Earlier it was mentioned that Russia had “security concerns”. But they already had a border with NATO countries. A border with Finland (no love of Russia). A border with China (disputes between these in the past). So even if Ukraine had joined or not joined NATO, it does not make any significant material difference in respect of having a ‘buffer zone’ between them and what they class as an unfriendly neighbour…
Russia has claimed to have a large and effective military, a military that was supposed to be more than a match compared to any of the countries that border Russia or nearby neighbouring countries.
Furthermore, since WW2, when has any European or NATO country invaded, or indicated that it may attempt to invade Russia?
Putin is pure and simple a bully. It’s his way and never anyone else’s. It’s him that did not want to have normal diplomatic relations with western countries including NATO members. If Putin had made an effort to have better relations with western countries including NATO members, maybe he would not have ended up so paranoid.
So these so called “security concerns” are yet more fiction from Russia. Another excuse or lie from a government that depends on lies, fiction, misinformation and misdirection.
If Russia had kept itself to itself, it would have been a situation that could have been stable. Unfortunately, Putin had other ideas. He sent agents to the U.K. to kill his opponents or people who he thought may be a threat to himself. And he started the war in Ukraine in 2014. And then escalated it earlier this year.
Now, with it clear that his so called mighty Russian military in deep trouble, he has ordered a call up of thousands of Russian citizens to try to save his misadventure in Ukraine.
For the Western and NATO countries, unfortunately there is only one thing that we can do to make Putin understand, and that is to help Ukraine to kick the Russian forces out of all of Ukraine. When the Russian military finally realises that it’s totally untenable to try to stay in Ukraine, that will be the time when it may be possible to try again with the diplomatic discussions. And maybe some time in the future, normal relations may become possible.
None of the above means that the Western / NATO countries did everything correctly. Of course mistakes were made. I personally think that Western countries should have very firmly told Putin that if he did not withdraw the forces that he built up on the border with Ukraine back to where they came from (well away from Ukraine), that we would attack them when they tried to enter Ukraine. And then backed that up with military action if he then did invade.
And in reaction to his partial mobilisation, Western countries should have clearly told him that they would see this as deliberate escalation, and that if this occurred, they would double the supply of military weapons to Ukraine.
