[crotobloste]

> Ukraine is "receiving money from others"?

Factually correct.

> We are benefactors of the Ukrainians' bravery and sacrifices.

Who's we?

> How much money could we have not spent if Hitler had been stopped in Czechoslovakia?

Very different situation, in all aspects.

[collinfunk]

You see zero similarities between Hitler invading Poland and Putin invading Ukraine?

[brabel]

As similar as any country who ever invaded any other country?!

[roenxi]

There are some pretty substantial differences. Russia is on the strategic back foot here trying to figure out a way to stop NATO's advance. They've only turned to violence after long attempts at resolving the tension diplomatically and the US has been implacable. Putin's actually been pretty hesitant in his escalations so far; he's 70 and has a long history of trying to avoid war.

Hitler was more about wanting more land and resources for Germany, and he saw war as being a legitimate tool for achieving his aims that he deployed early and enthusiastically.

[defrost]

NATO has advanced into which part of Russia?

[roenxi]

Not Russia, Eastern Europe - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlargement_of_NATO

[defrost]

So, NATO hasn't advanced into Russia then?

Just Russia advancing into the Ukraine (after promising not to if the USSR nukes were given to Russia)?

Gotcha.

[brabel]

I know it’s what about ism but I really hope you apply the same logic when Cuba once more tried to enter an alliance with Russia or China to defend itself against a larger aggressor next door. So while I agree that Russia should allow Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO, I also think that’s only fair if countries like Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela are freely allowed to determine their futures by joining Russia, China and Iran military alliances. But you and I know that’s not going to happen. So please let’s stop pretending we don’t have double standards.

[rcxdude]

Eastern Europe is not Russia and Russia does not automatically get a say in what Eastern Europe does because they are nearby. Russia seems to believe it is entitled to a sphere of influence. That the US does a milder version of what they're doing (which is also wrong) doesn't make their approach OK (or even effective).

[wiseowise]

> Russia is on the strategic back foot here trying to figure out a way to stop NATO's advance. They've only turned to violence after long attempts at resolving the tension diplomatically and the US has been implacable. Putin's actually been pretty hesitant in his escalations so far; he's 70 and has a long history of trying to avoid war.

Is that why Russians rejected negotiations when Ukraine offered to never join NATO and Russians insist on keeping invaded territories?

[collinfunk]

> There are some pretty substantial differences. Russia is on the strategic back foot here trying to figure out a way to stop NATO's advance.

His rationale for invading Ukraine was to "demilitarise and denazify" it. The NATO point seems largely be invented by people who dislike NATO in the west.

> They've only turned to violence after long attempts at resolving the tension diplomatically and the US has been implacable.

I hope the "tension" you are referring to was not the little green men taking over Crimea and the Donbas in 2014.

> Putin's actually been pretty hesitant in his escalations so far; he's 70 and has a long history of trying to avoid war.

This is a totally unseriousness statement. Can you remind me what Putin was doing in Syria again?

[roenxi]

There's an english transcript [0] of his speech from when they went in up on the Kremin website. He opened with something like

> I will begin with what I said in my address on February 21, 2022. I spoke about our biggest concerns and worries, and about the fundamental threats which irresponsible Western politicians created for Russia consistently, rudely and unceremoniously from year to year. I am referring to the eastward expansion of NATO, which is moving its military infrastructure ever closer to the Russian border.

They're claiming the NATO thing is relevant. Opening paragraph justification.

[0] http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/67843

[resonancel]

Did Putin do anything meaningful to stop "NATO's advance" into the Baltic Sea? Maybe Putin was so pacifist that he let Sweden and Finland join the NATO with impunity.