Summary
Ukraine fired US-made ATACMS missiles into Russia’s Bryansk region, marking the first time Ukraine has used these longer-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.
The attack comes after the Biden administration authorized Ukraine to use these weapons against targets inside Russia.
In response, President Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine, labeling aggression from non-nuclear states supported by nuclear powers as a joint attack on Russia.
In 2014, while Ukrainians were busy rioting by tens of thousands - about their government abandoning the EU association treaty - most of the world was entirely unprepared for taking even a firm political position about the events. After all, Yanukovich was a legitimate president who had only recently resorted to violence. Nobody had expected a revolution over a trade agreement, but he sparked it by having the folks protesting at Maidan beaten and dispersed. If he had talked or compromised with them, history would be considerably different.
As for who eventually took advantage of the situation - well, it was Putin. He used the opportunity to occupy Crimea (while denying that it was occurring) and to start an armed insurrection in Eastern Ukraine (the initiators were well known GRU people, including the now jailed Girkin).
I’m not sure where you get your information, but your source is not competent on Eastern Europe. The US is a far clumsier creature than you imagine (perhaps you expect today’s US to have the manners of the 1960-ties) while Putin’s regime has rarely had any second thoughts, and has been quick to draw and fire, because there’s only one brain making decisions, and he’s been in the Kremlin for decades now…
Nuclear ambitions? Are you even aware that Ukraine gave away its nuclear weapons to a friendly Russia, at a time when nobody even imagined Russia invading Ukraine? In return, though, it received security guarantees, both from the US and Russia. It also handed Russia its strategic bombers - because why have them - and intercontinental ballistic missiles - because what’s the use.
Before Putin entered the path of annexing parts of Ukraine, nobody had any reason to consider Ukraine and Russia to be hostile to each other. You can consult the old polls. The people considered each other brothers, until Putin exploited the confusion of a revolution in Ukraine, starting the invasion he’s now trying to finish. During the years 2014-2022, he gradually became dictator in Russia and brainwashed people into considering Ukrainians enemies. His goal? Making Russia great again, and he felt Russia couldn’t be great without the resources of Ukraine.
However today, after Russia has spent 1000 days grinding meat, I bet that several European countries do indeed want nuclear weapons - without admitting it openly, of course. Because apparently, conventional weapons don’t really deter Putin.
Sorry, but your sentence is laughable. Apparently, you are entirely unaware of the situation in the occupied territories, or in Russia. In Russia, you can get 5 years quite easily for criticizing the war. In the occupied territories, you just disappear if you get in someone’s way. Even most of the fallen Russian soldiers just “go missing”, so nobody would have to pay their relatives. The “native rights” of Russians at the moment are heading quickly towards rock bottom, and might only have some glamour if you offered them to North Koreans.
My recommendation: get informed first. And if your preferred way of getting informed is Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, then before going, be aware that such sites are algorithmically steering you towards material you’re predicted to like and engage with. Encyclopedias where one is required to cite sources, and mainstream media (some of it anyway) where a person can be held responsible for spreading falsehoods - they exist for a reason.
This is just a list of grievances and false accusations - which I don’t care about.
My concern - I don’t believe war against China can be won when they are 80 miles from Taiwan and we are what - how many thousands? Logisitcs can’t be done, Trump agrees.
Same is with Ukraine - I do not need them. My concern is I don’t want america be involved with this crap and cause ww3. The end. Ukraine has nothing for me - force them to settle and end this.
If u personally wanna fight - then go join up, I don’t care. I don’t want to, my life is comfortable.
What you just read was a gently formulated history lesson, from a person who is far closer to the situation and far better informed, yet has no obligation to teach you history.
If your actual position is “I don’t care about facts, I don’t care about justice, I just fear World War 3”, you should be sincere about it. Fearing war is understandable, but you should then say that.
In the early stages of World War 2, people also feared war - so badly that they let dictators have parts of countries, then entire countries. In the end, what came out of it - at first they got shame (for failing to help allies, for persuading victims of agression not to resist - for being fools of the greatest variety) and then they got the biggest war in history, because an appeased dictator generally doesn’t stop. He’ll consider it a sign of weakness and try harder.
An important element in your views appears to be “I don’t need Ukraine”. Correct, an individual does not “need” a country - I don’t need any country in the world.
States do need alliances to safeguard their interests. Alliances are easier to maintain with societies that work similarly. States do develop relations of trust, and occasionally give each other access to valuable resources or knowledge. Betraying trust is considered a bad thing, since other partners stop trusting you then. Simple game theory, OK.
Ukraine received a promise in return for giving away hundreds of nuclear warheads: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum
…but now that Russia has violated the terms of the agreement, other countries have to uphold their part of the deal. Many do because of their sense of justice - because they have a vested interest in preserving a rules-based international order. Others do it because they are likely candidates for Russian invasion.
The US helps Ukraine in the war because it has a vested interest in global stability. To demonstrate that international law applies, countries have to act when law gets violated. Deterrence was tried in autumn 2021, but sadly it failed. Now, for already 1000 days, weapons must back up ink on paper, showing that international law still applies (and violations have consequences).
If the US ignores its promise, allies of the US know that the US will ignore promises when not convenient. The network of alliances in Europe and Asia which gives the US a considerable extra layer of safety - it will come loose. Stability will be weakened, new conflicts may start. If someone thinks of attacking the US, they will no longer compute the numbers for fighting countries inhabited by a billion people, but only those who bother.
You mentioned Taiwan, and said you considered Taiwan unlikely to withstand Chinese attack. China is watching the war in Ukraine very attentively. If other countries assist Ukraine “no matter what”, China may consider it smarter to wait another 100 years for peaceful re-unification (if it ever comes) rather than attack Taiwan, because “no matter what” is a very high price.
You need Europe. The US pulling out of providing aid would be one thing, the US trying to force Ukraine into giving into aggression would be interpreted as blatant betrayal of the alliance by every single European country. Don’t expect us to stay allies when you actively work against our security interests, and don’t expect us to let it happen. We can defeat Russia in Ukraine, or we can defeat Russia in the Baltics, in Poland. We prefer doing it in Ukraine: Unlike you we know what war is like. Not war as in “dad comes home with shrapnel in his leg and PTSD”, war as in “your hometown is gone and everyone is either dead or starving”. You have no fucking concept.
And if you think that the US would fare well if Europe considers it a strategic threat… my sweet, sweet, summer child. You’d be unable to afford your own military-industrial complex without those arms exports and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the economical abyss you’d be in. That would not be popular, and that’s also precisely the reason why Trump would rather waterboard himself than risk it. Especially for a loser like Putin who can’t even re-take Kursk.
Life in Ukraine was nice, once, too. Don’t think something won’t affect you just because you don’t want to deal with it. Life ain’t a bowl of cherries. Noone is expecting you to fight. Solidarity, though? Think about it. It’s what friends do.
How do you intend to force another country to settle? By helping Russia win the war?