Liberal Forum

B.See » 13 Feb 2023, 12:35 am » wrote: ↑

13 Feb 2023, 12:35 am

Yes, assuming such an agreement could've been accomplished and held to.

There are two schools of thought on this. The first, which is more aligned with your argument as per this MSNC article of March '22 (I've been barred from posting actual links, so copy and past the parts in blue to find the article): Russia and Putin's Ukraine war may have been preventable - MSNBC (dot com) 

and the second, which is supported by four articles I'd published awhile back in this very thread, three of which can no longer be found, and the fourth,  Putin’s Ultimate Goal is Establishing Russia as Superpower - Observer, which argues that the annexation of Ukraine was ALWAYS part of Putin's plan. 

I've found others that support that thought as well: 

Blinken: Putin’s plan all along has been to invade Ukraine - POLITICO 

Putin laid out his Ukraine invasion rationale back in July 2021 - Fox News 

The Putin Doctrine: A Move on Ukraine Has Always Been Part of the Plan - Russiamatters (dot org) 

Frankly, from what else I've read (learned) of Putin, I'm inclined to believe the second. However, whichever notion one subscribes to, still brings us back to my initial question. As a sovereign nation doesn't Ukraine have the right to decide (on NATO alliance) for itself?