Quote:
Originally Posted by Zulu29
Ukraine could not join NATO with Russian forces still stationed on its soil. Ukraine has been seeking closer ties with the West for sometime (other than very recently when Putin's guy took Russia's deal instead of the EU's) and has partner status with NATO for military excercises.
Putin likely saw the writing on the wall when his guy got the boot and a pro western government took hold in Ukraine. It would be a matter of time before Ukraine reached out to join NATO, so he wanted to beat them to the punch so to speak.
The civil unrest in Ukraine provided Putin with a perfect guise to "protect" Russian nationals in Crimea from radical Ukrainians. No one said the deal would be cancelled, Putin just did not want to risk it. And likely didn't want whoever is in charge down the road to have the headache of renegotiating a lease with a NATO or west sympathetic Ukraine in 30 years.
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Not to blow sunshine up your butt, but this is probably the most logical thing that I've read in this thread.
Russia has seen what they consider to be hostile Nato nations forming on their borders and a Ukraine with closer ties to the West and a possible entrance into Nato, especially with a major russian naval base at stake probably represents a dire threat to Russia strategically.