It's good to be exposed to different views, but that guy takes the point he's trying to make too far. He blames everyone but Russia for the war Russia decided to start in 2014 and expand in 2022.
Russia invaded Ukraine. Not the US, not NATO, not the EU. It was Russia. It was their decision. It's very important to remember who did what.
I didn't believe it for a while and frankly the situation our leaders put us in is gut wrenching. Here's a leaked call of Victoria Nuland, secretary of state, picking the next leader of Ukraine. I also added a link to Kissinger discussing this issue 30 years ago.
These demonstrate that this expansionism is real, Ukraine is not truly sovereign, and Russia was forced into a horrendous position where they have to decide between a humanitarian crisis now, or potentially a much bigger humanitarian crisis down the line if all NATO member states engage in war with Russia, a large Nuclear power.
Many blame NATO/USAID/CIA for creating this situation over many decades, even though they knew it would come to this.
P.S. I should say that I also hate Putin for being a murderous oligarch, so take that however you will. But let's be real, he's been warning against this for decades.
But that's what countries do. They try to support people/sides that are better for them.
I'm not saying this is a nice thing, it's just how the world works. Russia was doing the same in Ukraine by supporting some people/parties and even poisoning politicians. Look at what happens in Belarus, their financial support to far right parties in Europe, etc. Heck, they invaded Ukraine ffs. By your standards, almost no country is sovereign.
NATO states engaging in a war with Russia? As you said, Russia is a nuclear power, no one is going to start a war with them... Do you know what even a single EMP can do to a country? Also, NATO isn't talking about fluid borders, making weekly threats about invading smaller neighboring countries or invading anyone... no one really knew what NATO was for anymore... until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and escalated in 2022.
This started when the president at the time - a Putin friend - decided to cancel a trade agreement with the EU and sign one with Russia instead. I don't know how do you go from protests to the police killing people, but the rest is history. That's when Russia invaded and it went well for them, but it didn't go so well in 2022.
Putin warning for years doesn't remove any responsibility from him or Russia. It also doesn't grant him any power over a country. Russia is responsible for their own actions and while I don't see a problem with pointing out the meddling of other powers, I do think it's wrong to blame everyone but the country that actually started the war.
And the Minsk Protocol was a thing because... wait for it... Russia invaded Ukraine. This is why it's ridiculous to blame everyone but Russia for Russia's own actions (that's what I tried to point out in my reply above).
The same way a country like the US is responsible for their invasion of Iraq, their actions in Vietnam, etc, Russia is responsible for their invasion of Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine, no "buts" or "ifs".
On a side note, I was trying to read that article with an open mind, but there are some red flags that I couldn't ignore. "[...] Russian officials had worked for 8 years on Minsk hammering out terms that would be agreeable to all parties [...]". Russia, as the aggressor - they invaded, occupied, armed, and even fought directly against Ukrainian forces - could never come up with terms that were agreeable to all parties. This and other things should tell you that that's not a very unbiased source.
