It's all of the greediness of West and East, each sides Oligarchs pushing this...that they see military confrontation as a means to an end without considering the end could literally be The End they, whoever thinks they're the victor in this...will lord over only ashes.
And this...
Donald Trump seems to think that NATO is not needed and the US become friendlier to Moscow. That such a view is “controversial” continues to baffle many. NATO, among a few pother things, exists so as to ensure European countries need not spend very much on defense. The invention of a “Russian threat” out of whole cloth, however, suggests desperation and panic. On the other hand, the US, while footing the bill, gets to control a great degree of foreign policy decisions from DC.
How effing smart is Team Putin if they chose not to engage Trump proactively...instead seeing greater opportunity in being given a freer hand with a weak puppet...while ignoring the real powers behind the puppet?
In the end it confirms only one thing - might makes right.
Libertas, how would you know that he didn't? How could that become known what with the "Trump is Putin's puppet" BS going on for 3-4 years? With all the WuFlu lies we've been fed for the same amount of time, how in the world can what we're being fed now - and FROM THE SAME SOURCES - about what's going on re: Ukraine/Russia be taken as truth?
I don't, and apparently nobody does...and how would we know and from whom if not "there"? All we know for sure is under Obama/Biden Ukraine Eastern provinces go to crap and Crimea gets seized...nothing happened under Trump...now with JoeFraud an invasion in Europe not seen since WWII.
I can only divine truth-for-now based upon past experience and my own knowledge, same as anybody.
But to the heart of your question, if the above is not sufficient for someone...then there really is no answer, by anybody, is there?
It reminds me of the endless dances I had with the fevered Russophiles at ZeroHedge over the years...their source of truth is Putin, TASS, RT...is the West's any better? No. Pockets, it's all we have...a nugget here, a pebble there...most people know the biases people/outfits have...obvious BS is easily spotted (I didn't bother with the Ghost of Kiev crap, but Congressmorons here fell for it)...trying to tell people totally invested that their guy isn't any better than ours, they're government isn't any better than ours, that corruption greed and power drive most all...don't want to hear that. Like anti-Trumpers...Trump is Hitler, Orange Man Bad...Putin is wise, 4D chessmaster...America sucks, Russia is free...America is Godless and immoral, Russia is Christian and pure...
Who believes that crap?
And, if there is no answer, no truth...it is also true that what we think or don't think doesn't matter...nobody making the decisions on anybody's side is listening...and why would they listen to nobody's?
I reckon the only people feeling good about their place in the world are the morons who've picked a leader/nation and follow in lock-step and shout down any attacks using the incendiary verbiage of latter day minions - hater, racist, imperialist, fascist,...
Hope I didn't go too deep down the rabbit hole...