Bob, there was never any real chance of "living peacefully alongside Europe" as long as NATO kept expanding to Russia's borders.
We all know that NATO lost its "defensive posture" premise in 1990, with the fall of the USSR and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact. What NATO has done since then has been anything BUT "defensive" in nature. Just ask the Serbians, the Libyans, the Afghans and Iraqis - who must have been surprised to suddenly find themselves somehow bordering on the North Atlantic.
Putin had been searching for a modus vivendi for decades, certainly since 2007, when he first proposed a comprehensive European Security Framework. He kept making proposals, requesting discussions and negotiations to provide Russia with "security guarantees" - but to no avail. The US and NATO and the EU steadfastly refused to discuss the matter, refused to negotiate a common European Security Framework, refused to offer any "security guarantees" to Russia AT ALL.
Again and again, Putin presented proposals, frameworks, drafts. Again and again, he was ignored and rebuffed. The latest proposal was in December 2021 - the US refused to even discuss it.
Instead, the US was holding seminars like:
“Decolonizing Russia: A Moral and Strategic Imperative”
And:
"Preparing for the Dissolution of the Russian Federation"
In fact, the Hudson Institute seminar was referenced directly by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov whenever he talked about the existential threat from the West.
In short, Bob, the Russians have known for years that "Slaughtering Russia is U.S. Policy" (as I wrote in my article).
As Lavrov and Putin say, the West (US) want to carve up Russia into separate and easily digestible/controllable parts, just like they did with Yugoslavia.
And of course they are right.
And they are also right to know that "NATO-izing" Ukraine is the first step.
In January 2008, Lavrov called the US Ambassador to Russia into his office. He explained that Ukraine joining NATO was the "reddest of red lines" for Russia. Amb. Burns relayed this to the White House. And what did that idiot Bush do?
Three months later, Bush issued an "open door" invitation to Ukraine to join NATO. He did so, saying he wanted to "lay down a marker".
LAY DOWN A MARKER.
How do you think the Russians interpreted that move, Bob?
If you think they should have just ignored it, then I have some land in Florida I want to sell you.
