First of all, let me be clear, Putin is the school yard bully who needs to be put in place. What he is doing to Ukraine is despicable and should be prosecuted as a war criminal. But let me say it is not all his fault.
Right off the start, months ago Putin put it out he didn’t want Ukraine in NATO. Right then and there is where NATO, Ukraine, United States and European Nations all became just as much fault and cause for the situation we are in now. If at this point the above had come out and said, “OK, we agree Ukraine will not be part of NATO on condition you (Russia) stay out of Ukraine, do not support any type of anti-government movements, none of your allies get involved, no monetary support, you leave Ukraine alone. If you don’t, you will have full force of the free world coming down on your neck”. But ALL OF THE ABOVE have no balls. They stood with their thumbs up their back sides not understanding a guy line Putin only understands force and a firm stand.
Also, our so called President has done nothing, which Putin knew would happen and expected. After all he seen how Biden screwed up the pull out from Afghanistan, Putin knew it was now or never to take what he wanted. He knew NATO is too wishy washy to take a firm stand. He also knew he had the European nations by the balls with the pipeline, here again Houseplant Biden didn’t help. He was handed a country which was an exporter of oil, now he is on his knees begging for OPEC to produce more, when this is not necessary. The raise in oil prices is directly attached to his inactions, or should I say actions. Biden’s actions are those of “others” who want to get rid of oil and make everyone dependent on electric cars, trucks and such. There is money being made on the backs of us common folks, we are the ones who are paying the price for this, especially the people of Ukraine.
Putin is playing world chess, he has set the board and now has everything in his corner because of the inactions of NATO, US, EU. He knows the U.S. has no real leadership with the backbone to stand up to him. NATO has been fighting for years to justify being there after the fall of the U.S.S.R. After seeing how Biden dismantled the U.S. oil industry, leaving Citizens, equipment in Afghanistan, how he is bowing down to Iran, he knows all he has to do is be the “school yard bully” because there is no one to stand up to him. He knows the U.S. dismantled its tactical nukes, yet he still has his. He sent a message by using his “vacuum” bomb and cluster mines which are both illegal, but he doesn’t care, who is there to stop him? We have no real world leadership to do so, and it has been proven. Putin will keep taking his steps until he is stopped. Biden has done very little. Ukraine months ago, December time frame ask for Harpoon missiles to defend itself against the Russian navy, yet Biden turned them down. How the Russian Navy is using its ships in the south. Biden vetoed the MIG 29 deal. Now I will have to say, it may not have done much good to transfer the MIGs to Ukraine. Russia has eyes on target and the minute those planes crossed the boarder to Ukraine they would have been targeted and the airfields they would have landed in would have been targeted as well.
I can understand Putin not wanting Ukraine as part of NATO. Once in NATO, Tomahawk missiles could have been stationed on the boarder, only minutes flight time from Moscow, which he didn’t want. If Ukraine had taken up a neutral country status, telling Russia to stay out and NATO to stay out of it’s affairs, I believe we wouldn’t be where we are now. Next will be China, they already have made moves to take over Taiwan, the writing is on the wall. Iran is going forward with their development of nukes, and Biden is helping them, with no one to stop them (unless Israel does, they understand). North Korea has no one to stop them. But hey, what do I know, I’m just a retired Sergeants Major and a farrier shoeing horses.
Thoughts of a Crazy Old Man 