Obama’s Big Talk on ISIS and Putin Isn’t Matched By His Actions | US Orders More Troops to Iraq, but No Overhaul of Strategy | "While the pope has deplored the loss of life in Ukraine and called for all sides to respect the cease-fire, he has not publicly placed any blame on Russia in an apparent bid to not upset Vatican relations with the Orthodox Church and in hopes of engaging Russia’s help to confront the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Hackett, the U.S. ambassador, noted that Putin had spoken about the plight of Christians and that that was clearly an area of concern for the Vatican. “I’d like to see if he’s got a proposal,” he said of Putin." - Pope Urges Putin to Commit to 'Sincere, Great Effort' for Ukraine Peace | Can Pope Francis Work a Vladimir Putin Miracle? | Islamic State Sells Captured Teen Girls Like 'Packs Of Cigarettes' | IS growing in numbers, money | ‘Russian hackers’ cripple Bundestag computer network | The Times
Obama’s Big Talk on ISIS and Putin Isn’t Matched By His Actions Obama’s cyber silence leaves US unprepared by Margot Grubert US Orders More Troops to Iraq, but No Overhaul of Strategy "On Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Kenneth Hackett, said the U.S. would like to see the Vatican increase its concern about what is happening in Ukraine during the pope’s meeting with Putin. “We think they could say something more about concern of territorial integrity, those types of issues,” Hackett told reporters. “It does seem that Russia is supporting the insurgents. And it does seem that there are Russian troops inside Ukraine. This is a very serious situation.” ... While the pope has deplored the loss of life in Ukraine and called for all sides to respect the cease-fire, he has not publicly placed any blame on Russia in an apparent bid to not upset Vatican relations with the Orthodox Church and in hopes of engaging Russia’s help to confront the persec