McCain was absolutely right about Russia and Ukraine (2014 interview)

[AIkonoklazt]

YT transcript:
 

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i predict to you that it will be another step

in vladimir putin's strategy to separate

eastern ukraine from ukraine and perhaps

a land bridge to crimea no it's a very

bad result and again we would not send

weapons to the ukrainians when they were

begging for them we wouldn't even give

them intelligence because we didn't want

to quote provoke vladimir putin by

showing weakness we provoked vladimir

putin

 

 

 

...and that's exactly what happened- Russia taking over Eastern Ukraine to create a land bridge to Crimea.

I think he's also right about the reason for the eventual invasion: The weakness shown by US towards Putin. My punctuated requote:

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"We would not send weapons to the Ukrainians when they were begging for them; We wouldn't even give them intelligence because we didn't want to, quote, 'provoke Vladimir Putin' ...By showing weakness, we provoked Vladimir Putin." -McCain, 2014

The "NATO encroachment provocation" narrative of the spark of the Russian-Ukrainian war is incorrect. What provoked Putin wasn't the intimidating strength being shown by NATO but weakness shown by the United States. Putin knew that the US wasn't willing to shore up Ukraine, especially after the nothingburger it was served after the Crimea invasion.

If Trump wins the election, Ukraine is fucked. Trump will withdraw aid, and Ukraine won't have a chance thereafter. After Russia overruns Ukraine, Moldova is next. The situation in and around Transnistria sounds similar to the one that existed in Crimea prior to Russian invasion and annexation:
 

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Russian troops have occupied Transnistria since the early 1990s when Russia invaded the region under the pretext of protecting ethnic Russians.

 

Edited February 11 by AIkonoklazt
typo