The story of Ukraine is sad and tragic one.

Always under the shadow of its superior

neighbor, Russia, conflict between the two seemed inevitable. Alas, the revolutions of 1989
were not so much revolutionary as they were evolutionaryUkraine wished to follow a
path away from communism, to seek a path of democracyand to challenge the power of
the former Soviet Union. Alas, as seen during the Ukraine Revolutions of 2014, Russia
managed to annex a part of UkraineChechnya. This poses a frightening scenario in which
the world may once again experience the terrifying rise of Russia as a world super power.
Therefore I must affirm: NATO should strengthen its relationship with Ukraine in order to
deter further Russian aggression.


The crisis in Ukraine is reaching a tipping point despite Crimeas vote to secede, Ukraine
will still desperately fight for Crimea diplomacy and sanctions arent even working
because of Russias refusal to cooperate.
Carter et. al. 3/7) [7 March 2014, Chelsea J. Carter. Laura Smith-Spark and Michael Holmes, CNN, Ukraine PM: Crimea
'was, is and will be an integral part of Ukraine' http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/06/world/europe/ukraine-russia-tensions/]

Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- We're leaving. No, you're not. That's where the crisis in Ukraine stood Thursday
after lawmakers in Crimea voted in favor of leaving the country for Russia and putting it to a regional vote in 10
days. This act drew widespread condemnation, with Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk calling
such a referendum "an illegitimate decision." "Crimea was, is and will be an integral part of
Ukraine," he said. It was a sentiment echoed by several world leaders, who called the scheduled vote
and possible pullout violations of Ukrainian and international law. "Any discussion about the future of Ukraine must include the
legitimate government of Ukraine," said U.S. President Barack Obama. "In 2014, we are well beyond the days when borders can be
redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders." It's not clear how easily the region could split off from Ukraine even if the referendum
endorses the move. The developments came at a dizzying pace Thursday as Yatsenyuk joined emergency talks in Brussels, Belgium,
called by leaders of the European Union who support the Kiev government and want to de-escalate the crisis. The EU and the United
States announced plans to freeze the assets of Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted as Ukraine's president after he turned his back on a
trade deal with the EU in favor of one with Russia. The rejected trade deal prompted months of protests that culminated in February
with bloody street clashes that left dozens dead and Yanukovych out of office. Interpol said it is reviewing a request by Ukrainian
authorities that would allow for the arrest of Yanukovych on charges of abuse of power and murder, an allegation tied to the death of
protesters. Moscow has denounced the events that led to Yanukovych's ouster as an illegitimate coup and has refused to recognize the
new Ukrainian authorities, putting the two countries on a collision course over control of the Crimea, a peninsula on the Black Sea that
has long ties to Russia and has thousands of Russian troops stationed there. Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted he
has the right to use military force in Ukraine if necessary to protect ethnic Russians under threat
in Crimea. Ukrainian officials say no such threat exists and say Putin is using it as a pretext to
control the region. As the standoff continued, Ukrainian authorities announced the arrest Thursday of a leader of a pro-Russian
movement in the eastern city of Donetsk. Authorities said he is a Ukrainian national named Pavlo Gubarev, a self-proclaimed
governor of Donetsk. In Crimea, worlds collide Growing divide The crisis threatens to not only divide Ukraine, but Russia and the
West. Those two sides have exchanged barbs and threatened punitive measures against each other in recent days, all while offering
divergent views on the situation in Crimea. Two diplomats at the center of the crisis -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov -- met face-to-face on Thursday. They agreed to continue talking "over the course of the next hours,
the next days'' to try to find a political solution to end the crisis, Kerry told reporters following the meeting. The diplomats'
bosses, Obama and Putin, talked for an hour Thursday afternoon, with the U.S. president stating "Russia's actions are in violation of
Ukraine's sovereignty" and that there is a diplomatic way out, according to the White House. Putin's office said the call -- initiated by
Obama -- "revealed differences in approaches and assessments of the causes of the crisis and the current situation." He also voiced
Russia's view it "cannot ignore calls for help" from eastern and southeastern Ukraine, before concluding that Lavrov and Kerry "will
continue intensive contacts." Such conversations haven't stopped either side from taking action. EU
nations, for instance, announced Thursday they will suspend bilateral talks with Russia on visa matters and have
threatened travel bans, asset freezes and cancellation of the EU-Russia summit. "Any further steps by the Russian Federation to
destabilize the situation in Ukraine would lead to additional and far reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic
areas," EU leaders said, having also threatened travels bans on certain Russians and the freezing of some assets. The United States
has taken action. The State Department has imposed a visa ban on Russian and Ukrainian officials and others that it says are
responsible for, or complicit in, threatening Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Obama signed an executive order laying the
groundwork for sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the crisis. Despite such pressure, Russia hasn't
budged, even refusing to engage in direct talks with the new Ukrainian authorities in Kiev. As his
office noted after the Obama call, Putin believes this government "is a result of an unconstitutional revolution" and imposed
"illegitimate decisions."

Limiting further Russian aggression is key to help Ukraine break away from its energy
dependence solves the Ukrainian economy
Silverstein 3/3 [3 March 2014, Ken Silverstein, MBA in Business from Tulane University and BA in Political
Science from Tulane, Forbes, Russian-Ukrainian Conflict Spilling Beyond Borders And Into Natural Gas Markets,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2014/03/03/russian-ukrainian-conflict-spilling-beyond-borders-and-into-
natural-gas-markets/]

The Russian and Ukrainian conflict is about freedom not just to political expression but also to explore new
economic ties with the western world, which includes finding additional access to lucrative natural gas
supplies. Its a battle that extends well beyond the walls of the former Soviet Bloc and into the heart of Europe that has long relied
on Russian natural gas to provide about a quarter of its needs and which a third of it flows through Ukraines
pipelines. Now that Russia has taken military control of the Crimean section of Ukraine,
those conduits are in peril. Russia, meantime, provides anywhere from one-third to one-half of Ukraines natural gas.
And, since 2006, the two nations have had legitimate battles over how to value that vital product.
During the early years of that dispute, Russia had wanted to quadruple prices to Ukraine. Recently,
though, those natural gas prices are tied to global oil prices and have sold at much greater rates, which has cut Ukraines consumption
of Russian natural gas. Ukraine still subsidizes the gas that it does buy for its own citizens, noting that
without such help, its already recession-ridden country would go into an economic tailspin. The
International Monetary Fund is reporting that energy subsidies made up 7.5 percent of Ukraines 2012 gross domestic product. The
Ukrainian economy has been in recession since mid-2012, and the outlook remains challenging. In JanuarySeptember 2013 GDP
contracted by 1.25 percent year-over-year, reflecting lower demand for Ukrainian exports and falling investments, says the IMFs
December 2013 analysis. For the moment, Ukraine and Europe as well have gotten a minor reprieve because each has had a
mild winter. Europe is also warming to U.S. natural gas imports in the form of liquefied natural gas, which can sell for a premium
there. Its also been shying away, lately, from Russian gas and using more coal. Europe, too, has also won access to a number of new
pipeline routes, or ones that are able to bypass Ukraine and enter the continent other ways. Among them: Pipelines are linking the
Caspian Sea, Middle East and North Africa with Continental Europe. Algeria, for example, is increasing the capacity of its export
routes that carry gas into Italy and efforts are also underway to do the same for routes into France and Germany. Ukraine
could ultimately break loose of the natural gas shackles from which Russia has help it
captive. A Washington Post story says that Ukraine has signed deals with Chevron Corp and Royal Dutch Shell to invest as much
as $10 billion into shale gas development in the western part of the country. ExxonMobil, meantime, wants to drill for oil and gas in
the deep water of the Black Sea there something that the paper says will have to wait given the uncertainties. Its accurate to say
that the distrust that permeated during Cold War era still exists. But Russia can still be
counted on to act in its self interest . And in this case, the need to grow its own economy and to continue to
market its natural gas to both Eastern and Western Europe could help soothe things.


The tipping point is NOW- We must act
VOA 3/1 (They are a small cooperative dedicated to providing both local, national, and world news to the public, publishes on
March 1, 2014, http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-putin-russia-is-clearly-breaking-international-law-in-
ukraine/1862268.html,)

U.S. President Barack Obama has held a 90-minute telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to express what
the White House calls deep concern for what is happening in Ukraine. Officials say Mr.
Obama told the Russian president that Russia is in clear violation of Ukrainian
sovereignty and international law. President Obama said the United States is suspending participation in meetings to
prepare for the G8 economic summit later this year in Sochi, Russia, which hosted the Winter Olympic Games. Russian news
agencies say Mr. Putin told the president that Moscow reserves the right to protect ethnic Russians if there is violence in Crimea or
eastern Ukraine. Mr. Obama said the appropriate way to address this matter is by direct
engagement with the Ukrainian government and through international monitors. President
Obama also discussed Ukraine with French President Francois Hollande and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The White
House said the leaders agreed that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. The Pentagon says Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu Saturday. Officials say Hagel told Shoygu that without a
change on the ground, Russia is risking more regional instability, global isolation, and an
escalation that would threaten European and international security. Earlier Saturday,
Russian lawmakers approved President Putin's request to send troops to Crimea. He has not yet made a decision on doing so. NATO,
meanwhile announced its ambassadors will meet Sunday in Brussels to discuss the escalating crisis in Ukraine. A meeting of the
NATO-Ukraine Commission is scheduled as well. In New York, the United Nations said now is the time for
"cool heads to prevail." Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev told the Security Council that 15,000 Russian troops are
already in Crimea under the pretense of protecting Russian citizens. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin blamed the West for
ratcheting up tensions in Ukraine and backing protests that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych last month. He said Russia wants to
know why the deal between the opposition and Mr. Yanukovych to form a new coalition government was not implemented. He said
Ukraine has to return to that deal and sideline those he calls radicals. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, said
Russian actions speak louder than words. She said a Russian force in Ukraine could push
the situation beyond the breaking point and again called for international mediation
in Crimea. Ukraine has been describing what it says is an ongoing deployment of Russian troops in Crimea since Friday.
Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said he has put the country's armed forces on combat alert. Prime Minister Arseniy
Yatsenyuk is warning Russia that military intervention would mean war. VOA correspondent Elizabeth Arrott says unidentified
soldiers and military vehicles have appeared in Crimea, well beyond their local base. She said at least a dozen were stationed outside
parliament in the Crimean capital of Simferopol on Saturday. Crimea is a Black Sea peninsula placed under Ukrainian control in
1954 by then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It became part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Crimea has a tiny
border with Russia on its far eastern point. Most of the people living in Crimea are ethnic Russians, but the region also is home to
ethnic Muslim Tartars who generally show disdain toward Russia. Russia has said its troop movements in Crimea, where it leases a
naval base in Sevastopol, conform to agreements with Ukraine. Elsewhere, pro-Russian demonstrators fought with supporters of the
new Ukrainian government in Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv Saturday. Pro-Russian demonstrations also erupted in other eastern
cities. Ukraine's troubles began in November when ousted president Yanukovych backed out of a trade deal with the European Union
in favor of closer ties and economic aid from Russia.