Russia and Ukraine

[Jehanne]

I suspect that it was mainly a land grab, and is absolutely shameful, in the same category as Manifest Destiny.

So, NOT because Ukraine wanted to join NATO, then?

Boru

That was probably a secondary reason, but, I think that the principle reason was land. Again, if Ukraine (in whole or in part) joins NATO, Putin could simply line the border with thermonuclear weapons and blow them to bits if war ever broke out.