for someone supposedly with "common sense " you get a lot wrong
"If NATO want to 'formalise' their relationship with Ukraine which was patently obvious before this shot show started"
quite untrue .....was impossible under NATO rules because of sonfict on their territory , and France and Germany were firmly aginst bending those rules because they didn't wish to provoke russia ....remember requires unanimous approval ....Turkey Hungary and others were also opposed this is simply a pro russ excuse with no validity at all !
the options russia could've had were to negotiate with Ukraine rather than initially send insurgents in 2014 , take Crimea and follow it all up with invasion
you'll note there was no mention of Kherson and Kharkiv until after the invasion ....it's plainly obvious they were strategic acquisitions to link Crimea , nothing to do with security ....all to do with expansion .....russia were attacking Odesa .....the next link in the chain ws Transnistria .
stop parroting propaganda and have a look at the actual facts !
