I’m pretty sure that Russia hears stuff like this and thinks, “We will not negotiate but instead we will definitely push the war to it’s natural conclusion and absorb Ukraine back into the Greater Russian Empire.”
They don’t want NATO on their doorstep.
“They don’t want NATO on their doorstep.”
US forces are right now in Finland less than 100 miles from St. Petersburg.
Absent this stupid war to make the USSR Soviet Again Finland would still be neutral. Instead Putin issued threats at both Finland and Sweden and even had nuclear armed Russian aircraft violate sovereign Swedish airspace.
Now both countries are done with being neutral.
Oh, and US troops are less than 100 miles from St. Petersburg.
On Russia’s doorstep.
Yet Russia has done nothing about Finland joining NATO so this ongoing war in Ukraine has nothing to do with Ukraine joining NATO. It’s all about Russia conquering Ukraine.
Which is exactly what Igor Markov is saying on Russia 1 state television:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSQvap630T0
Minus the dumb Ukrainian cannon fodder, both male and female, of course.
They don’t want NATO on their doorstep.
They may not want NATO on their doorstep, but that is exactly what their invasion of Ukraine has brought them. Finland, a formerly neutral country, has joined NATO. Who knows what other countries will follow? And can you blame them? Ukraine is serving as a horrible warning to other countries on Russia's border who aren't part of NATO.
It's always interesting to see people (and nations) meet their destiny on the road to avoid it.