Irrespective of the past atrocities etc the current situation is what should be the focus!! Memories are long and hard to forget, I don’t think Putin is the fool or idiot some people here think he is and although I don’t like the man he is the leader we are dealing with. This is a political crisis in my view and he is doing what he has said for a long time. Why did NATO not reject any thought of having Ukraine join them on the basis of past agreements back in the time after the Berlin Wall came down? Would Russia trust broken agreements ? This is at the centre of the current crisis. Russia would want no direct border with NATO and do whatever it takes to stop it. Same as USA in Cuban Missile issues back in the 60s. Economic sanctions are secondary to the political situation and won’t work for years and only cause problems for Western Europe. Putin will crush Ukraine, set up Russian friendly state and stop the west from having a direct border with Russia. The balance of power will then return to Western Europe as has been the case since the reunification of Germany. All would have been better if NATO and Russia agreed to make Ukraine a neutral country instead of moving to the west and upsetting the balance of power. Russia has not been a democracy for over 1000 years and has been ruled by iron fisted tsars, communists or whatever they are called so why should Putin think differently in regards to his views on what is best for Russia?
