Re: BoJo picks a fight with Russia.
Originally Posted by
The Artful Todger
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Crimea has not been annexed by Russia. It IS russian. This whole American driven thing is about preventing Russia from having year long ice free access to global waters.
I'm sorry but to be blunt, that is utter rubbish.
If you're going to attempt historical carp then the Crimea is far more accurately described as being Turkish or even Greek than Russian, and it's officially been Ukranian since the 50's and
not Russian.
FYI Russia already had "
year long ice free access to global waters" via the Crimea in a deal signed in 1997 between Russia & Ukraine which was extended in 2010 in the Karkiv Pact, and despite the Ukranian revolution of 2014 there was no mention of that deal being revoked.
None whatsoever.
The whole annexation then was Russian opportunism pure and simple at a time when Western governments were ripe for having their weaknesses exploited to the full.
Putin might well have obliged but times they are a-changing.
Despite his attempts to retain control, I would say that it's becoming increasingly obvious that Putin is becoming ever-more afraid of an uncertain future in a Russia in which he knows there is a distinct lack of successors with which to preserve the Russia he has administered.