Ukraine. They’re going to talk about Ukraine. Presumably, Putin will renew his objection to Ukraine joining NATO.
So, my question is, other than “Because I am going to invade”, what legitimate objection could Putin have to Ukraine being a NATO ally? I assume he can’t actually come out and say he is planning an invasion. ("Tanks? What tanks? They’re just conducting military exercises.) Given that an invasion seems likely, would NATO allies want to take in Ukraine?
Putin sees this as a threat to Russia’s security.
From their point of view it tilts the balance the power too far against Russia. It seems to them like a serious danger. Ukraine has a very long border with Russia, and its territory extends far into the heart of Russia.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking Russia is acting from aggression. Russia is acting from fear.
“The threat on our western borders is, indeed, rising, as we have said multiple times,” Mr. Putin said at a ceremony for ambassadors at the Kremlin on Wednesday.
“In our dialogue with the United States and its allies, we will insist on developing concrete agreements prohibiting any further eastward expansion of NATO and the placement there of weapons systems in the immediate vicinity of Russian territory.” – from the NYT
What do you think Reagan’s objection to Brezhnev would have been if he was told Mexico was joining the Warsaw Pact?
If I were Biden, and told Putin that Ukraine were about to become a NATO member, and Putin objected, I would probably say something to the effect of “We are about to poke the bear and the bear is not allowed to stop it.”
(You can probably see why I would not make a good diplomat.)
Take the Cuban Missile Crisis. How did America react to missiles being stationed close to US territory?
Okay, the cold war is over, but Russia still has a mindset going back to those days. Russia has a long history of facing serious invasions.
Both good points, and Putin’s fear of missiles and military forces so close to Russia are justified.
But … Russia may well have that justifiable mindset, but they also have a mindset and a long history of imperialistic expansionism, and Putin is very much of that old-school Russian imperialist mindset.
So an even bigger problem for Putin if Ukraine joins NATO is that it scuttles his invasion plans.
Okay, thanks. I didn’t think about the similarity to the Cuban Missile Crisis or Mexico joining the Warsaw Pact. I can see how Putin could see Ukraine as a threat. Of course, Ukraine sees Russia as a threat and probably wants to do something about that.