Quote Originally Posted by Hal Incandenza View Post
Ukraine's "use" geopolitically these days - as an abstract country without inhabitants so to speak - is being a buffer nation between the EU (NATO) and Russia. A geopolitical's no man's land, that assures both the EU and Russia they are 'safe' from each other. Whether Ukraine applied for NATO or EU membership in the past is neither here nor there because membership was never going to be granted (same thing with Finland as a possible NATO member) because these countries are direct neighbors to Russia

However now that Putin suddenly 'feels' like Ukraine has become a westward oriented nation, the scales are NOT tipping in his favor. there will be more push in Sweden, Finland an Ukraine to become EU and or NATO members (depending on the country)

Putin would have been better off leaving things as they were or only invading the Donbas region and either consolidating the Russian minded rebel republics on Ukrainian territory or expanding those two small republics to the point where they consisted of the WHOLE Donbas region instead of just a third of it (like it was last week)

Putin could have pulled another Crimea type invasion and maybe have gotten away with this (= the take over of the Donbas region), but now he is clearly aiming for a full on regime change for all of Ukraine - and EU and NATO really have no choice but to react, although that does not include sending NATO troops into Ukraine

It's pretty obvious NATO provoked the situation to me. If the Ukraine is a buffer state then why would you try to get it to join your openly anti-russian military alliance? I think most ppl that are actually looking can see that unless they have a direct vested interest in one side or the other. If Mexico joined what ever incompetent Russia military union they have we would melt the president of Mexico. I just see it as two sides trying to win and think people depend on 'the news' for their worldview to a dangerous degree because 'the news' is brazenly state propaganda and bias at best. Imagine getting news about the Bloods from Crip International, then yaking about saving innocent Crips for what will probably be months online.

There are a lot of attempts to make Ukraine/Ukrainians seem 'endearing' right now and it's really off putting because it's a useless country. Imagine existing so that 'people who matter have to kill you first before they kill each other'. Then actually being cool with that lol. I also don't like how they keep begging right now. Morale has to be in the trash can for any Ukrainian military person w/ internet. I also don't think 'buffer states' work because we're no longer in the age of Armies that walk, and we're barely in the age of armies that drive. If Russia wanted to hit Berlin they could do it in 17 seconds.