Is Nigel Farage right about Putin's invasion? Sergey Radchenko vs Glenn Diesen | SpectatorTV

US ambassador to Russia, William Burns in a memo in 2008:  "Ukraine and Georgia’s NATO aspirations not only touch a raw nerve in Russia, they engender serious concerns about the consequences for stability in the region. Not only does Russia perceive encirclement, and efforts to undermine Russia’s influence in the region, but it also fears unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences which would seriously affect Russian security interests. Experts tell us that Russia is particularly worried that the strong divisions in Ukraine over NATO membership, with much of the ethnic-Russian community against membership, could lead to a major split, involving violence or at worst, civil war. In that eventuality, Russia would have to decide whether to intervene; a decision Russia does not want to have to face."

After the collapse of the USSR the purpose of NATO was made irrelevant. And yet NATO went on an Eastern expansion mode - bizarre❗️Asking for a retaliation no doubt.

Why Mr Radchenko is not talking about 14000 who were killed by Ukrainian military forces between 2014 and 2021? Why he is not talking about Minsk 2 which was sabotaged by Kiev regime?

How is this even a question? Anyone with any knowledge of the situation has been saying this for years. Ukraine has just been the conclusion to moves that go back well over a decade.

Well done Glen Diesen

Boris Johnson must be held accountable

Glen has arguments, the other guys has babble and bluster.

Sergei Radchenko's style and 'substance' would have been an excellent fit for the US Presidential debate.

Radchenko is way out of his depth. Spouting Zelensky's lies from the comfort of a western place , hiding from mobilisation, disgraceful

Rather than wasting money on Ukraine, the UK should spend money on Britain to improve roads, health service other infrastructure.

Farage simply said that it was a provocation. That doesn’t mean he’s justifying Putin’s actions and in fact he has condemned them. Grow up and report the FACTS!

From 1991 to 2014 Ukraine and Russia were able to live peacefully. What changed is Washington inserted itself between them, despite knowing it would infuriate Moscow and potentially provoke military conflict. Moscow is of course responsible for its own actions. But this war wouldn't be happening if Washington had been content to maintain a careful distance. They were warned repeatedly from within and without what would happen if they tried to get between Ukraine and Russia, but they went ahead and did it anyway. The country that is paying the highest price for this decision is Ukraine, and that is unlikely to change.

Is Radchenko talking or is his mouth just moving I don’t see a point he made in his second response? Meirsheimer and many other highly qualified intellectuals make the same argument as Diesen.

Ok personally think Farage has made a valid point . Should people actually read what he said.

It's not about Putin for one thing. And it's the US/NATO/EU who engages in imperialism.

Imagine Scotland with Russian bases, airfields, nuclear capable missiles, bio-labs, FSB spy stations, Scapa Flow a Russian naval anchorage and then you know why Russia needs Ukraine neutral and out of NATO.

I’m stunned we are debating whether potentially having Ukraine join NATO was a provocation to Russian or not.

Yes. The BBC interviewed British security staff during the coup of 2014 in Ukraine. It was broadcast mid morning on Radio 4. Then buried. We are not exactly the good guys.

How utterly unprofessional to open up without specifying what the comments of Mr Farage were or showing us what they were. Call yourselves journalists?

Pretty rich that the Spectator is hosting this 'debate' without outlining what Farage actually said Particularly when its rather glib Editor dismissed Farage's observation out of hand as abhorrent. I couldn't see what was abhorrent it then and nothing here is shedding any light on that.