Frank wrote on Feb 10
th, 2024 at 5:06pm:
I think this is very valuable to hear Putin directly, at length, on many subjects.
What he says about neo Nazis, history, American hubris, are a well worth hearing and critically evaluating, rather than rejecting unheard, inconsiderate.
He says it all started with a coup in Ukraine in 2014. I can't say I have the knowledge ( or perhaps even the interest) in the details of Eastern European post-Soviet political intricacies. I don't think the Ukrainians are really that different to the Russians, certainly not historically. I can see his points - makes them a few times in different ways - that the Ukrainians have been sucked into this conflict with not a little push and shove ("help") from the US, NATO and the EU. Whatever happened in 2014, Russia certainly wasn't interested in military annexation of part of Ukraine before it. As he said, they were well integrated (ie Ukraine was in Russia's sphere of influence).
As he also said, quite rightly, doesn't America have bigger issues like the border, debt etc to deal with than finance a proxi war in Eastern Europe?
Vlad invaded Ukraine when they were finally given the chance to elect a popular candidate and not a Russian puppet. This interview is interesting from the point of view of propaganda only, dear boy. Vlad is spruiking fake news.
His talk about Nazis is Danish bollocks and a complete red herring. This is a Russian bogeyman going back to WWII. Ukrainians joined Nazi death squads to keep the Soviets out - just so. The Soviets paid them back good and proper too.
Ukraine is not engaging in a "civil war". Over 70% voted for Zalensky and European reorientation. This support has increased to around 98% since Vlad's invasion and subsequent Russian war crimes. Russians are united now by one thing: Vlad.
Ukraine had no previous plans to join NATO - even Vlad admits that. They do now though. Sweden and Finland are all-in now too.
Putin invaded Ukraine to prevent the spread of democracy. Vlad's right - Ukraine
was inextricably interrelated with Russia - family, work, economic ties. People crossed the border to work and trade. When they chose to become a Western-leaning democracy, Ukrainians presented an existential political threat to Vlad's regime, a top-down kleptocracy with rigged elections where only Vlad decides who runs. Anyone who speaks up is promptly jailed, poisoned, run over or has their plane with all passengers blown up.
You can track Vlad's lies and broken deals in close to real time. Before Vlad assassinated him, Prigozhin let the cat out of the bag. All those Russian "civilians" fighting the Ukrainian Nazis in 2014?
Russian
soldiers, as every schoolboy knows. All the butthurt victimhood Vlad's complaining about here has been totally debunked. So cute. So Vlad has never had any intentions to invade Poland or any other meanie Western countries? He really means that, swears by God, so sincere?
He said that before he invaded Moldova, Georgia and the day before he sent the tanks into Ukraine.
If you're into interesting alternative facts, dear boy, keep watching Tucker.
Most valuable.