I’m counting on the Ukrainians being forced to negotiate an understanding that NATO is absolutely not an option on the Russian border, 300 miles from Moscow. This agreement would specify a withdrawal of Russian forces. If the maniacs running NATO don’t get involved in country this will probably happen. Just in case NATO joins the fighting, I ordered potassium iodine tablets for my extended family today.
I also hope this will happen and would probably be the best solution. I just think it is more and more unlikely with each passing hour.
The Ukrainians are hardening thinking they are winning, and Putin is hardening wondering why they just don’t roll over and show their belly.
Can we get there—or should I say they get there—from here, today?
NATO is already one or two day’s drive from Moscow from Latvia and far close to St Petersberg. Putin wants Ukraine period. That was the gist of his pre war speech. If he gets it the immediate result will be to place four more NATO countries on Russia’s borders. That will bring the number to nine counting Turkey and Norway.
What about Ukraine joining the EU? Elections free of outside interference? The desires of most ordinary Ukrainians for freedom and especially for a better life are what is at the root of this going back to well before Maidan. Until recently, most Ukrainians didn’t want to join NATO precisely because they didn’t think NATO would rescue them, if push came to shove. That course was seen as a provocation to Putin, too. But, the Ukes didn’t quite realize, IMO, why joining the EU or real independence or even getting closer to those goals would provoke increasing outright extreme hostility from Putin, leading to a massive invasion.
For the same reason (lack of support in Ukraine and possibly triggering Putin) NATO was NOT favorably inclined to bring in Ukraine. I can’t think of any country that has joined NATO that did not have the support, or at least acceptance, of the majority of it’s people. The last thing NATO has been interested in, historically, is a country where the response to a popular revolt could in turn bring in a Russian attack, requiring a NATO response. Buffers are much better.
That changed somewhat, but mostly because of Putin doing it to himself.
Maniacal? What’s maniacal about NATO is that they were not ready for this. Blinken claims we knew for some time Putin would invade. If that’s the case, NATO should have had every weapon the Ukrainians would need prepared for immediate delivery. Appeasement and weakness invariably leads to disaster.