03-05-2022, 04:55 AM
mattkime wrote: I do think this is more a European concern than a US one. We're all affected but they are neighbors.
The problem with this kind of thinking is Russia doesn't seem to in the long term want to stop at Ukraine. Ultimately it will be the rest of Europe, then the world. This was the intention of Nazi Germany, the USSR, and so there's no reason to think it won't be with Putin's Russia. This is why we are so interested in nipping this problem in the bud.
mattkime wrote: Part of it is the eastward expansion of NATO.
I don't think this part is correct. Sure, it is the narrative Russia's weaving. But Russia doesn't honestly feel that NATO is a security/military threat to them. There is no line of logic that could lead to this conclusion, because, NATO's existence is the result of Russia's historical and continued aggression to its European neighbors, none of whom have ever showed aggression towards Russia. The real reason Russia wants NATO gone is so they can go unchecked in Europe in an attempt to reestablish their lost glory days.