Putin Demands NATO Give Up Expansion, the West Considers Sanctions to Prevent Ukraine Invasion

Putin issued NATO an ultimatum telling it to stop inviting Eastern European nations. Experts warn Putin has the West over a barrel regarding Ukraine.

With rising tensions over Russia’s military buildup at the Russian-Ukrainian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said Russia is only responding to Western encroachment.

The comments were made days after Russia submitted a “security treaty” to NATO effectively demanding they stop the expansion of NATO into former Soviet nations.
The big question is whether Russia will invade Ukraine, as predicted by Western intelligence agencies, though local dispatches from Eastern Ukraine suggest Russian influence will never wane.
If Russia makes good on its apparent threat to invade Ukraine, it is likely the European Union will shift its stance on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline which will soon supply natural gas from Russia to Europe.
Additionally, American officials are considering economic sanctions preventing American exports to Russia if military action is taken against Ukraine.
In the meantime, the United States is still sending military equipment and supplies to Ukraine.

CNN Opinion contributor and author Michael Bociurkiw wrote Putin’s bellicosity is being met with impotence as the EU tries “to nudge him toward the bargaining table.”
In The Washington Post, Former American Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul warned the current American government not to go over Europe’s head when dealing with Russia, saying Russia is trying to replicate the post-World War II dynamic of spheres of influence on the European continent.
The Daily Beast reported on the apparent failure of the propaganda campaign waged by Putin allies inside Russia to increase support for an invasion of Ukraine.

Many outlets on the right have not provided much follow-up to the reports earlier this month warning of the imminent invasion of Ukraine.
The Daily Caller reported on Russia “suddenly” slowing the flow of natural gas to European buyers, noting American legislators warned the Biden administration of this type of economic warfare.
The Wall Street Journal noted the complicated politics surrounding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which the Biden administration effectively approved by refusing to implement sanctions earlier this year, including Washington’s push to have Germany effectively kill the pipeline (which has already been built) if Russia invades Ukraine.
Newsmax ran an Associated Press wire story on Putin’s demands that NATO give up its efforts to include Eastern Europe in the security compact.

Return to Freespoke