The Russian leader can’t afford a military incursion except on his own terms. The West can’t afford to give him an excuse. Each needs the other to mis-step first.
For 12 years, the chief executive of Toronto-listed miner Black Iron has been working to get the company’s iron ore project off the ground in central Ukraine. In 2014, he was within touching distance when Russia launched a war in Donbas and annexed Crimea, sending investors running for cover.
A Ukrainian soldier patrols a street in a village in the Donetsk region, near the front line of the Donbas conflict.The Shymanivske project is near Kryvyi Rih, a city more than 300 kilometres from the contested, war-stricken Donbas region and safely on the western side of the Dnieper River that bisects Ukraine. But the conflict has caught up Black Iron again.
With a share price that has halved since early November, Black Iron is trying to do no more than wrap up an almost-completed feasibility study and environmental impact assessment, then sit tight on its cash reserves. But for how long? “Russia never has a linear strategy. They don’t have a strategic goal and a plan to reach it,” Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former Ukrainian defence minister and chair of the Kiev-based Centre for Defence Strategies, told an Atlantic Council forum this week.
Putin is a judo black-belt, prompting former British foreign secretary and fellow judo enthusiast William Hague to muse that a judoka always has to choose between two options: a dramatic move that floors his opponent, or a kind of chokehold that wears them down.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Three soldiers killed in clashes with separatist rebels in West Papua, Indonesian military sayWest Papua Liberation Army rebels say they have attacked a military post in Indonesia's province of Papua, with officials saying three soldiers were killed.
Read more »
West Indies beat England by 20 runs to win third T20 – as it happenedOver-by-over report: England rallied with the bat but could not surpass West Indies’ huge total of 224, with Rovman Powell scoring a century
Read more »
Why Putin's Ukraine invasion decision depends on weather, Xi Jinping's feelings and 'lethal aid'Russia continues to deny it has plans to invade, but the Ukrainian people are readying themselves for what might come, and many say any invasion will spark a fierce resistance movement.
Read more »
How Putin wins in Ukraine without firing a shotMoscow’s troops are not there to fight a war, but to frighten Paris and Berlin into giving Russia the eastern provinces of Ukraine on a plate.
Read more »
‘You need to be strong’: Ukraine tells Australia pressure on Russia will workUkraine’s top diplomat in Australia says international pressure on Russia can help avoid armed conflict as troops mass at the border.
Read more »
Russia says US rejection of core demands on Ukraine leaves 'little grounds for optimism'Russia responds to the United States formal rejection of its core demands to resolve the Ukraine crisis, saying it leaves 'little ground for optimism' but dialogue is still possible.
Read more »