re: Is Henry Kissinger's reason for Russian invasion of Ukraine wrong?

Most assumed it wasn’t a serious suggestion by Russia, but what if it had been? What if it hadn’t been, but through those levels of cooperation, ties between those nations legitimately strengthened over time to the point that Russia was no longer a belligerent?

We can speculate all day on what might have happened, but we all know what did. Russia revealed itself to be the aggressor that NATO said they were. Whether that happened as a result of Russia’s long term strategies, as a reaction to Europe’s treatment, or some combination of both, I don’t know. However, it seems like no one is going to really come out ahead in this Ukrainian conflict.

Russia has revealed its military to be significantly weaker than most anyone expected. NATO and the EU looks to expand into Ukraine, Finland, Moldova, and elsewhere. At the same time, the Russian economy has been somewhat resilient in the face of sanctions, and western nations are being severely stressed by losing access to critical resources from Russia and The Ukraine, particularly natural gas, fertilizer, and wheat. It seems like both sides have been significantly harmed and weakened by this conflict.