Russia and Ukraine

[Anomalocaris]

Maybe not, but I feel like we're playing whackamole with bad faith and counterfactual arguments here - which may actually reflect the thinking of the kremlin, sure...but that could only make the situation even more dire than it otherwise is, imo.

Did ukraine meet the requirements?

Seems to me that there was a need to admit ukraine after all.  They are being invaded by russsia, aren't they?

Nominally no.  But NATO stated in the 2008 Bucharest declaration that the eventual goal is to admit both Ukraine and Georgia and presented a roadmap for them to meet the requirements.

But more importantly the requirement can be changed on a dime.  What the requirements are set at and how Ukraine is evaluated reflects  a contest between the hesitation of classical continental NATO states of France and Germany to needlessly provoke Russia by admitting Ukraine,   And the gung ho eagerness of the US and some of the new nato states that was part of the former eastern block, such as Poland, to permanently neuter Russia by admitting Ukraine.

Yes they are being invaded.   They wouldn’t be if NATO made it clear that would not be admitted for geostrategic considerations.

Now that they are invaded, admitting them would be even more moronic because the NATO is in no position to stop the invasions, so it will just make it seems as if NATO membership offers less than no security.