a fan wrote: ↑Wed Mar 23, 2022 3:25 pm
old salt wrote: ↑Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:02 pm
dislaxxic wrote: ↑Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:53 pm
old salt wrote: ↑Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:55 amThis is proving that Putin is not paranoid. He is rational to feel threatened by a NATO Ukraine on his border.
This is the part i don't get. Will you elaborate? Would a "NATO Ukraine" EVER think of actually invading Russia? Parts of Russia? You think that Ukraine "invading" Crimea to get it back is what makes Vlad feel threatened?
NATO is a defensive alliance. Have they EVER acted "offensively" or threatened such behavior??
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Spare us the propaganda.
It's also propaganda that Putin (and American pundits) have "forgotten" that Russia exchanged Ukraine's nukes for security agreements, OS.
You want an independent Ukraine? Give them their nukes back. Fake problem solved....no need for NATO.
Sorry mate, Putin isn't being reasonable. He violated the terms of the deal Russia signed with Ukraine.
Ukraine held the nukes. The codes that made them operational remained in Moscow.
That weak excuse has lapsed. It was never a formal treaty. It wasn't a lasting obligation like NATO's Article 5.
It was to give Ukraine a grace period to develop the ability to defend themselves & to reach a modus vivendi with Russia.
They did neither, for decades. After the Russians rolled into Crimea unopposed & seized the Donbass with minimal resistance in 2014,
in 2017 the US/UK/Canada began arming & training them so they could do what they are doing today.
Until Zelenskyy came to power 2 years ago, they did not have a leader worthy of following, & his poll numbers were falling until Putin gave him a chance to be Churchill. They were as corrupt as Russia, & have yet to prove they are not still. The Ukrainians had a more than ample opportunity to develop the ability to deter & defend themselves against Russia. They were the best of the USSR. So spare me the Bucharest memo guilt trip.