General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

I think that Russia is sabre rattling, because if they had wanted to invade Ukraine, they would have done it by now, so what does Russia want ?

It wants NATO to not allow Ukraine to join NATO, that is a red line for Russia.

It wants to sell its gas and oil, without interference, without sanctions, without quotas, tariffs, and Germany being told by America not to accept gas from Russia, along a new gas pipeline, which has been completed, but Germany won't switch it on.

Russia has become wealthy by selling gas and oil to Western Europe, and countries like Ukraine, and they have used that wealth modernise their armed forces, to which they are using those modernised weapons to intimidate the West and NATO, playing to the domestic Russian audience, the older ones who remember the power which the old Soviet Yoonion had, but Russia enjoys being wealthy, but they 'need' the West to buy their oil and gas from them.

Ukraine supplies Russia with food, Russia supplies Ukraine with gas, and Russia is content with that, but Ukraine is looking to the West, they want to join the EU and NATO, Russia thinks that if that happens, like minded people in Russia will want the same for Russia, and that will cause domestic problems in Russia, and there already have been riots by groups wanting more freedoms and democracy, like there is in the West.

So basically Putin thinks that if Ukraine joins the EU and NATO, then it will only be a matter of time, before Russia does the same, and Putin and his allies do not want to lose the present power they wield in Russia.