Putin Names the United States as a Major Threat to Russia

[SATW]

I find it mindboggling that people think geopolitics and foreign policy is so white and black. To take such a Pro-Russia stance is crazy, to me.

[Crumpets]

If they had not joined NATO they likely would have been invaded by now.  Of course you'd spin that too. 

"Putin was backed into corner, they were going to move a statue!  He had no choice but to invade."

Has Putin invaded Belarus? Has he invaded western Ukraine? It was the West that instigated the Ukraine revolution, and Putin took action to protect the Russian people of Crimea. It is the West that is pulling countries together in an anti-Russian coalition, which they were doing even when Russia was "friendly" (Yeltsin era).

No, it was the Ukrainian people who instigated the revolution, and the West who funded things after it got started. It was Russia that reacted in a land-grabbing way. And yes, Russia invaded eastern Ukraine, and they invaded Crimea as well.

And Putin hasn't needed to invade Belarus, because its dictator has been friendly to him.

"Friendly", as in refusing to join the West in an anti-Russian alliance?

Nah Lukashenko and Putin are tight. They had a brief lover's tiff in 2009 or so which culminated in Russia banning milk, but they have basically kissed and made up at this point. Russia needs allies you see - most of its allies are either conspiring to disentangle themselves or are fake made-up states that nobody else recognises.

Well, the reason that Russia hasn't invaded Belarus is a bit more complicated than "they're pro-Russian" or "Putin likes Lukashenka." Remember that Belarus and Russia effectively have one and the same military, and were even once trying to pursue integrating their currencies in 2003 (?), but Lukashenka backed out at the last second because he essentially wanted to be a co-ruler of a unified Russia and Belarus eventually. Yeltsin was more or less willing to humor him in this regard, but Putin wasn't. Putin does not hold Lukashenka in high regard at all, even if they're willing to work together geo-politically, and this is why you hear Lukashenka say things like "Putin and his allies have abandoned true Soviet principals!" (lol) and even coming to the defense of Poroshenko during the Donbass War.

Even if Belarus is more pro-Russian than anywhere else in Eastern Europe, it's government is essentially a Russofied form of Belarusian ultra-nationalist, if that makes sense. Putin won't invade because he has nothing to gain from doing so, not because they love him or he loves them. 

[Simfan34]

Nah Lukashenko and Putin are tight. They had a brief lover's tiff in 2009 or so which culminated in Russia banning milk, but they have basically kissed and made up at this point. Russia needs allies you see - most of its allies are either conspiring to disentangle themselves or are fake made-up states that nobody else recognises.

No. They're not that tight. Lukashenko is engaging in a balancing act these days. He's warmed up to the Belarusian language recently, which is interesting considering that he called it a "rubbish language" or something like that once. He's been talking to the EU. He took a decidedly moderate hero (and fairly reasonable) stance on things in Ukraine.