Ukraine is aligning with Europe. That is where they see their future.
Putin wants to keep Ukraine in the Russian sphere… but Russia’s influence is waning and will continue to wane over the next decades because their main source of income, petroleum will be less and less valuable as energy production moves away from that source.
I don’t know if this is saber rattling or bolstering pro Russian forces inside of Ukraine… but whatever it is not good for the stability of the region.
I was always against it. I didn’t care for Trump’s ineffectual weakness whenever it came to all things Vlad. If anything, the last four years only emboldened Russia and here we are.
The Russians believe, and not without serious historical precedents, that their only defense against invasion to put as many miles between Moscow and a potential enemy as possible.
Estonia is one thing. NATO controlling their food supply and their access to the Black Sea is another. There’s a reason Putin was willing to annex Crimea when the Russian military really isn’t up to it.
Listen take it up with the Russians if you disagree. It’s their position that NATO in Ukraine is an unacceptable red line for them, not mine. This has been the case since the fall of the USSR.