Photo: AP.
Readers of the Washington Post are actively commenting on the material that came out a few hours before the start of the talks between the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, at which the situation around Ukraine will be discussed. Some Americans accuse Moscow of trying to revive the USSR and threaten, among other things, military consequences. Others recall that the United States and NATO did not fulfill their promises not to advance to the borders of Russia.
The publication notes that during the negotiations, Putin may issue an ultimatum to Biden: “Give guarantees that NATO will never include Ukraine in its composition, otherwise Russia may launch an offensive against it in the near future.” At the same time, leaks have already leaked to the media that Washington is preparing unprecedented sanctions against Moscow in the event of aggression against Ukraine, including disconnecting Russia from the global financial system.
In the comments, the Americans write that Putin intends to put forward demands to Biden that cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, Russia will launch a scenario according to which Ukraine will be the first to attack separatist forces, and then Russian troops will enter the case under a statement of the right to self-defense.
A user with the nickname Americanalltheway believes that Putin has no right to decide who NATO will accept as a member. He also called for preventing the revival of the USSR, which the President of Russia allegedly aspires to.
Reader Rickpres suggests Biden to launch a preemptive strike and offer Ukraine a chance to join NATO.
“Didn’t we promise Russia 20 years ago that NATO would not expand to the east? Haven’t we broken that promise? Promised and violated”, – says another participant in the discussion.
Philebuster user believes that Biden should answer Putin like this: “Look, Vlad, you stole Crimea. At least one Russian will enter Ukraine, and Russia will become the second Chernobyl. Understood?”.
“I am by no means a fan of Putin, but I agree that there is logic in his words. If the United States were located in the same way as Russia, they would not want to live in an environment of hostile countries,” another participant in the conversation notes. He added that tensions will decrease if Russia receives effective guarantees in this regard.