Useless in the sense that it could have been prevented. Before it started, Putin declared no NATO presence in Ukraine. That was the red line. Is NATO membership worth sacrificing a large part of the nation? I don’t think so. Compromises and diplomacy should have been implemented before this bloody disaster takes its final toll. Do you really think Putin won’t use nukes? Are you willing to bet hundreds of thousands of lives for your keyboard warmonger belief?
Putin and Russian chauvinists of his ilk think Ukraine is part of Russia and Ukrainians are just “bad” Russians. If believing Ukrainians have a right to defend their borders, language and culture against a colonizing fascist army is “warmongering” so be it. As a Reagan conservative I wear that tired Chomskite and populist epitet as a badge of honor.
I guess I missed the part where Putin was given a seat at the NATO Roundtable and allowed to interfere in the decisions of sovereign nations.
Putin has no say in such matters. NATO membership is a matter solely of NATO members. NATO never had a say in who could join the C.I.S. (or its military arm). By the same token, Russia has no say in who could join us.
Simply "declaring" something gives one absolutely no moral authority or other justification to also enforce that declaration.
A rapist "declaring" that he is going to rape someone does not give that rapist any right. Nor can the resistance of the rape-victim then properly be characterized as "provocation."
Regards,