resolution condemning Russia's annexation of Crimea, instead of siding with Russia at the UN Security Council last week. A very sensitive issue, that of annexing other countries' geographic entities for a country that strives for 'harmony' and detests 'splittism', a country whose grasp of Tibet should never be spoken of in polite society for it too is a heritage right of possession, just as Crimea is for Russia, though the Tibetans never took a vote to join China.

Receding into the dim background of concern on the world stage are the crises unfolding in Iran and Syria, North Korea and Afghanistan/Pakistan, let alone in restively conflicted Africa. The very country that continually and stolidly votes 'nyet' on all the Western-inspired resolutions to condemn violence and conflict and nuclear concerns as they pop up around the world, is itself now the subject of criticism and opprobrium.

The Russian bear, for the past few decades, had only gone into hibernation. The Cold War a nightmare of the past, the bear retreated, trying to puzzle out how its habitat had become so altered from the unions it had prided itself on for generations. Deciding it had nothing whatever to do with rejection of the Russian iron grip on its helpless satellites, but represented a base and malignant conspiracy of the West, the bear lunged to retake what it considers its own.

And now that it has bitten off a few lumps of Georgia and Moldova, Ukraine looked ready and the rest is a footnote in history, with more to come. The G8 is no more. World leaders' invitation to draw Russia in to their economic union become a farce, needful of repercussions relating to Russia's judgement and actions.

Russia's foreign minister, Sergiy Lavrov met with Ukraine's acting foreign minister and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Mr. Lavrov offered the formula for Ukraine to achieve peace and stability: "large-scale constitutional reform is needed, which will involve all regions". This, while Ukraine's military is limping home from the Crimea, their former home on the Black Sea peninsula.