I've got to say, Putin was not forced into anything. There was no imminent prospect of Ukraine joining NATO or the EU. There was no threat or danger. He made a free choice. I agree that the West should be very careful not to directly get involved, escalation would be appalling but I don't agree that Putin was forced into anything. He made a calculated move because he thought it would pay off. Looks like he might be wrong.
Drawing red lines and whether those red lines are crossed or not, doesn't excuse his actions. He doesn't want something to happen, therefore he's entitled to invade a country if it does happen? That's very dangerous reasoning.
I'm not sure that it does explain. I don't think Putin cares about any red lines. I think he wants to conquer Ukraine because he thinks it is Russian territory. He's acting like an old fashioned Tsar who wants to expand Russia. And his prior words on the matter support that interpretation.
But even if it did explain, it is remarkable how people just it hard to seperate the concepts of 'explain' and ;justify'. I think that maybe the way that the human brain is wired makes it impossible for most people to really differentiate between the two, however hard they try and however much they try to convinve themselves that they do so.
Two things, I don't think Russia's intent has ever been to occupy Ukraine. They want to force Ukraine to commit to neutrality by refusing to become a member of NATO and the EU. Secondly, there is a lot of propaganda out there about how this war is going. And, although, Russia has not blitzkrieged through Ukraine, I think there is little doubt Russia will win this war in the end. Zelensky or whoever will be representing Ukraine in these talks would be well served to reach an agreement immediately. Doing so will minimize the cost inflicted on civilians caught up this war.
I've got to say, Putin was not forced into anything. There was no imminent prospect of Ukraine joining NATO or the EU. There was no threat or danger. He made a free choice. I agree that the West should be very careful not to directly get involved, escalation would be appalling but I don't agree that Putin was forced into anything. He made a calculated move because he thought it would pay off. Looks like he might be wrong.
He had drawn a red line. Several of them. The US ignored the red lines.
Drawing red lines and whether those red lines are crossed or not, doesn't excuse his actions. He doesn't want something to happen, therefore he's entitled to invade a country if it does happen? That's very dangerous reasoning.
It certainly does not excuse. It does explain.
I'm not sure that it does explain. I don't think Putin cares about any red lines. I think he wants to conquer Ukraine because he thinks it is Russian territory. He's acting like an old fashioned Tsar who wants to expand Russia. And his prior words on the matter support that interpretation.
But even if it did explain, it is remarkable how people just it hard to seperate the concepts of 'explain' and ;justify'. I think that maybe the way that the human brain is wired makes it impossible for most people to really differentiate between the two, however hard they try and however much they try to convinve themselves that they do so.
Two things, I don't think Russia's intent has ever been to occupy Ukraine. They want to force Ukraine to commit to neutrality by refusing to become a member of NATO and the EU. Secondly, there is a lot of propaganda out there about how this war is going. And, although, Russia has not blitzkrieged through Ukraine, I think there is little doubt Russia will win this war in the end. Zelensky or whoever will be representing Ukraine in these talks would be well served to reach an agreement immediately. Doing so will minimize the cost inflicted on civilians caught up this war.