@AP: While it is an interesting post, I'm not quite sure it belongs into this thread, as it is pretty much about Russia and the US-specific questions.
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It seems that today the Ukrainian armed forces have started a new offensive after the not so peacefule Ukrainian ceasefire finished. We will see how that goes, it is of course rather difficult to get a precise understanding through the usual fog of war. While there has been some military progress, some of the most densly populated areas of the country with millions of people are living in areas are out of state's control.
Originally Posted by Firn
So I view the Ukraine conflict through that prism and it means for the US and US-Russian relations. Clearly the attempt to legitimize the new government in Kiev through elections failed since the populations in the east are clearly dispute the authority of the state. This is a fundamental question of self-determination - who is entitled to it, under what conditions, and to what extent? It's interesting that there was free talk about dismantling Yugoslavia and now Iraq as if it's the obvious solution but the West does not seem interested in the same discussion on Ukraine.
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