[Kentfromohio]

Putin has never been fine with Ukraine in NATO. The US promised it would not expand NATO and then it did, about 5 or 6 or 7 times. And all for no reason except our Military Industrial Complex likes to sell lots of weapons. Russia has not been a threat at all since the end of the USSR. The US is the threat to world peace and security. See - US DOD and COVID pandemic and WHO mandates and how populations can be destroyed with fake vaccines.

[MalPearce]

This is so much Muscovite reality denying bullshit.

There was more than one proposal to Gorbachev and Shevardnadze (USSR) including from West Germany as well as James Baker and George HW Bush that NATO wouldn’t expand into the Warsaw Pact region WHILE THE GEOPOLITICAL REALITY OF THE USSR REMAINED.

They both turned the proposal down (Gorbachev even admitted that on national television) because they did not want to openly admit that the USSR was months from collapsing so hard that Poland would shortly be able to tear up the Warsaw Pact, and stick two fingers up to Moscow.

It was a dumbass proposal. It would’ve made the USA look totally retarded. Turning down NATO applications in the basis that a superpower that had been abolished by its own members, still needed an ego boost.

FFS.

The promise was picked up by Putin but not one other country in the former USSR or Warsaw Pact has openly agreed with Putin.

He’s a liar, the rest aren’t.

[ansel12]

Russia has never been placed in charge of what countries can join NATO or any other national defense decisions they choose to make as free nations.

Putin in 2002. https://x.com/NatalkaKyiv/status/1844559042691334237
‘Ukraine is a sovereign state and has the right to choose the path to ensure its own security.
I don’t see anything unusual here in principle.
Or something that would spoil the relations between…
Or could possibly spoil relations between Russia and Ukraine.’
- Vladimir Putin at NATO Summit Meeting in Rome, Italy (May 28, 2002)”

[Does so]

“Russia has not been a threat at all since the end of the USSR.”
.
.
Finland and Sweden beg to differ...

[Svartalfiar]

And all for no reason except our Military Industrial Complex likes to sell lots of weapons. Russia has not been a threat at all since the end of the USSR.

That, and we have historical cultural ties to these countries, we trade with them, they want the threat of us to help protect them.

Russia may not be a threat to these US, but they're a regional warmonger that's invaded several former Soviet States and threatened military action against quite a few other countries. Their military may be a shell of it's former shell, but everyone in Europe's is crap too. All of them depend too much on us to save them from anything. Russia can barely invade neighbors on her border, but the risk is there and no one in Europe could push into Russia to force a surrender either.