How is that last part prescient? That's a year after Euromaidan. Ever since then, 2014, critics have always lambasted any US/EU in support of the Ukrainian people. Why? Because geopolitically Ukraine was meant to be another Belarus, a patsy state, for Russia and its allies. That statement is the opposite of prescient, in that we now see the mask off and the devil that patsy Ukrainian governments were actually making a deal with.
Ukraine is a patsy regardless of who dominates that region, as allying with US has led to the complete destruction of their country. They picked the wrong horse to follow. If they stuck with Russia, they wouldn't be in this situation (would US have invaded?).
It's prescient because it hints as US long term interest in keeping Europe and Russia apart (in recent times seen most clearly with meddling with Nord Stream 2 pipeline agreement, and encouraging sanctions that are on their way to destroying European industrial power and impoverishing their citizens on account of lack of cheap energy).
and Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, France, UK, Spain, Slovakia, Georgia, and everyone else who understands what a bloody nightmare Russia has been the last 100 years. Ask any closest neighbor: Pole, Slovak, or Georgian 10 years ago how much they trust anything Russia says.
> They picked the wrong horse to follow. If they stuck with Russia, they wouldn't be in this situation (would US have invaded?).
Seriously? They picked the wrong ally because the other would invade and murder them? Should France have allied with Germany against UK in WW2 instead too? We already know US won't invade with the script flipped; Belarus exists.
> seen most clearly with meddling with Nord Stream 2 pipeline agreement
Are you living under a rock? Every civilized country now unanimously realizes how stupid trying to Nord Stream 2 with Russia was, including Germany.
I am so sick and tired of the goalposts being moved for Russian apologetics. Invasion of Georgia, Donbas, and now full scale invasion of Ukraine. I thought, surely, surely if Russia invades all of Ukraine, there's no possible way some fool can try to make these arguments anymore.
No. In fact, soon they will see how stupid cancelling it was and reopen it willingly.
Look around at all the industrial heads telling you their production will collapse soon without oil and gas imports. This was self inflicted from sanctions and confiscating Russian reserves.
>because the other would invade and murder them
Russia is incapable of invading the rest of Europe. They don't have enough troops or power to do this. And they don't have any national interest in pursuing this. Invading half of Ukraine is difficult enough. Encroachment of NATO forces and weapons along a strategic position on Russia's border (they said for years Ukraine was existential and could never align with NATO) was a terrible decision that Europe went along with while it was only in US's interest to cause chaos and threaten Russia's security interest that way.
Now all of Europe pays the price.
This is real politik. No I do not think it was in Germany's interest to destroy their own domestic economy by backing US's NATO schemes.
It is in Germany and rest of Europe's interest to have good relations with Russia and stop NATO expansion on their border. To have a cheap plentiful energy supply right nearby not import expensive gas from far away.
