Knightlady wrote:
So That's what happened in 2014. I kept meaning to look it up but always spaced it off
Hi Knightlady. Let me help you a little.
Ukraine had an elected President. Many on the west wanted to engage more with the EU. Those on the east mostly favored Russian relations. The EU offered then a great deal for integration. Russia offered another deal. and I believe about $15B in incentives. Ukraine was making a lot of money off of allowing Russian oil to cross Ukraine land. That is what Ukraine should do. Play both sides for the better deal. So those leaning for EU relations staged a massive peaceful demonstration in the Maidan. A big plaza in Kiev. Victoria Nuland, a major player for democrats and for obama via clinton as under Secretary of State was out in the Maidan offering cookies to the protesters. Fact. Hey, America loves you. The protest wasn't winning over the President. So the west (Nato, America) set up snipers on both sides. Some behind the protesters shooting at the security forces and killing some. Some behind the security forces shooting at protesters and killing some. These are facts. So the protests became nasty and the President fled for his life to Moscow. Coup won. Meanwhile I have seen actual quotes of Nuland talking with another American official on who to push to take over Ukraine. She is also quoted as saying "FU to EU." They didn't get their choice as President, but number two.
Now remember, in 1991 America promised Russia and Gorbachev that we would never expand Nato to the east if Gorbachev allowed East and West Germany to reunite. Russia kept their word. America didn't under Clinton, with no provocation. America kept promoting Russia as the evil empire while they were abandoning Communism and moving towards a capitalist economy and wanting to engage Europe and the west economically and peacefully. We needed an 'Evil Empire' to keep our military industrial complex flowing and making many millionaires rich and politicians happy in Washington. Nato kept expanding and Russia mostly didn't do anything accept in Georgia when they wanted to enter Nato. Nato missiles on Russia's border was unacceptable. They stopped that. Now, it was Ukraine in 2014. Unacceptable as a member of Nato. That would throw out their Black Sea fleet in Crimea and control all ship traffic from Russia to the south. Strangling Russia like a slowly moving Boa Constrictor. Crimea was mostly all ethnic citizens and they made the protective move to save Russia. They never stopped Ukrainian ship traffic until the latest escalation in 2022. Crimea voted to join Russia.
Now, bringing these two paragraphs together. Then the new president, who the eastern areas surely didn't want or vote for, clamped down on the peaceful Ukrainians of Russian descent, who had been there for hundreds of years. Making them suddenly speak only Ukrainian, and causing a split with the Russian Orthodox Church and other things. The people rebelled and soon a civil war broke out. America and Nato were supporting the National forces with supplies and training, etc, and made it look like the Russian's were evil for only doing the same thing. The Minsk accords were set up for peace and the west only used then to resupply Ukraine. Fact. Meanwhile 14,000 people were killed, many civilians, bombed by Ukraine. During this civil conflict, Russia tried to have talks and especially after Zelensky came along, and the west refused. Major Ukrainian offensives were in the planning stages when Putin finally drew the Red Line and said no more.
Putin originally wanted Neutrality for Ukraine (No Nato), the right for the provinces of the east for self determination, (Within Russia, Independent states, or affiliated states within Ukraine), and the elimination of the Nazi elements in Ukraine. (The Azov battalion). They want more now, but no way do they want all of Ukraine. Then want peace, neutrality, and open commerce for all. It is better for all.
IMO, Putin should continue to win this war and we and Nato and Europe should get the hell out. Let Ukraine and Russia settle things among themselves. It is no one else's affair. Give Russia their demands which are fair and good for both sides. Let the eastern provinces decide their own fate through open elections and let Ukraine go back to building back a neutral Ukraine and a Ukrainian people through reproduction if there are any men left. And keep outside interests like Blackrock and other western interests out of Ukraine. They are only there to steal all they can get from Ukraine. A buffer zone between Russia and Nato is a good thing and keeps them from attacking each other. Then Nato can retreat and eventually disband and we can come together with mutually beneficial nuclear weapons treaties again. And open commerce at the market rates, whatever they might lead to.
Logically Right