A burgeoning narrative in media and politics is developed against Russia that it has invade Ukraine, ignoring Western provocation, and geopolitical maneuvering that contributed to Russia-Ukraine war. Journalists and media groups ignore that promises, NATO expansions, and political interventions that increased tensions. We will recall these promises and uncover the political engineering behind Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Hollow Promises
In early 90s, the negotiations over German reunification, the US ensured Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev promised no eastward NATO expansion. US Secretary of State James Baker notable promised “not one inch eastward” in a February 1990 meeting, the promise echoed among other officials. These promises reflected a broader effort to get Soviet consent to unification. However, these negotiations never made in writing.
When the Soviet Union dissolved, Russia wanted to develop cooperative relations with the West, envisioning a “common space of peace and prosperity from Rotterdam to Vladivostok.” However, different views exist within in the US. For example, former US Ambassador Jack Matlock does not want NATO expansion because of Russia’s weak position and lack of threat, while Henry Kissinger supported the expansion because the US want to sideline Russia when it is weak rather than strong. Kissinger’s mindset led to NATO’s expansion under President Bill Clinton, despite earlier commitments.
By late 90s, NATO expanded to former Warsaw Pact states, surrounding Russia with military. During the Kosovo war in 1999, the NATO bombed Belgrade for 78 days, affecting Siberian infrastructure and developing a NATO base in Kosovo. To Russia, this was a violation of the anti-ballistic missile treaty and expansion of NATO despite of a promise not to do so. Moreover, the attack on Iraq on just phony pretenses, NATO’s involvement in overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi, and a CIA operation to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, all reflected that the West wants to encircle Russia.
In 2008 Bucharest Summit, NATO announced that Ukraine and Georgia will going to join it. This alarmed Russia and made it worried.
The 2014 Crisis and Maidan Events
Before 2014, the Ukrainians opposed the membership of NATO. President Viktor Yanukovych knows that this public perception could cause civil unrest. On February 21, three European Union ministers from Poland, Germany, and France negotiated an agreement with Yanukovych that he would stay in power and that there would be elections eight months later. Russia also happy with this arrangement. However, the very next day, a US-backed coup violently overthrew Yanukovych.
Leaked phone calls showed US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland discussing preferred Ukrainian leaders and dismissing EU involvement with the phrase “F**k the EU.” The US quickly accepted the new government, while the EU followed it, leaving the prior arrangement. You think the Russians don’t know it? Of course the Russians know it and don’t like this at all because this is so typical of American operations. The US want to own Ukraine so it can put their missile systems and their military bases on our border.
The post-Maidan government threatened Russia’s 25-year lease on the Sevastopol naval base in Crimea, established under agreements recognizing Crimea’s status within Ukraine. It was the reason why there was a Crimean War in 1853 when Britain and France said, Get Russia out of the Black Sea. Conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Russian-speaking populations resisted the new Kyiv government. In 2014, Russia takes back Crimea, saying, no way this is falling into NATO hands.
Failed Peacemaking
In the Minsk II agreement, France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine all agree to give the Russian ethnic region of the Donbas autonomy to end the war then. And what does the US do? It says to the president of Ukraine to blow it off. We don’t want autonomy. We want to retake that region by force. When Trump comes in in the first term, the US pours in the military aid and builds up a million-person army, the largest in Europe, actually.
Within about a week, Zelensky said, OK, we can be neutral. The Ukrainians sent a note to the Russians, We don’t need the NATO invasion. You stop fighting and we’ll declare neutrality. A process started in Istanbul to have Ukraine and Russia sit down with each other. On April 15, they initialed a peace agreement, which was almost complete, to end the fighting based on Ukraine’s neutrality.
However, the US and the UK told the Ukrainians to continue fighting. This led to millions of casualties and seriously wounded. These are people they have wives, and children. Yes, and you never hear this from the Europeans that say, Oh, this is just Russia, Russia, Russia, this was an America drunk with its power, saying we can do anything we want and with a plan.
And the plan was to turn Russia into a third-rate or fourth-rate or fifth-rate country or to break it apart.
