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Reuters reports that the United States has asked Vietnam to stop letting Russia use its former US base at Cam Ranh Bay to refuel nuclear-capable bombers which are engaged in shows of strength over the Asia-Pacific region. General Vincent Brooks, commander of the U.S. Army in the Pacific, says the Russian bombers have conducted "provocative" flights, including around the U.S. Pacific Ocean territory of Guam which is home to a major American air base. Brooks said the planes that circled Guam were refuelled by Russian tankers flying from the strategic bay, which was transformed by the Americans during the Vietnam War into a massive air and naval base. Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the airport at Cam Ranh Bay was first used for staging Il-78 tankers for aerial refueling of Tu-95MS bombers in January 2014. Asked about the Russian flights in the region, the State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington respected Hanoi's right to enter agreements with other countries but added that "we have urged Vietnamese officials to ensure that Russia is not able to use its access to Cam Ranh Bay to conduct activities that could raise tensions in the region."
Cam Ranh Bay is considered the finest deepwater shelter in Southeast Asia. North Vietnamese forces captured Cam Ranh Bay and all of its remaining facilities in 1975. Vietnam’s dependence on Russia as the main source of military platforms, equipment, and armaments has now put Hanoi in a difficult spot. Russia has pressed for special access to Cam Ranh Bay ever since it began delivering enhanced Kilo-class submarines to Vietnam. "Hanoi is invariably cautious and risk averse in its relations with the major powers," says Carl Thayer. "The current issue of Russian tankers staging out of Cam Ranh pits Russia and China on one side and the United States on the other. There is no easy solution for Vietnam."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by tftp on Sunday March 15 2015, @05:26AM
Those states never mattered to the Russians, they were all just buffer states, held to keep everyone else away from mother Mother Russia while they raped them of raw materials.
You'd wish it was so; those states would be better off. However that's not exactly how it happened. The bulk of construction of USSR was done in 1920's, and it was done by believers in the World Revolution. On top of that they were drunk of their victory in the Civil War. The young USSR absorbed all the territories that it could reach, and the conquerors honestly believed that they are doing good. Those states were not acquired for their resources, as those were not yet discovered. Siberian oil was not available during the World War II, for example, because nobody knew that it is there; hence the fight for Caspian oil. USSR in its first years of existence had no electric power, no roads, no food - and it was mired in forced collectivization. The overarching theme of all that was to give the workers and the peasants something that they need (no, not freedom - they, in their naivete, wanted to give them political power.)
I don't think he really wants those stated back.
Generally that is true. It is much more practical to buy what you need. Union is possible only with Byelorussia. They are like Canadians to an US citizen. Everyone else does not match that closely by their set of values, let alone the language.
I think the situation has gotten away from him. He is now reacting.
This mess is certainly not of his making. He inherited some of the local disarray, as dissolution of USSR could not end well - and we haven't seen all the fallout yet.
He doesn't actually have any plan right now other than saving face.
The plan exists, but not for Putin as a person. (I don't think he cares about himself that much.) The plan for Russia is very simple. As the West made itself into a foe of Russia, Russia turns away from the West and starts building cooperation with Asia. If you recall, USSR was largely self-sufficient. Such a need may reoccur. However with China and India among neutral, if not friendly states this becomes infinitely easier.
If the EU grows a backbone and backs Ukraine Putin folds.
No, if EU pushes hard enough it will simply result in war, and volunteers from Crimea will be in the ranks. What is it that EU is going to push for? To force an Autonomous Republic of Crimea to discard their own referendum? What kind of democrat would even suggest that? And outside of that, what can EU demand from Russia? The civil war in Ukraine seems to be on hold.