Quote:
Originally Posted by Dondilion
I do not think he is going for it. He is indicating some of what he has and will employ if
1) There is an attempt to cleanse the Donbas of ethnic Russians.
2)Game changing weapons are installed in Ukraine.
3)Ukraine joins Nato. |
1) There is no attempt to cleanse the Donbas of ethnic Russians. They represent 40% of Donbas' population and Russian is the primary language of 75% in the Donbas.
2) So, Russia is free to stage game-changing weapons all around Ukraine's borders (and in Belarus), yet Ukraine, a sovereign country must adhere to Moscow's demands as to how it defends itself against Russian aggression?
3) Ukraine is a long way from joining NATO. Indeed NATO won't even consider their membership as long as Russia has troops stationed on Ukrainian soil (as they currently do). That said, Ukraine, a sovereign nation, is free to ask to join NATO (who alone sets its membership requirements). Meanwhile, Russia's aggression may well lead to Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
What scares Putin the most is having ethnically similar folks on his border demonstrating how democracy can improve human rights and economic well-being. This is highly threatening to an autocratic kleptocracy like Russia.