This is just another conspiracy theory. In 2014, a pro-Russian president of Ukraine backed down from a very favourable trade deal with the EU at the last minute due to Russian pressure, people came to streets to protest, he ordered snipers to shoot unarmed protestors, after which the unrest only grew, he fled the country in panic and Russia used the unrest as a cover to invade Ukraine.
[0] https://archive.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politic...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Ukrainian_parliamentary_e...
This false conspiracy theory is discussed at length here
https://www.thebulwark.com/what-really-happened-in-ukraine-i...
So, according to your logic, a British invasion and occupation of USA would not be justified, but a British invasion and occupation of The Republic of Ireland would be?
> 2014 when the US formented a revolution there.
Propaganda nonsense. https://www.thebulwark.com/what-really-happened-in-ukraine-i...
He was a solid republican, but he was all too happy to ditch everything he said he believed in to embrace the cultural issues of the left. The only thing he kept the same was his hawkish views on foreign policy. That shows a lot about him right there. He is an untrustworthy source for anything.
I'm not a fan of their political project, my point is that even they don't buy this "coup" nonsense.
I do not think either that he "ditched everything he said he believed in" when their political party changed and they did not, that's rather a specific framing from an extremist faction of that party.
No doubt you prefer noted thinker, Dan Crenshaw.
It could be that. Or maybe, they don't believe it because the facts don't support it, and they believe in truth as a thing that is worthwhile regardless of if it personally benefits them or not.
You have a very transactional view of truth. And frankly that says more about you than anything else.
Now, I will assume you are just a misguided westerner who watches too much Fox news and indulge you:
> Ukraine is right on the russia's border.
So? How about US invading Mexico, occupying and annexing its lands, killing bunch of civilians while simultaneously demanding Mexico to "respect" US "sphere of influence", speak English, stop "threatening" it by committing to neutrality, etc.
> Their economies and cultures are intertwined.
Let them rape and indiscriminately kill bunch of civilians in some Bucha or other towns because of similar languages and economical ties? How does that make any sense to you? Also, claiming that Ukraine doesn't have its own historical roots and cultural identity is one of the Russian propaganda talking points.
> And their have been hostilities between the two
"Hostilities"? Excuse me? Russia occupied and annexed parts of Ukraine repeatedly but you dubbing it "hostilities" make it sound like some kind of a border skirmish where both parties are culpable which couldn't be further from the truth.
> since 2014 when the US formented a revolution there
Another Russian propaganda talking point. People were fed up with Yanukovich and decided to remove him from power. Support from US was inconsequential.
> I am not shilling for Russia
Yes you are! Openly and brazenly.
> peace agreement requires all parties to put everything on the table and deal openly
Well, yes, Russia would love Ukraine to put its lands "on the table", commit to neutrality, make Russian language the second national language and a lot more. And what exactly are the offering in return? To maybe stop attacking Ukraine for some time? Am I missing something?
> This could have happened.
It still can. Ukraine has been offering to solve the conflict through diplomacy as soon as Russia withdraw its forces. It is not like Ukraine is going to push into Russian territory to occupy Moscow and kill Putin. You understand that, do you?
Look, if you just prefer US to stop spending money on Ukraine you could just say so. Yes, this will lead to bunch of Ukrainians killed, raped or tortured in concentration (excuse me, "filtration"!) camps and you will feel somewhat bad for saying that, but at least it would be truthful. No need to play Tucker Carlson here with "border skirmishes" and "hostilities".
> How about US invading Mexico, occupying and annexing its lands
Hmm I think they already did that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War
TLDR: Map of Mexico in 1824 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mexico_1824_(equirectangu...
I know. It seems US and Mexico have been having hostilities and border disputes for some time now, so annexing some more of Mexico's lands would seem like reasonable and expected course of action.