U.S. Diplomatic Efforts Failing to Resolve Crisis in #Ukraine

From Colum Lynch, at Foreign Policy:

President Obama's diplomatic effort to head off a violent breakup of Ukraine ran aground Saturday as a top U.N. envoy was blocked from a peace mission to the disputed region of Crimea and Russia's parliament, or Duma, approved a request by Russian President Vladimir Putin to send military forces to Ukraine in support of pro-Russian Ukrainians.

The White House and other European governments have been pressing for international mediation in Ukraine, saying it offered the only hope of reaching a bloodless resolution to the crisis. During a closed-door session of the U.N. Security Council Friday, Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, proposed the U.N. send special envoy Robert Serry to the Crimea to see if he could persuade pro-Russian leaders there to make peace with authorities in Kiev. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki moon on Friday instructed Serry -- a former Dutch ambassador to Ukraine who currently serves as the U.N. special envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process -- to travel immediately to Crimea.

But Crimea's pro-Russian authorities have refused to extend an invitation to Serry, according to a diplomatic source tracking the peace process. Crimea's newly appointed prime minister has asked Russia for help. Serry, meanwhile, has been unable able to secure a flight to Crimea, where Russian-backed forces have seized control of the main airports, according to diplomatic sources.

Ban's spokesman, Martin Nesirky, told reporters at U.N. headquarters Saturday that the diplomatic mission to Crimea had been called off for now. Serry "had wanted to visit Crimea but this proved to be logistically difficult and therefore he has opted to go to Geneva as initially planned, and this will be to brief the [U.N.] Secretary General," Nesirky said.

Obama sought to breath life into the diplomatic process, telling President Putin during a 90-minute phone call that the Russian leader should address his concerns in Ukraine through direct talks with the Ukrainian government, backed by international mediators, the White House said in a statement. The President also proposed the immediate deployment of international monitors to Ukraine under the auspices of the UN Security Council and the UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Russia, the White House noted, is a member of both organizations, giving it a privileged position to ensure its interests are addressed.

But Obama also warned Putin that Russia's "continued violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia's standing in the international community," according to the White House statement. Obama also told Putin that the United States will suspend participation in preparatory meetings with Russia for the upcoming Group of 8 industrial powers summit. "Russia continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation," Obama said.

The Kremlin issued its own readout of the conversation, noting that Putin had defended his decision, claiming that Ukraine's new government had encouraged the "provocative, criminal actions by ultra-nationalists" and threatened ethnic Russians.

"The Russian president underlined that there are real threats to the life and health of Russian citizens and compatriots on Ukrainian territory," according to the statement. "Vladimir Putin stressed that if violence spread further in the eastern regions of Ukraine and in Crimea, Russia reserves the right to protect its interest and those of Russian speakers living there."

Well, diplomacy's all we have right now, although diplomacy without the credibility of international commitments isn't of much use. Russia's going to do what it will, damn the West.

More at the link.