Gut feeling........will Putin attack Ukraine ?

[Jason Freeland]

wasn't it the austrians?

If your thinking the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, that was done by a Serb if I remember correctly and was WWI. WW2 European theater was most definitely started by Germany. Austria was one of the countries they took over.

 

[Frederick]

If your thinking the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, that was done by a Serb if I remember correctly and was WWI. WW2 European theater was most definitely started by Germany. Austria was one of the countries they took over.

Well, Austria is the one who invaded Serbia. They issued unreasonable demands to Serbia they knew would be rejected, and used that as a casus belli to invade. The Russians declared war on Austria, because they were allied with Serbia. Germany was allied with Austria and got caught up. but it was the Austrians who started the whole thing.

in the second war, Adolf Hitler was Austrian.

 

[El Pablo]

My gut is no, he wants it to collapse so he can have another puppet state like Belarus.

 

[ForsakenConservative]

My gut is no, he wants it to collapse so he can have another puppet state like Belarus.

I’m not convinced either…… Why would you have such a public display of aggression, even if you don’t think anyone will respond? He may well do it, but we have all eyes on one shiny object……what’s happening where we’re not watching? Is he running cover for the chicomms? What’s happening on the shores of the Bering Sea? Whatever it is, it won’t be pretty, and we will end up paying dearly for creepy uncle joe’s incompetence…….

 

[Seadog]

As we shouldn't. We've struggled to mind our own business for some time now. Ukraine isn't our problem, and I can 100% see Putin's point about NATO adding them, and putting missiles on his doorstep. We wouldn't stand for that, and we shouldn't expect him to, either.

Foreign policy that strengthens our position in the world has always been a priority of the USA since WWII. Putin wants Ukraine for oil and military purposes. Last thing we need is for the USSR and communism to start reforming.

 

[Seadog]

Tough talk? He will send him a pallet of cash.

Like he just is doing with Tehran. Like another 90 or 100 billion.

 

[dennishoddy]

As we shouldn't. We've struggled to mind our own business for some time now. Ukraine isn't our problem, and I can 100% see Putin's point about NATO adding them, and putting missiles on his doorstep. We wouldn't stand for that, and we shouldn't expect him to, either.

We went to the brink of nuclear war with Russia when they put missiles in Cuba at our doorstep under Kennedy's administration.
I've said before that letting NATO admit Ukraine would be a huge security risk to Russia's security in both weapons and allowing communication snooping that much closer.
I can see Russia's desire for that to not happen.

 

[dennishoddy]

Edit:
He makes great points about those that are long term citizens that have used weapons for many years in hunting and so on. They can become a guerilla force like other nations have been doing. Training the kids is exactly what we in the US do.

 

[SoonerP226]

My gut is no, he wants it to collapse so he can have another puppet state like Belarus.

That might actually be the best scenario for the Russians. Ukrainians, historically, haven't been particularly fond of Russians--one of Hitler's many strategic blunders was treating Ukrainians like Russians when they very likely would've taken Finland's route and joined the Krauts against their common enemy. It seems to me that if the Russians invade, they're more likely to end up with another Afghanistan, and there's no way they could guard the entire length of the pipeline.

If, however, they let the Ukrainian gov't fail, then start pulling strings in the shadows...

 

[cjjtulsa]

Foreign policy that strengthens our position in the world has always been a priority of the USA since WWII. Putin wants Ukraine for oil and military purposes. Last thing we need is for the USSR and communism to start reforming.

And what exactly are the reasons we want it? Pretty much the same, though geographically, historically, and demographically - Putin has a much better "claim" to it than the U.S. - a country located halfway around the world.

And I wouldn't worry too much about the "USSR and communism" to start reforming; the United States is running ahead of Russia in the race to Marxism and/or Communism, and we are a country more or less infiltrated by another Communist regime now with China.