I dunno, I’m not too up on Russian history, but it does kook like soemthing bigger is broiling just under the surface with the whole issue.
Its bullshit to keep you from looking at the real things going on. Its called wagging a dog.
Speedy is a window-licking spaz.
I think it’s all actually very simple. What Putin wants is a guarantee that Ukraine, at least the main part of it, will never join NATO.
I think it’s a deal Trump would make, in exchange for Putin recognizing NATO’s legitimacy in the countries where it already is in, plus allowing Western Ukraine to decide whether it breaks away and is eligible to join NATO.
I don’t see Putin really wanting more than that. He doesn’t want Poland or even the Baltics, as some suggest. But to him, and indeed for many Russians, Ukraine is the hill to die on.