Finland should have a chat with the Kurds. Fins love their land and the Russians may love it, too, but what is the strategic value to Russia? The future is in the east: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeriepieris_circle
This is a very confusing comment. What do the Kurds have to do with this, and what does the distribution of the world’s population have to do with it?
Russia has no advantage from conquering Finland. It’s a buffer zone that is useless to conquer if the conquering triggers a war that has to be fought without that zone.
Further access to the Baltic Sea is also useless if Nato can shut down everything in the Danish Straits.
Instead they have a huge opportunity in Asia where half the global population is situated which is poised to become the most productive economic zone in the world.
The US on the other hand gains very much by being able to flatten Saint Petersburg in minutes.
To me it looks like a bad trade, much like the Kurds are constantly taking all the risk in the Middle East.
There is a political analyst I listen to and he mentioned that before the war in Ukraine and anyone could travel to Russia before the sanctions, he mentioned that Russians told him in hush hush manner that they secretly feared the Chinese more than the West. Siberia is still a contentious issue between the two countries.
Before the Olympics they settled their border issues. There still can be betrayal but they have chosen to trust each other.
Trump tried to build on the Russian fear. But I think it is too late. Russia wanted to be part of Europe but since the start, Europe is stalling. E.g. chancellor Kohl’s notes show that many empty promises were made. Russia has moved on.
In my opinion, that was bad judgement years ago. Europe and the USA must have thought that they don’t need Russia to contain China. Now we struggle to stay ahead.
Threatening indiscriminate mass murder (ie “nuclear deterrence”) says more about a government than about what they believe they’re up against.
I’m against nuclear proliferation but Ukraine gave up theirs and Iran gave up their program. And look what happened to them.
Ukraine never had operational control of the Soviet nukes on their territory.