It doesn't have to be even Sarmat; it could be Poseidon - options are plentiful. I doubt anyone would have the balls to respond to a nuclear attack. The issue is who's crazier to do the first one, and if one truly believes Russia and Putin are crazy evil, then one should act respectively! So far, I don't see intelligent behavior from the West - I see arrogance, which always has a high cost!
You expect everyone to bend over because Putin/Russia decided to go down the "I'm a mad man, give me what I want or I'll nuke you" route... that's just not how the world works. I hope you don't use this tactic yourself, because you'll end up with a broken nose (or worse) if you do it to the wrong guy.
There is certainly arrogance from the west, but what do you call what Russia is doing? They literally make threats to nuclear powers as if they're untouchable. The fact you don't see this should tell you that you're biased here.
Sarmat and Posidon are "doomsday" weapons. Use them against a small country like the UK or France and they have little to lose. Use them against the US and you're likely to be wiped out. As you've said, options are plentiful, so we should all be very careful and do our best to avoid war (all = includes Russia).
No, Putin is not a madman - he was cornered. These are the facts! The West is slowly but surely bringing us at least WWIII, if not extinction! The West is always greedy and salivates over Russia's colossal territory and resources! And always gets hurt! This time, it could hurt the entire civilization, though!
Is this the "she made me do it" excuse wife beaters use, but for international relations?
Three facts (not opinions) for you:
- The revolution in Ukraine, which often is blamed by Russians and tankies on the "west", happened after the then president Yanukovych decided to abandon the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement and join Russia's Eurasian Economic Union instead when most of Ukraine was getting more pro-European Union.
- Russia started a war with Ukraine in 2014 when they invaded Crimea, breaking international law and the the Budapest Memorandum they signed. Everything - from Azovs to war crimes - came after. Russia then decided to expand that war in 2022, after being warned privately and publicly that the west would help Ukraine if they did so.
- Ukraine has been trying to join NATO since the early 2000's. NATO's open door policy is there from the start and will continue to be, but Ukraine didn't join back then and [opinion ahead, based on real numbers] wouldn't be accepted in 2014 either because they were too corrupt, bloated and incompetent.
Putin invaded, not because he was cornered, but because he saw an opportunity and took it. And let's be honest, it worked. A few hundred unmarked soldiers and people with guns (eg: Igor Girkin) transporting politicians around to vote to join Russia... there were some protests, some sanctions, but nothing serious. He tried to do the same again in 2022, but it didn't work.
I don't know why people like you try to come up to excuses when even Putin himself from time to time drops the BS and just says he did it because he could. Want to support Russia? Fine, but cut the bullshit. You like seeing them attacking and stealing land from a neighbour, you just lack the balls to admit it.
My eyes rolled when you mentioned Russia's resources. We have the money to buy their resources. Europe depended on their gas and, to a lesser extent, their oil. It was fine, everyone - including Russia - was getting richer, we had strong economies, we used their gas and they used our planes and technology. No reason at all to start a war. What do we need their land for? Who was calling for an invasion/annexation/controlling of Russian land or a war with Russia (a nuclear power!)? Most countries in Europe don't even want to spend 2% of their GDP now (post invasion)... but they want a conflict with Russia?
Again, you only blame one side for that WW3 that is surely about to happen (lol). Russia, which as you've said is not governed by a madman (or a bunch of amateurs that are easily played), decided to start a war in Europe. Can't you see that they have so much power and that they could stop it all? They could also stop making threats like the ones that mention that Sarmat you talked about, but they don't. And where's the "we'll leave Ukraine if we they don't join NATO" proposal?
Anyway, while it "takes two to tango", you can only blame one side. And that's the problem with your position.
