Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine

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Living next to Russia is a dangerous business and that's why East European states ask to join NATO.
If NATO didn't expand, the shelled city today would have been Warsaw, not Kiev. That's all the differrence.
The imperial narrative of Putin has been pretty consistent for many years.

NATO facts.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_111767.htm

NATO facts.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_111767.htm

You completely ignore the fundamental differences between Russia and the West: democracy and transparency.

They are also a state where political opposition gets poisoned to near-death and you can get 15 years in jail for talking about the war in undesired way (that includes calling it a war).

So, why do you think Russia is isolated in Europe, again?

I don't ignore them, they just don't matter in the Grand Game. All this democracy and transparency crap is just propaganda, demonisation and rationalisation. The western alliance doesn't care about these things if you are "on their side" that day. You can already think of several bloodthirsty anti-democratic and opaque regimes who are best buddies with Western countries can you not? Worse things are happening in Yemen than in Ukraine, our eternal friends the journalist-mincing Saudis are turning that country into paste. Nobody cares.



Zelenksy the hero shut down opposition TV stations only last year and imprisoned a political opponent on charges of treason. Again, nobody cares. It isn't what is really driving this division between Russia and Europe.



I stand by my analysis.

Isn't the problem with Russia under Putin remaining a sinister entity, rather than being a normal European country?

Grand Game is sh!t. Actual human lives matter.

What's keeping Russia so segregated from the rest of Europe?

I agree, which is why Ukraine should have given Russia what they wanted - to remain a neutral buffer state.

It's a good question. The primary answer is that the U.S. and much of Europe desires it to be so. Putin actually asked to join NATO in his early days and made noises about greater economic integration with the EU. Many Russians are enamoured with Europe and would love to be closer to it than they are. The reason Russia was denied NATO membership is the same reason European powers (often with the U.S. hissing in their ears like Gríma) have nixed or refused to even consider sort of real economic integration. It is because it would tilt the balance of power in directions many European countries and especially the U.S. would not want.

For Europe, the balance of power would shift further eastwards into a sort of German-Russian industrial superbase, such is the enormous size, material wealth and economic potential of Russia. This is an unattractive prospect for many EU member states, and even the UK, already wilting at the edges of the German economic reich EU unified market. For the U.S. geopolitically, it would shift the balance of power on the entire Eurasian continent, away from its satrapy Germany and its EU orbiters, over which it has reasonably tight control where it matters and cordial relations otherwise. There is good reason that one of the longest standing foreign policy goals of the U.S. has always been to prevent any sort of Russian-German rapprochement, because they would be a major contender for American influence across Eurasia, perhaps even leading to American isolation.

Very short version: it's that old friend, divide and conquer.

/\ https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... n-his-rule

The Labour peer recalled an early meeting with Putin, who became Russian president in 2000. “Putin said: ‘When are you going to invite us to join Nato?’ And [Robertson] said: ‘Well, we don’t invite people to join Nato, they apply to join Nato.’ And he said: ‘Well, we’re not standing in line with a lot of countries that don’t matter.’”

"Lives matter" does not mean only that people should not die, at any price.

You completely ignore the fundamental differences between Russia and the West: democracy and transparency.
Russia did not join NATO once they learned the alliance would require to know their military systems and practices.
They are also a state where political opposition gets poisoned to near-death and you can get 15 years in jail for talking about the war in undesired way (that includes calling it a war).
They are also a state that annected territories from another states and invaded another souvereign state.

So, why do you think Russia is isolated in Europe, again?