OPINION:
Republican Jeb Bush on Tuesday warned Vladimir Putin to back off in Ukraine and eastern Europe, vowing that if he is elected president, the United States will take a harder line on Russian aggression.
“Russia must respect the sovereignty of all of its neighbors. And who can doubt that Russia will do what it pleases if its aggression goes unanswered? Our alliance, our solidarity and our actions are essential if we want to preserve the fundamental principles of our international order… an order that free nations have sacrificed so much to build?” Bush said during a visit to Berlin.
The Russian president denies that he has sent troops into Ukraine in an attempt to stir discord, but satellite photos show otherwise. Bush said Putin, who is supporting separatists in their battle against pro-independence forces, must stop his effort to return Ukraine to the Russian fold.
“Who will say otherwise, as we watch the fate of Ukraine, slowly unfold in tragedy? Ukraine, a sovereign European nation, must be permitted to choose its own path,” Bush said.
Bush supports economic sanctions on Russia and has backed delivering at least some U.S. military equipment to Ukraine.
The speech follows the remarks by President Obama on Monday during his visit to the G-7 in Krun, Germany. Obama said he, too, supports continuing the sanctions on Russia and urged Putin to seek compromise.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Tuesday vowed to adhere to a Cold War-era nuclear treaty, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia “has no intention to break the treaty.”
The U.S. has accused Russia of flight-testing a ground-launched cruise missile with a range prohibited by the treaty. Russia denied the claim and, in its turn, alleged that some elements of the U.S. missile defense shield violate the treaty, the AP reported.
Bush will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday at the conference of the economic council of the Christian Democratic Union, the political party Merkel leads. Both are delivering speeches thee.
In other remarks, Bush said:
“In practice, so often human freedom comes down to economic freedom.”
“There will always be those who view opportunity as a privilege to be hoarded … who regard individual liberty as a threat to their own power.”
“In the democratic world, we understand that opportunity belongs to everyone. At a time when so many are still kept down – by poverty, tyranny, or both – we stand for the right to rise.”
“The EU and the United States have a common interest in the steady opening of markets across the world. What keeps that progress steady are standards and rules that are modern, transparent, and fair. And that doesn’t happen by itself.”
“That’s one reason why we need a serious plan to complete the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.”
“Seventy years after America and Western Europe began to build the post-war architecture of security, that alliance is as relevant as the day it was founded.”
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