Excuse but what are doing here? Do you disagree with anything I wrote that you quoted? Like I said, this isn’t complicated, Russia is a fucking asshole as a country with a douchebag for a leader and they should get the fuck out of Ukraine or we should throw more sanctions at them and supply the Ukrainians more heavily. Is there something unclear or disagreeable with this?
The intent from "Russia's perspective" (which should properly be called "Putin's perspective") goes well beyond not allowing Ukraine to join NATO or the EU. Putin's provided a list of Russian demands which document his ultimatums which involve Ukraine disarming so they would be defenseless and "de-nazified the Ukraine government" which means the appointment of Russian puppets in instead of Zelensky's government (aka "regime change"). And this is just a portion of the lengthy list of Russian demands of Ukraine. In fact the only condition the Ukraine government might agree to is to not join NATO -- so if this is the "Russian demand" then why hasn't Russia stated their objective has been achieved, sign a cease-fire, and leave Ukraine.
If you want to understand why the Russian separatist movement sprung out of nowhere in Eastern Ukraine, why Russia grabbed Crimea and why Putin wants Eastern Ukraine up to the river, this map explains why.
We should always seek out truth. To suggest that Ukrainian lies are better than Russian lies because they aren't the aggressor is foolish. Decisions should be made on truth and facts, and in order to get to the truth, we need to investigate. Then, and only then can the right decisions be made.
Here is the url link for the map http://www.energy-cg.com/Ukraine/Uk...situation_Jan15_EnergyConsutlingGroup_web.png I expect you are encountering some type of firewall issue. Here is the map. And something else to think about when you your realize that China is Russia's biggest customer for coal.
This does not account for the way people live and in this case die. But here we have stumbled upon a great ethical dilemma spanning from Plato to Kant. I am all about a higher morality and there is no higher value than life or the pursuit of the preservation of life. Or at least that is my opinion. Great minds have disagreed so I doubt we will find agreement here on this forum. What I will say is I certainly condemn Russian lies and false justifications for invading Ukraine and I do not pass judgment on the Ukrainians for using everything at their disposal to defend themselves.
You suggested it's not clear why Russia invaded. Russia invaded with a very clearly articulated reason. And it's not to rid Ukraine of Nazis whatever some underlings said. Putin always made clear that Ukraine joining the EU or Nato is a line crossed that cannot be tolerated. Same as with the US that clearly stated it won't allow Russia to infiltrate Cuba right across the US sovereign territory. Love it or loath it but that's not false pretense. That's a very clear articulation of what Russia can accept and what it cannot accept. What I disagree with you is dumbing this down as if it's not a very complicated geopolitical conflict with wide ranging ramifications.
Then you misinterpreted Putin's intent. This is about the maximum EU expansion and eastern borders and Nato, nothing else. The only reason Ukraine does not give in to those demands is because it still has its hopes up that it can join the EU in the future. This is completely against any of the EU's interest in every conceivable way. Why now this dumb Italian prime Minister says otherwise and in complete contradiction what the EU already decided and clearly articulated is beyond everyone's comprehension.