richardag said:
I am not sure how much the U.S. should be funding Ukraine but we should be at some level. Those people who discount Putin's desire to reunite the Soviet Union are wrong. He is a power hungry despot bent on reunifying the Soviet Union despite the fact that culturally many regions are totally different and resent Russia.
Vladimir Putin: The rebuilding of 'Soviet' Russia
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I keep hearing he wants to reconstitute the Soviet Union. That is patently false. Note there is nothing in the BBC article that ties anything he has said or done to that conclusion either. These are claims from Putin dissidents and foreign Intel sources that, frankly, have a **** track record.
The only factual thing referenced is the comment Putin made regarding the "disintegration of the Soviet Union was a "geopolitical catastrophe"". He did actually say those words in a speech. He said that tens of millions of Russian citizens and fellow countrymen found themselves outside Russian territory. This led to a sense of loss and displacement among the affected population.
He also argued in the same speech that the collapse had a destabilizing effect on Russia itself, as it faced internal challenges such as separatist movements and economic turmoil. He also expressed concerns about the loss of international influence and the need to rebuild Russia's position in the world.
All these references are to RUSSIA and RUSSIANS; not the Soviet Union.
Putin has explicitly rejected the premise of reforming or reuniting the Soviet Union. In a 2011 interview with the Russian state-run news channel RT, Putin stated that he had no desire to restore the Soviet Union, saying, "Whoever misses the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants to restore it has no brain."
I have used two AI tools now; and I and they can find no references to any discussions where Putin has ever expressed a desire to re-constitute the Soviet Union.
Wanting a strong "historical" Russia; is not the same as restoring the Soviet Union.
You can argue the merits of that; but this constant "he wants to recreate the USSR" so we can launder more money thru the Ukraine just gets old and doesn't hold water.
The two greatest parting remarks by any two Presidents were GW's farewell and Ike's farewell. They should be required reading for everyone. You should have to be able to recite both before you can get a job in government like we all used to do with the Gettysburg Address, Declaration of Independence, Preamble to the Constitution, etc.