Here's a little factual tidbit for you about NATO, the Ukraine and Russia. Sadly, we've been getting propaganda instead of actual history. Learn:
* The US State Dept. records show that the US assured the Soviet Union upon the reunification of East and West Germany that "there would be no extension of NATO's jurisdiction for forces of NATO one inch to the east."
* Bill Clinton & the US Gov't chose to interpret that as applying ONLY INSIDE RE-UNIFIED GERMANY. That is what set into motion the massive eastward expansion of NATO right to the border of Russia.
* In December of the next year, the Soviet Union dissolved itself on Christmas Day. Since the Soviet Union then no longer existed, there was FACTUALLY no reason for NATO to continue to exist. NATO was created to protect Western Europe from Soviet Communism. That ended Christmas Day, 1991 and NATO should have dissolved with it.
* Nine years later, under Clinton, our 'assurances' against NATO expansion when right out the window, i.e. WE LIED. In 1999, NATO admitted former Soviet States Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Then in 2004, under Pres. George W. Bush, he undermined his own father's Presidential assurances and NATO admitted former Soviet states Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. (How's that for honorable?)
* At the time, there was not much Russia could do about it. They were still repairing the damage of 70+ years of Communist rule AND still paying off DEBTS of the former Soviet Union. (I'll bet you didn't know that Russia honored all the old Soviet debts, did you?)
* In 2009, NATO expanded yet again by adding Albania and Croatia.
* In 2014, we (yes, WE, the US) overthrew the democratically elected President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich. (We financed and facilitated violent riots in the streets of Ukraine to do this.) Once the overthrow was complete, the US and EU financed the election of pro-western puppets in Ukraine so we could eventually bring Ukraine into NATO and put US missile defense inside Ukraine.
* Russia made it clear at that point that Ukraine joining NATO was a 'red line' for them that they simply would not tolerate.
* NATO (the US and EU) ignored Russia. NATO expanded again in 2017 by adding Montenegro and North Macedonia. They also formally began considering Ukraine and Georgia as NATO additions. Russia protested but was ignored.
* In Dec. 2021, Russia put forth a Treaty proposal to obtain iron clad, legally enforceable security guarantees again NATO bringing in Ukraine. NATO laughed and threw the proposal away. Four days later Russia delivered the same Treaty Proposal via Diplomatic Courier to the White House, to #10 Downing Street in London and to the Presidents/Prime Ministers of all NATO countries. They stated "If Russia cannot obtain iron clad, legally enforceable security guarantees, it will obtain them by military or military-technical means."
* The US and NATO responded 3 weeks later by, again, rejecting the treaty and essentially laughing over it. A month later Russia did exactly what they said they would do -- began a Special Military Operation to de-militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.
* We act stunned that Russia did what they said they would. We started helping Ukraine. And our meddling has not gotten us to the point where we are literally ONE MISTAKE AWAY from an actual nuclear war.
* All of this occurred because we did not honor our assurances and we are attempting to surround Russia with NATO troops, bases and missiles.
So, WHO is really the 'bad guy' here? HINT: It's not Russia . . .
Here's a little factual tidbit for you about NATO, the Ukraine and Russia. Sadly, we've been getting propaganda instead of actual history. Learn:
* The US State Dept. records show that the US assured the Soviet Union upon the reunification of East and West Germany that "there would be no extension of NATO's jurisdiction for forces of NATO one inch to the east."
* Bill Clinton & the US Gov't chose to interpret that as applying ONLY INSIDE RE-UNIFIED GERMANY. That is what set into motion the massive eastward expansion of NATO right to the border of Russia.
* In December of the next year, the Soviet Union dissolved itself on Christmas Day. Since the Soviet Union then no longer existed, there was FACTUALLY no reason for NATO to continue to exist. NATO was created to protect Western Europe from Soviet Communism. That ended Christmas Day, 1991 and NATO should have dissolved with it.
* Nine years later, under Clinton, our 'assurances' against NATO expansion when right out the window, i.e. WE LIED. In 1999, NATO admitted former Soviet States Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Then in 2004, under Pres. George W. Bush, he undermined his own father's Presidential assurances and NATO admitted former Soviet states Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. (How's that for honorable?)
* At the time, there was not much Russia could do about it. They were still repairing the damage of 70+ years of Communist rule AND still paying off DEBTS of the former Soviet Union. (I'll bet you didn't know that Russia honored all the old Soviet debts, did you?)
* In 2009, NATO expanded yet again by adding Albania and Croatia.
* In 2014, we (yes, WE, the US) overthrew the democratically elected President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich. (We financed and facilitated violent riots in the streets of Ukraine to do this.) Once the overthrow was complete, the US and EU financed the election of pro-western puppets in Ukraine so we could eventually bring Ukraine into NATO and put US missile defense inside Ukraine.
* Russia made it clear at that point that Ukraine joining NATO was a 'red line' for them that they simply would not tolerate.
* NATO (the US and EU) ignored Russia. NATO expanded again in 2017 by adding Montenegro and North Macedonia. They also formally began considering Ukraine and Georgia as NATO additions. Russia protested but was ignored.
* In Dec. 2021, Russia put forth a Treaty proposal to obtain iron clad, legally enforceable security guarantees again NATO bringing in Ukraine. NATO laughed and threw the proposal away. Four days later Russia delivered the same Treaty Proposal via Diplomatic Courier to the White House, to #10 Downing Street in London and to the Presidents/Prime Ministers of all NATO countries. They stated "If Russia cannot obtain iron clad, legally enforceable security guarantees, it will obtain them by military or military-technical means."
* The US and NATO responded 3 weeks later by, again, rejecting the treaty and essentially laughing over it. A month later Russia did exactly what they said they would do -- began a Special Military Operation to de-militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.
* We act stunned that Russia did what they said they would. We started helping Ukraine. And our meddling has not gotten us to the point where we are literally ONE MISTAKE AWAY from an actual nuclear war.
* All of this occurred because we did not honor our assurances and we are attempting to surround Russia with NATO troops, bases and missiles.
So, WHO is really the 'bad guy' here? HINT: It's not Russia . . .