Quote Originally Posted by Geoff Parkstone View Post
It's a difficult one, and I'm probably going to make myself unpopular here, but is Putin any different to Kennedy in the Bay of Pigs invasion and subsequent Cuban issues. Russia doesn't want NATO nukes on his border just like USA didn't want them in Cuba....or indeed later in Mexico.

Methodology might be more ruthless and I'm not saying I agree with what he's doing, but I can see both sides of the argument
The flaw in that argument is that Ukraine gave up its nukes in I think 1994 and would have remained neutral an agreement that was signed by US UK and Russia.

In any case with the range they have now, where Nukes are located is irrelevant.

What Putin doesn't want is a democratic state no longer under Russian influence on his border, as soon as Ukraine elected a government that was more west leaning and less inclined to be under Russia's sphere of influence, Putin as with every other autocratic leader, is afraid that Russia's people will see democracy in action and might like it or a form of it themselves, hence his power grab over the years.

Its a case of as he gets older Putin is increasingly paranoid as to what happens to him, has surrounded himself by yes people or people afraid to say the truth, has control over the state media which broadcasts nothing but false news.

The only people in Russia who think they are under threat are Putin and his cronies, Putin it seems want to drag Russia back to the "golden age" of the USSR.