War NOT Putin's Fault. 😲

[Raven]

According to Putin it's the fault of us lot in The West.😲😲

BBC News - Ukraine war: Russia not to blame for conflict - Putin
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64055018

[Alex]

Russia isn't to blame for the war - Putin is !  I never ever thought he'd actaully invade, but here we are.  How much longer can he go on as I thought Russian assets were frozen so how is he paying for this war ?

[Ashy]

The way I look at it, if I saw two dogs fighting in the street I would try to separate them. The dispute between Russia and Ukraine can be solved by talking but they prefer this way and that choice nothing to do with us.

[klondike]

They did talk. A treaty resulted.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian%E2%80%93Ukrainian_Friendship_Treaty#:~:text=The%20treaty%20prevents%20Ukraine%20and,expired%20on%2031%20March%202019.

The Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation was an agreement between Ukraine and Russia, signed in 1997, which fixed the principle of strategic partnership, the recognition of the inviolability of existing borders, and respect for territorial integrity and mutual commitment not to use its territory to harm the security of each other. The treaty prevents Ukraine and Russia from invading one another's country respectively, and declaring war.[2] Due to the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014, Ukraine announced its intention not to renew the treaty in September 2018.[3] The treaty consequently expired on 31 March 2019.[4][3] The treaty was also known as the "Big Treaty".[5][6]

Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty
Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation
Signed
May 31, 1997; 25 years ago[1]
Location
Kyiv, Ukraine
Effective
1 April 2000
Expiration
31 March 2019
Signatories
Ukraine
Russia
Languages
Ukrainian, Russian
Until 2019, the treaty was automatically renewed on each 10th anniversary of its signing, unless one party advised the other of its intention to end the treaty six months prior to the date of the renewal.[1][7]

Russia–Ukraine relations have deteriorated since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and Russian support for separatist forces in the war in Ukraine's Donbass region.[8] In response, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree not to extend the treaty.

Didn't go well did it?
If the west just left Ukraine to handle this with no assistance which of the old Soviet block satellites would it be next? Then which after that? Where would Russia stop? Germany? France?

Actually we already know the answer to that. The much vaunted Russian army is a joke. They have no modern weapons left now and have to resort to hitting civilian targets with antique Soviet era weapons pulled from storage and even they are running low.

[Ashy]

So there you have it in black and white, it is Ukraine's fault entirely, and what a basket case that country is.

[klondike]

Yep they didn't renew the treaty with Russia which Russia had already broken by annexing Crimea. Shame on them.