Ben Stiller meets with Zelenskyy in Kyiv, tells Ukrainian leader 'You're my hero'

[akvanden]

59 minutes ago, Highmark said:

Here we go again.

In 1991-1994 when the Soviet Union it was supposedly promised that NATO would not expand eastward towards their borders.   While this is disputed it makes sense given the circumstances at the time.  The west was trying to bring a more open, democratic Russia into the "west."  Continued expansion of NATO both to the east and around Europe would obviously have a continued feeling of conflict between the dozens of NATO countries and their basically their SOLE counterpart Russia.   Lets face it we don't line up arms around all the other countries left in what was once the Warsaw pact. 

Whether or not this promise happened this aggressive "defensive" (  ) move would obviously continue the hostile relationship.   While I'm not saying Russian actions didn't play a part in NATO's expansion it obviously did not help in the already strained relationship.   There is a great article how Russian leaders then continued to isolate the Russian people from further westernization and how little has changed regarding the feeling of Russian people that its them against the west.

You also can't be so naïve to think NATO has done nothing against Russia beyond expansion.   They waged their own sort of proxy war against Russia.   Again right or wrong it can be easily seen by them as NATO being the aggressor.   No different than some US actions in the ME.  One has to look at it from both sides openly to understand what is going on.   It takes two to tangle.

The fact is NATO countries ARE involved in a proxy war with Russia right now.   Whether or not Russia expansion into Ukraine was justifiable, NATO countries are supplying a non-NATO country with arms that are killing Russian soldiers.  The US is outraged when Iran or whomever did this to our soldiers so its easy to see how Russia must feel the same way.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/42896937

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-shifrinson-russia-us-nato-deal--20160530-snap-story.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/19/two-maps-show-natos-growth-and-russias-growing-isolation-since-1990.html

I won't argue with any of that. Russia/US/NATO are all tiptoeing the line while competing against each other to gain a competitive and strategic advantage. Same thing Reagan was a proponent of when increasing defensive spending during the 80s that helped lead to the fall of the USSR. But I'll still make the argument that NATO hasn't once invaded Russia or made preemptive threats in it 73 years of existence. Ukraine joining, Sweden or Finland joining won't change that.  

 

Let's just get Russia to join NATO. Problem solved. Think they'd be able to restrain themselves from annexing other countries land?


PS - naive looks really fancy with the two dots above it. 

[akvanden]

1 hour ago, ViperGTS/Z1 said:

Nope....Russia had this all planned out for months in advance. Loading up their military at Ukraine border. There was no stopping Putin, it was his way or the highway.  Ukraine chose not to fold and give away territory rightfully theirs. Now Putin may gain some pulverized concrete at the cost of tens of thousands of his troops and heavy losses of equipment. And that still is not guaranteed by any stretch.

If the right leader was in place, NATO could have added all the countries they wanted to the defensive alliance and Russia would have been helpless in doing anything. 

[Rod]

Leave it to the radical left losers to demand that an independent country has to act according to the will of their globalist masters 

this is why they’ll always be failures at life. 100% followers that need the government to be their daddy 

[Anler]

4 hours ago, ACE said:

Leave it to the radical left losers to demand that an independent country has to act according to the will of their globalist masters 

this is why they’ll always be failures at life. 100% followers that need the government to be their daddy 

Leftists always know what is best for you, even if they have to kill you

[Rod]

3 minutes ago, Anler said:

Leftists always know what is best for you, even if they have to kill you

That’s not even hyperbole  

 

[Snake]

1 hour ago, ACE said:

That’s not even hyperbole  

 

Just ask a fetus...

[Rod]

2 minutes ago, Snake said:

Just ask a fetus...

Or how they say they’ll deal with people that won’t give up their private property to the collective 

[Anler]

7 hours ago, akvanden said:

I won't argue with any of that. Russia/US/NATO are all tiptoeing the line while competing against each other to gain a competitive and strategic advantage. Same thing Reagan was a proponent of when increasing defensive spending during the 80s that helped lead to the fall of the USSR. But I'll still make the argument that NATO hasn't once invaded Russia or made preemptive threats in it 73 years of existence. Ukraine joining, Sweden or Finland joining won't change that.  

 

Let's just get Russia to join NATO. Problem solved. Think they'd be able to restrain themselves from annexing other countries land?


PS - naive looks really fancy with the two dots above it. 

Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somolia, Yemen, Libya didnt invade NATO either. 

[akvanden]

1 hour ago, Anler said:

Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somolia, Yemen, Libya didnt invade NATO either. 

That’s just complementary 3rd world stuff.

[Anler]

41 minutes ago, akvanden said:

That’s just complementary 3rd world stuff.

So is Ukraine 

[akvanden]

7 minutes ago, Anler said:

So is Ukraine 

And so isn't Russia. 73 years and counting. 73 more to come where Nato doesn't preemptively attack superpowers. 

[Anler]

1 minute ago, akvanden said:

And so isn't Russia. 73 years and counting. 73 more to come where Nato doesn't preemptively attack superpowers. 

Oh I'm sure they will kick the hornets nest. They aren't getting all dressed up for nothing. 

[akvanden]

1 minute ago, Anler said:

Oh I'm sure they will kick the hornets nest. They aren't getting all dressed up for nothing. 

For sure, hopefully in 10 years once Russia rebuilds, they'll be the first to blink again with another "it's NATO's fault" invasion. 

[Anler]

Just now, akvanden said:

For sure, hopefully in 10 years once Russia rebuilds, they'll be the first to blink again with another "it's NATO's fault" invasion. 

NATO and when I say NATO I mean the US and the Brits, are the most aggressive and brutal occupiers of the last century. England goes back 100's of years longer than that. 

[akvanden]

7 minutes ago, Anler said:

NATO and when I say NATO I mean the US and the Brits, are the most aggressive and brutal occupiers of the last century. England goes back 100's of years longer than that. 

This world isn't destined to be ruled by snowflakes.  And there's no comparing how countries acted a 100 years ago to how they do today. Countries don't seize/annex territories and call it their own like they once did. Unless you're Russia. 

[Anler]

Just now, akvanden said:

This world isn't destined to be ruled by snowflakes.  And there's no comparing how countries acted a 100 years ago to how they do today. Countries don't seize/annex territories and call it their own like they once did. Unless you're Russia. 

They are only doing what they've always done. Steal other people's shit and make you fight and pay for it. Sure the country stays whatever country but they put their puppet in charge and they do what they are told. 

[Rod]

Isn’t Ukraine the most corrupt place on earth?

[spin_dry]

33 minutes ago, akvanden said:

For sure, hopefully in 10 years once Russia rebuilds, they'll be the first to blink again with another "it's NATO's fault" invasion. 

Russia has become utterly dependent on China economically for loans and for new technology. The reality will be China owning Russia. 

[Anler]

8 hours ago, spin_dry said:

Russia has become utterly dependent on China economically for loans and for new technology. The reality will be China owning Russia. 

And everything else