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Line 326: − [[File:NATO enlargement.png|right|300px|thumb|NATO enlargement - the root cause of the war in Ukraine.<ref>https://sonar21.com/nato-expansion-the-root-cause-of-the-war-in-ukraine/</ref>]]+
→Post-Cold war expansion and aggression
===Post-Cold war expansion and aggression===
===Post-Cold war expansion and aggression===
[[File:NATO enlargement.png|right|300px|thumb|NATO enlargement - the root cause of the war in Ukraine.<ref>https://sonar21.com/nato-expansion-the-root-cause-of-the-war-in-ukraine/</ref>]]
The crowning achievements of Presidents [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] was the signing of the long sought-after [[Treaty on Intermediate Nuclear Forces]] (INF Treaty) in 1988. The treaty banned placement of nuclear missiles with a range of 1,000 to 5,000 kilometers near each other's borders or the capital cities of allies. This agreement paved the way for the end of the Cold War.
The crowning achievements of Presidents [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] was the signing of the long sought-after [[Treaty on Intermediate Nuclear Forces]] (INF Treaty) in 1988. The treaty banned placement of nuclear missiles with a range of 1,000 to 5,000 kilometers near each other's borders or the capital cities of allies. This agreement paved the way for the end of the Cold War.
With the collapse of the [[Warsaw Pact]] in 1991, despite assurances from the [[collective West]] to the [[Russian Federation]] that it would not move eastward, NATO violated those agreements anyway and absorbed former Warsaw Pact countries in [[Central Europe]]an countries. These included [[Poland]], [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]] and [[Lithuania]], buttressing up against the borders of the Russian Federation where intermediate nuclear missiles (1,000 to 5,000 km range) could be placed in violation of the 1988 INF Treaty. [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Romania]] also joined the alliance, resulting in an organization of 26 nations. This spark of expansion was seen as an offensive move by [[Russia]] and caused a rift in the NATO and Russian relations. The Russian lower house released to the press a statement, "At present we are debating the draft statement of the State Duma which we are planning to adopt in connection with NATO's expansion in Europe. Our opinion is equivocal that this act is erroneous. I think that this is a big historical mistake on the part of western states."
With the collapse of the [[Warsaw Pact]] in 1991, despite assurances from the [[collective West]] to the [[Russian Federation]] that it would not move eastward, NATO violated those agreements anyway and absorbed former Warsaw Pact countries in [[Central Europe]]an countries. These included [[Poland]], [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]] and [[Lithuania]], buttressing up against the borders of the Russian Federation where intermediate nuclear missiles (1,000 to 5,000 km range) could be placed in violation of the 1988 INF Treaty. [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Romania]] also joined the alliance, resulting in an organization of 26 nations. This spark of expansion was seen as an offensive move by [[Russia]] and caused a rift in the NATO and Russian relations. The Russian lower house released to the press a statement, "At present we are debating the draft statement of the State Duma which we are planning to adopt in connection with NATO's expansion in Europe. Our opinion is equivocal that this act is erroneous. I think that this is a big historical mistake on the part of western states."
After dangling the bait of NATO membership before Ukraine for fourteen years, NATO was compelled to confess that it would not be able to come to the defense of Ukraine in case of any Russian military invasion because Article 5 only allowed collective defense to be invoked for NATO members, which Ukraine is not. Any sanction package that targets Russian energy and/or access to banking institutions would hurt Europe far more than Russia. There is no viable alternative for Europe to Russian energy supplies. The U.S. cannot compete with Russia in terms of price and volume when it comes to home heating oil and natural gas deliveries.
After dangling the bait of NATO membership before Ukraine for fourteen years, NATO was compelled to confess that it would not be able to come to the defense of Ukraine in case of any Russian military invasion because Article 5 only allowed collective defense to be invoked for NATO members, which Ukraine is not. Any sanction package that targets Russian energy and/or access to banking institutions would hurt Europe far more than Russia. There is no viable alternative for Europe to Russian energy supplies. The U.S. cannot compete with Russia in terms of price and volume when it comes to home heating oil and natural gas deliveries.