Russia and Ukraine flashpoint

[Zkuq]

LurkerJ said:

In an interview w/ BBC, ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her decision to block Ukraine's entry to NATO: "We would have seen military conflict even earlier. It was completely clear to me that President Putin would not have stood idly by and watched Ukraine join NATO."

— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) November 25, 2024

Are we just doomed with these dumb “leaders” and the “good times” was just a product of chance?

I'm not exactly fond of all the strategic choices from Merkel's era, but one does not join NATO instantaneously. It takes time, and judging by our reaction now, I'm not convinced we would have backed Ukraine more strongly had they been let get in earlier. I mean, Russia would might well have acted before the process finished, so our 'escalation management' might also have just let Russia do what it's currently doing - only Ukraine was getting stronger all the time since 2014, at least so I've understood.