[FLT-bird]

You have it backwards. It was Putin who decided to keep Russia in the former Soviet “cold war” state with the west, and kept abrogating arms treaty conditions he had agreed to, which was brought up in the Senate repeatedly for years.

No. You have it backwards. Russia was not in a "Cold War" state with the west. Look at Russia's defense spending. It was miniscule in comparison to ours. Abrogating arms treaties....like the ABM for example? Like the Minsk Agreement?

[Wuli]

“No. You have it backwards. Russia was not in a “Cold War” state with the west. Look at Russia’s defense spending. It was miniscule in comparison to ours. “

It was never a matter of “defense spending”. It was a matter of military posture and in that Putin as I said kept abrogating missile treaties he had agreed to, showing he was NOT trying to end Soviet/Russian hostile stance toward the west.