UKRAINE MEMO

TO:

BARACA OBAMA

FROM:

GUILFORD GRANGER

SUBJECT:

UKRAINE

DATE:
CC:

RUSSIA ENTERS UKRAINE

It has been brought to our attention the Russia has enter Ukraine, and this poses a
threat to the people of Ukraine. The Russias say they are there to help. Vladimir Putin
would like you to believe it's because he's ensuring the safety well-being of the millions
of Russians living there. And to a certain degree that maybe true. But this still doesn't
explain why Russia felt the need to put boots on the ground in the wake of the recent
revolution. The people there were just tired of being ruled by a regime that used state
funds to, among other things, build a floating restaurant on the grounds of the presidential
palace. This brings me back to the main question: Why did Russia feel the need to
physically invade Ukraine, and, specifically, the Crimean Peninsula? Maybe it could be,
in fact, that Russia's decision to invade Ukraine had merely to do with a handful of
natural gas discoveries off the coasts of Romania and Ukraine. As Bloomberg reported in
the middle of last year, the Black Sea remains "almost untouched by the oil industry, with
fewer than 100 wells drilled, and compared with more than 7,000 in the North Sea."
ExxonMobil recently discovered a massive natural gas field off neighboring Romania's
shores. The find, according to that country's prime minister, may end up being so
substantial that Romania could become a natural gas exporter by as early as 2018.
How the U.S. is responding to this crisis. "President Obama made clear that Russia's
continued violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively
impact Russia's standing in the international community," the statement said. U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry in a statement released Saturday evening reiterated the
United State's stance. Kerry said he had talked to Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr
Turchynov and assured him that Turchyno had "the strong support of the United States
and commend the new government for showing the utmost restraint in the face of the
clear and present danger to the integrity of their state, and the assaults on their
sovereignty." AlsoSecretary of State John Kerry, visiting Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, on
Tuesday enunciated the need for diplomacy and sanctions to defuse the crisis.
Commander in Chief Barack Obama on Tuesday announced $1 billion in aid and loans to
help prop up the struggling Ukrainian government and economy.
I believe we should send full support to prevent a full invasion and to prevent
thoughts of inavion by any other countries.