re: Change my mind: The average American would be better off if Ukraine lost in the next month

quote:

---

NATO expansion to the east?

---

quote:

---

NATO was/is perceived as a threat to Russia by virtually every politician in Moscow's Federal Assembly. That's not a Putin thing. Before Putin, Yeltsin held the same belief.

Putin established NATO as a Russian adversary in 2000 when he asked NATO to incorporate Russia. NATO refused.

NATO is a military alliance. That's worth repeating. NATO is a military alliance. It was formed to oppose Russia and its Warsaw Pact. With no WP in the mix, and yet NATO not allowing Russian membership, Russians are not unreasonable to perceive NATO as a threat.

In WWII, Russia suffered nearly 70 times the casualties the US did --- 27M vs 400K. They'd have lost their country entirely if Germany had been able to launch its attack from Eastern Ukraine instead of Western Poland. Like it or not, Russians do not want a major adversary on their border.

---