I wanted to bring Brandon J. Weichert’s remarks about Russia’s view of Crimea at Asia Times to your attention. After a lengthy review of the history and context he observes:
For Russia, Crimea is not negotiable, not when one of its only two warm-water ports is in danger. The Americans know this. Yet Washington refuses to rein in its Ukrainian clients, who are banging the drum to launch a massive attack against Crimea. (It almost makes you wonder if that was the purpose of all the money that President Joe Biden’s son Hunter received while serving as a non-expert in natural gas for a Ukrainian oil company.)
It is my belief that Ukraine understands fully that any offensive against the fortified Russian positions in Crimea will end in disaster for Kiev’s cause. Yet it insists on this move likely because it continues hoping to draw NATO (and specifically the Americans) into a direct engagement against Russia on Kiev’s behalf.
Whatever you think of Russia’s present invasion of Ukraine, its invasion of Ukraine in 2014 was completely foreseeable and predictable and, from the Russians’ viewpoint, completely justified. I certainly don’t believe that Russia’s invasion a year ago was equally justified and, indeed, it surprised me.
We shouldn’t be surprised that Crimea is non-negotiable and that efforts to oust Russia from Crimea are treated as an existential threat by Russia.
â€(It almost makes you wonder if that was the purpose of all the money that President Joe Biden’s son Hunter received while serving as a non-expert in natural gas for a Ukrainian oil company.)â€
Finally someone had the courage to bring up the “Biden piece†in Ukraine – the self-enrichment of the Biden family through the questionable ties and influence-peddling created by Biden’s son thru his father into the WH.
Throughout the Ukraine debacle it’s been Biden’s actions and non-actions that have been instrumental in moving us into the position we find ourselves in today – toying with a gambit of sparking WWIII. Starting with his mishandling of words and threat assessments, followed by over-amplifying our financial/armament stake in this border crisis, to the recent claims of blowing up pipelines to force Germany to fully engage battling Russia, Biden has only aggravated the Ukraine/Russia rivalry, rather than pursuing any serious attempt to bring the death and destruction to a more peaceful close. One can only wonder how much Biden’s earlier family business in Ukraine, the accusations of money laundering might have to do with his tenacious efforts to assuage Zelensky at all costs, even if it meant initiating another world war.
Its ironic; the core strategic issue (all year round access to ice free ports) for Russia is likely to do a complete 180 in the next 50 years.
If climate models are correct, Russia’s entire Northern coastline would be accessible all year round by 2075.
Everything is an existential threat to Russia. The existential threat to Ukraine of having a foreign country invade and occupy them is the real threat.
Steve
The existential threat to Ukraine of having a foreign country invade and occupy them is the real threat
It’s ironic that you can’t see the same invasion on our southern border as a threat, especially to those living close to the border. Supposedly, the press and DC are reporting these numbers going down. However, illegals are deceptively being shuttled and flown in to other check points. The whole management of the Biden border has been nothing but a shadowy fiasco!