After 9/11 Russia offered up its bases in Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to help us to defeat the Taliban...as well as military aid they offered for free. And given they were aiding the Northern Alliance the whole time, they helped our intelligence agencies to get in contact with them and set up strategic relations.
And we took them up on the offer. All was swell until....George W. Bush went on a NATO European spree. Brow beating the other allies into accepting in nations they didn't want to defend (a Bolton construct)...even strong arming a nation or two into joining NATO when the populace didn't want it. Then we went in for the jugular, trying to get former Soviet Republics...and reality former Russian Empire conquered territories, to join NATO. Reality, NATO is a weaker alliance as a result.
Encouraging Georgia to retake disputed lands, and it was so obvious, Russia conducted military exercises next door...and we still gave them the green light. It was the EU that dissuaded Putin from just out right retaking the former republic. Sack-of-shit-villi eventually turned tail and ran to a University position in Virginia (classic CIA cover) when his corruption was exposed.
But wait! There's more! A failed color Revolution in Ukraine didn't yield the results we wanted, after the coalition we backed started fighting amongst themselves. And of course a Kremlin backed strong man took control. So another Bolton inspired operation was initiated, but not in time for the conclusion of Bush's Presidency. But there is an unwritten rule for a new President, don't mess with in progress operations (Bay of Pigs).
So with Bush...in reality, Bolton, created the over throw, in a questionable way, of Ukraine's leader. And Bam!, Russia retakes Crimea with no fight at all. The EU and USA was ready to accept this, with some token sanctions that would expire in due time. But for whatever reason that I'm not privy to, it was reneged. And so, shit goes down in east Ukraine.
So with these grievances and a number more I'm too tired to mention...and the fact we turned our attention away from the Taliban during our misguided fight with Iraq...and the clincher, with Obama, he at least committed to taking down the Taliban and Al Qaeda, which kept Putin patient...but we elected a dumb ass called Trump and despite Russia is winning diplomatic issues hand over fist... a few things still remain.
They are still sanctioned.
We gave up on eliminating the Taliban...and despite most of DU thinking Trump is in Putin's pocket, he isn't...he just has a lot to fear from them...and releasing their info on Trump doesn't exactly help them and could backfire severely. Trump's demand to remove our troops there emboldens the Taliban.
Nor were they given much acknowledgement for their help in Afghanistan...and were given bad press when they helped with the CIA black sites.
Trump should have reached out and addressed these grievances and worked something out like a true leader. If they were uncompromising, then become uncompromising on our side with sanctions, diplomacy, etc. But I have a gut feeling, Bolton has his finger prints on this....and told him not to compromise ever with a foreign nation. Granted he was already out the door, you have to think he had already set the policy in Trump's mind.
We took a possible good collaboration with Russia and flushed it down the toilet because some idiots in Bush's Presidency thought Putin should be kissing our feet. Just like Iraq, if we paid their army, they would have kept law and order...when we told them to get bent, they became insurgents.
We are in a Cold War because a lot of idiots never accepted the Cold War ended. So they created a new one.
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