NimdaQA

Your article basically stated that western countries are not willing to protect Ukraine. So what is the point of Ukraine trying to join NATO? That is the entire reason why this war started alongside Ukraine's violations of Minsk II. So Ukraine could have simply prevented all of this nonsense by simply trying to not join NATO which they won't join anyways.

Also love how you bring up a biased source.

1. The Budapest Memorandum only applied to the legitimate government of Ukraine. Russia does not consider the government of Ukraine post-Maidan to be legitimate for obvious reasons. Maidan was a violent coup against the democratically elected government with the post-Maidan government launching massacres against anti-Maidan protestors in Eastern Ukraine. It was also first violated by the United States who sanctioned Belarus which was explicity prohibited under the Memorandum.

2. Minsk I was violated by both sides. Even Ukraine admits this. This is why Minsk II was created because no one followed Minsk I.

3. Minsk II was violated by Ukraine not Russia. The agreement explicity stated that elections come first and then withdrawal. Ukraine wanted Russia to withdraw first before allowing elections in the DPR and LPR which is against the agreement.

4. The rest of those agreements are mainly between the US and Russia. Both of them violate it. US continued to develop nuclear weapons despite of the New START Treaty which is one of the reasons why Russia withdrew from it. The US illegitimately removed the accountability under the Treaty about a hundred strategic offensive arms. Both sides violated the Open Skies treaties. Treaties between Russia and the US are irrelvant when talking about Russian treaties with Ukraine.

And what would Ukraine have to give Putin in return? The thing is Putin started the war! Putin started the war because Ukraine was daring to enter NATO which you could literally only hate if you actually wanted to fuck with some country!

Putin's reasons for starting the invasion was multifold. Ukraine was to cease NATO membership plans; downsize its military forces; forbid foreign countries from hosting military bases; and pay reparations. In return, Ukraine would be allowed to keep all of its territory, Crimea would be negotiable after 10-15 years, they would be allowed to join the EU, AND Russia would allow several NATO members to guarantee Ukraine's soveriengty. This means that Ukraine would get the main benefit of joining NATO (protection) without the ability to act as a base for NATO soldiers and weapons that can be used for offensive purposes against Russia.

NATO looked like the next coming of the Axis powers to Russia and can you blame them? It practically surrounded them. Perhaps you would be more understanding if you would think about what if Mexico, Cuba, and Canada was part of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War? You can say that this is Russian propaganda and you can be right but you forget that Russia and its people unironically believe in their own propaganda that NATO is out to get them.

TLDR: Russia would have allowed Ukraine to invoke Article 5 if invaded but not base NATO weapons and soldiers during peacetime that can be used for offensive purposes.

Their “terms” aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. They’ve never honored any agreement they’ve made with Ukraine, and as long as Putin is in power they never will.

Except, there are multiple problems with your logic.

Had Zelenskyy accepted Putin's offer in 2022, future Russian aggression would encounter a problem, the peace treaty would have the US and the UK, as guarantors, who were obliged to assist Ukraine in case of aggression against it. While the Russian Federation attempted to add on another condition where all guarantor states including Russia itself would have to agree to intervene in Ukraine possibily giving Russia the ability to veto other countries from aiding Ukraine in the event Russia broke the agreement, they were likely willing to drop that condition. Throughout the negotiations, Russia was actually dropping many of their previous demands and compromised with Ukraine on multiple occasions (unlike Zelenskyy who didn’t even invite Putin to his peace summits, kinda like the Russia-US peace summits rn).

And that previous agreements were also broken by both sides:

Budapest Memorandum was made null and void in 2013 when the US sanctioned Belarus which was explicitly prohibited in the agreement.

Minsk II was made null and void after Ukraine not only refused to implement them but created laws that violated the agreement and this is more or less the main reason 2022 invasion happened.

Minsk I "agreement quickly broke down, with violations by both sides."

Nope, Ukraine would have kept all of its land had they accepted Putin's offer in 2022. Even the status of Crimea was to be negotiable after 10-15 years.

Putin's peace treaty would have the US and the UK, as guarantors, who were obliged to assist Ukraine in case of aggression against it.

Try again.

I mean, as if anyone or their mother would realistically accept Zelenskyy's 10 point peace nonsense.

Putin meanwhile gave out very lenient peace terms in 2022, probably the most lenient peace terms of all time in fact, so lenient, Ukraine would have kept all of its territory with even the status of Crimea being negotiable after 10-15 years and future Russian aggression would encounter a problem, the peace treaty would have the US and the UK, as guarantors, who were obliged to assist Ukraine in case of aggression against it. While the Russian Federation attempted to add on another condition where all guarantor states including Russia itself would have to agree to intervene in Ukraine possibily giving Russia the ability to veto other countries from aiding Ukraine in the event Russia broke the agreement, they were likely willing to drop that condition. Throughout the negotiations, Russia was actually dropping many of their previous demands and compromised with Ukraine on multiple occasions (unlike Zelenskyy who didn't even invite Putin to his peace summits, kinda like the Russia-US peace summits rn).

If they didn't want to fight, why not accept this lenient peace offer?

Now what was the outcome of Zelenskyy continuing the war? Right, Putin now says that Ukraine will lose land.

It’s infuriating how stupid he is.

How so? Trump is stupid yes but in regards to this? Zelenskyy is too far into "to the last Ukrainian" camp.

Atleast Putin attempted to force realistic (and rather lenient) terms on Ukraine way back in 2022, meanwhile Zelenskyy has given out his ten point peace nonsense for years.

What land issues? The Kurils which they rightfully won in 1945? They already control them all, it is Japan that has issues with it.