The weather is warming up, and Russian armaments are rolling clackety-clack over the Ukrainian cease-fire agreement. The lull in the fighting had more to do with February’s weather than some international agreement for peace. On Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a phone call to remove Russian troop buildup from Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin responded the next day by accusing U.S. troops of fighting in the Ukrainian conflict. State spokeswoman Marie Harf said U.S. troops are actually training the Ukrainian national guard — have done so for 20 years. “They are close to the Polish border in western Ukraine,” Harf said. “He should familiarize himself with eastern Ukraine. … The Minsk agreements outline steps the Russians need to take, period. And they’re not taking them. The Ukrainians are making progress in implementing their Minsk commitments. I don’t remember that we signed up for Minsk commitments. It’s the Russians who did and aren’t abiding by them.” This is just one sound byte after another showcasing Russia’s belligerence towards the United States and disregard for international agreements. It doesn’t help that this is a symbolic time for the country — as May 8 is the 70th anniversary of when Germany surrendered and the Soviets declared victory over fascism. More…