United States Ambassador To United Nations Tells Russia It ‘Must End This War’

On Friday, during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Samantha Power, the US Ambassador to the UN, did not mince words about the likely cause of the Malaysian airliner crash in Ukraine Thursday. Power gave a very comprehensive outline of the events that have led to civil unrest in Ukraine. Power laid much of the blame for the increased violence at Russia’s feet. She explained that Russia has agreed to look for diplomatic solutions time and time again to help bring peace and stability to the eastern part of Ukraine. However, over the past few months, the Russian government has continued to provide pro-Russian separatists with military-grade weaponry and artillery while giving them guidance and assisting them financially.

Power stated that in all likelihood, Malaysian Flight MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian separatists with weapons that were provided to them by the Russian government. She also stated that if it is confirmed that a separatist group did fire the missile that brought down the airliner, then it cannot be ruled out that Russia helped them operate the missile guidance system. Power declared that Russia has the ability to stop this war in Ukraine. “Russia can end this war,” she said. “Russia must end this war.”

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The ambassador also called on increased action from European leaders in holding Russia accountable for its role in the Ukrainian crisis. While she commended the European Union for its recent announcement of sanctions against Russia, she stated that even more needs to be done by Europe to help find a diplomatic and political solution to this problem. The United States will continue with its already announced sanctions and may look to other actions against the Russian government and its president, Vladimir Putin.

This speech in front of the UN Security Council was a precursor to an address President Obama made on Friday regarding the situation. The White House already released a statement earlier in the day Friday requesting that investigators be given complete and total access to the crash site. As Sarah Jones wrote on Thursday, this administration’s way of dealing with international crises is measured and calculated as it takes in all the facts before taking action. This president doesn’t act first, think later.

As for Putin, this horrific tragedy is an embarrassment on a massive scale. Once it is confirmed that a pro-Russian militia shot down a civilian aircraft with a high-tech missile system provided by Russia, his already damaged reputation within the international community will take an unbelievable hit. He will be seen as irresponsible and buffoonish. What kind of serious world leader provides a ragtag group of untrained extremists with extremely potent and dangerous weapons that should only be in the hands of a capable military force? Seriously, that would be like the US government giving a bunch of Cliven Bundy supporters tanks, jets and missile launchers in order to go to Mexico and protect the border. It is insanely stupid.

Over the coming days, with more information coming out, President Obama will expand and discuss the actions that the United States will take in this situation. As for Putin, he will likely be in full-on damage control, doing whatever he can to save face regarding this awful tragedy. Perhaps the knowledge that his irresponsible actions led to the death of hundreds of innocent civilians will finally force him to act the way a real leader acts.

Justin Baragona

Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).