When the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War supposedly ended, the Warsaw Pact disbanded. But its counterpart, NATO, not only didn't likewise disband, it began expanding eastward toward Russia despite assurances from Washington that it wouldn't. Ukraine joining NATO would be like Canada and/or Mexico joining the Warsaw Pact along with much of Central and South America if the Warsaw Pact still existed. How do you think Washington would react to having hostile troops and nukes on our borders? Of course there's no way it would have been allowed to get anywhere close to that point. Russia is not the country with a thousand overseas military bases and a military treaty organization encompassing dozens of countries in Europe.
If Washington/NATO had assured Russia that Ukraine would never be allowed to join NATO, a reasonable and responsible position to take, the current conflict would have never happened. Instead Washington has been recruiting Ukraine as a compliant puppet state to use against Russia. Ukraine is not a democracy; it is a failed state and is now basically a corrupt gangster state. Why do you think Joe and Hunter like Ukraine so much?
It looks like Putin's goal is to install a regime that is either neutral or pro-Russia. The U.S. is the longstanding master of regime change, through NGO influence, "color revolutions," and sometimes military action.
The underlying issue is whether there is going to be a multi-polar world, with Russia and China playing influential roles along with the U.S., or whether the U.S. Empire will continue to try to dominate (rule) the world. It's clear that Russia and China have no intention of being subservient to the long-time U.S. hegemon, which has greatly weakened itself through internal and external corruption and decadence mixed with dangerous arrogance and hubris. Donald Trump made some initial steps toward providing a government that concentrates on America First, which is one of the reasons he's so hated by the Deep State. America needs to somehow survive the Biden Cabal and begin fighting back by making the Republican Party a genuine America First opposition before the country is completely destroyed.
