i) My ancestors were the one who suffered colonization, I didn't. Secondly, Indian history depends on who is telling it. The one which the world knows is just one part of it. You are asking me to relate to something which neither my parents nor I suffered. Sure, my grandparents did suffered. But they born at a time when they were still small children when India got independence. ii) India don't see Russia as rival to USA or UK. India sees Russia as a reliable partner. However, Russia does offer a backup against USA. Plus, it's Veto in UN and it's military equipment. But the more closer Russia gets closer to China, the more India would get closer to USA. As Russia becomes from reliable to not a reliable partner for India. iii) You are expecting personal empathy from the people of India. We don't have any. Because, we have a per capita income of $2700 dollars with lots of people struggling for daily need. I doubt an average people in India would care what is happening in Ukraine or what is Ukraine. In order to have a personal empathy they have know what is happening in Ukraine as 50% of Indian don't even have access to internet. I doubt they even want to listen to any reason from the Govt. of India for supporting Ukraine when it puts them at a loss.

​@@lostlegend9015 You're right, empathy is out of context if people are lacking basic things. And your arguments are logical, I do understand them. Cannot say I like all of them, but I understand. I'd just highlight 1 thing. You called russia a reliable partner. And I strongly believe they are not. Yes, I'm biased. But be aware, there's many incidents when they turned on their partners and you need to keep it in mind when you have business with them. I won't go far into history, but the most recent one is with Israel. Israel was always building good relations with russia. Especially govt of Netanyahu. Unlike many others, they didn't support military, financial or humanitarian aid for Ukraine, nor the sanctions. Specifically to maintain good relations with russia. And when Hamas attacked, russia ditched Israel, meets Hamas, makes deals with Iran. And now Israelis are furious about russia. I cannot tell you 'don't have business with russia', I just wanna warn you, be very cautious with them.

@@lostlegend9015 and that's why wars in the world will never end. I do not blame India for not supporting Ukraine - but on a human level - if India is friend with terrorist r.SS.a - who have leveled cities, raped/deported children, woman for almost 2 years now...then that will be remembered. Same way India is remembering colonisation, And that's how the cycle of war and "this is not my problem" will go on forever... So sad that we have to live in the world like this...

Too much dirty russian money in the world. Hopefully it won't be worth much for much longer.

Russians are clever in their information war with the rest of the world

Well yes you could say that the divide is more clear than before even if the rest of EU is more united than before 2022.

Excellent question! And perhaps on a related note, how, if any, will NATO membership change Finland's broader relationship to Europe?

Google Finlandisation. Finland has chosen to be a strategically neutral neighbor until this strategy was no longer tenable - the realization that concessions and neutrality can’t sufficiently placate an adversary like Russia and that it was time to take a stand. Thankfully Sanna Marin and the gov was prepared for the massive work that took. NATO is the only line Russia hasn’t crossed.

@@TheHollowGram I know this, of course. Alex has talked about it before, and I've followed Finland for decades. My question was not about that. Alex described that he instantly understood that a Finnish NATO membership was not optional anymore, it was a must, and I was curious as to why this happened in an instant realisation when he learned that Russia had invaded Ukraine, and not in previous instances of Russian imperialism. What clicked in his brain? That's what I'm curious about...

Sudden, unexpected, invasion of Ukraine by Ru provided the trigger to choose alignment with western military, and it's nuclear weapons threat.

I'm not sure you can blame the West for Afghanistan. If I recall correctly it was the West that funded the Taliban in order to free Afghanistan from Russian occupation. Then they fell into chaos and allowed a Saudi backed extremist to use their country as a home base, from which they attacked the United States. Did the US overreact? Yes probably. Did they bite off more than they could chew.? Yes, most definitely. Is nation building a stupid idea? Absolutely! Yemen? Please explain Yemen. If you're talking about weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia, there's certainly ethical lapses there, but I'm not sure I understand how The West *caused* that war. Iraq? Well Ronald Reagan was selling weapons to Sadam Hussein, to fight Iran and protect the oil fields. Then Sadam decided to invade Kuwait. ( More oil) That seemed like a bad idea. So defending Kuwait seems consistent with defending intentionally recognized borders. ( with a side of self interest) now Iraq II well that one's questionable. Why did Bush Jr. Think there were chemical weapons in Iraq? Did he make that up, or did Sadam want the West to think he had them as a deterrent? Didn't the UN sanction that action? Syria? Wasn't Assad killing his own people with Russia's help? Maybe also threatening Turkey? Should the US have not interfered in genocide against the Kurds? Is the West arrogant and perhaps overestimating its ability as a hegemonic power? Most likely. Does it generally have good intentions? That's what we tell ourselves. There is lots to be learned in forming rules based order. But is it better to try or to live by the laws of the Jungle as Xi and Putin would prefer?

That doesn't make sense. @@arisnotheles

This is understandable but the question then remains who would fill in the vacuum? Of course the us isn't a total altruist, and there is us hypocrisy and double standards but despite its egregious errors, the only reason the middle east, eastern europe, and the far east haven't erupted in a worse powder keg is due to the presence of us intelligence and us military might. Otherwise iran wouldn't back proxies but would openly attack jordan, iraq(payback for sadam) the Saudis, cause the destruction of Israel, and fund further terrorism in Europe and the us. China would consume the SEANs, and Russia would consume ukraine at a minimum. Mind you, many of these are nuclear capable nations. Africa and South america aren't in good shape but it is largely kinetic, small arms violence that is contained.

@@nunyabusiness863 the USA should just abandon the Middle East. There is nothing there anymore for us. I would hope for *nobody* to take the place of the USA globally, and that we end globalism and replace it with regionalism, with the USA providing security in the Western Hemisphere only. The rest of the world can just do what it wants.

So that China+ terrorist r.SS.a could take over? Are you serious? How old are you? If you are one of those USA is the only problem in the world...uhh...Please, try to make little bit more sense.

​@@blafonovision4342I suspect a world without American involvement would be a far uglier place. Without Western pressure some hideous regimes would have a freer hand. Abandoning the rest of the world to the cruelty of despots seems wrong to me.

As someone from the US... oil money lobbying and car centric designs. The cost of buidling high speed rails are expensive, and oil money would love to prevent that. Eventually we will get there. It will take time.

So you support quoting Lenin while insulting Alex for having an view in line with the "Anglo American sphere"... are you ruzzian?

I have to strongly disagree with you that Sergey Lavrov is the laughing stock of the world. I read a lot of news from the eastern world and the south, (I am an American that lives in Zambia Africa) Sergei Lavrov is well respected outside of the western world. He is a diplomat that sees things the way they are and not the way the west wants them to be, Lavrov is a down to earth, common sense type of guy, who is respected by common man.

@@jeffmanty6721 His respected because those countries haven't been yet raped by terrorist r,SS.a - but they will - question of time. And also - money , history and wagner are the magic words that will make most of the south believe that bs...

Putin's failure to conquer Ukraine shows he's not all that shrewd or smart. The fallen Ruble indicates Russia isn't prospering under sanctions. Russia can survive, if you call a North Korea style of life acceptable for Russians.

​@@jeffmanty6721Do people really respect such a shameless liar as Lavrov? Doesn't truth still matter ?

Instead of re-investing oil and gas profits into his own country, Putin built up a war chest. He built up a stash of foreign currency and eliminated the Russia's debt load. He offered Europe cheep gas to create an economic dependency. Obviously Germany took this bait hook, line and sinker. The amount of Russian Oligarch's cash in European Banks is estimated at about $200 Billon. Putin has been playing a long game. However I don't think we can blame Putin specifically for everything. Russia's aspirations to empire precede the formation of the USSR. They simply entered a different phase after 1990. Beginning with Chechnya's independence movement, Russia has been trying to keep it's empire together for the last 30 years. Russia's invasion of Ukraine could be seen through the lens of "Reunification." Which is why, China's aspirations to "Reunify" with Taiwan must be stopped in their tracks. (For historical precedent see Tibet circa 1950's, the Korean War, and Vietnamese War, Cambodia, etc. Also more recently, East and South China Sea disputes, and let's not forget, territorial disputes with India.)

Surely the huge fall in the value of the Ruble shows impact? Not catastrophic but definitely significant and likely to hurt more as time passes.

@@grahamcroston it's true that the Russian economy was weakened, but Russia is able to produce it's own food and it's own energy, being self sufficient in these two fundamental resources means that Russia is more independent than interdependent.

@@ericgardiner7715 Perhaps that's part of why economic intertwining of the EU with Russia wasn't an adequate restraint. Sanctions have however had a tangible effect on Russia and will continue to do so until they are lifted.

How much do you get paid to be a bot?

Why terrorist r.SS.a attacked 3 times different free countries around it's borders? Why terrorist r.SS.a took Crimea? And also - NATO did not EXPAND - free countries who had been occupied by terrorist r.SS:A just DID not want to be occupied again. I understand, that you probably have been paid by terrorist r.SS.a to talk that kind of bs...but please - just shut the f up.

Has it ever crossed your mind that countries that joined NATO have their own will and freedom of choice? Look at the countries that joined NATO and look at the history of those countries with Russia. If I was a small country located in a close proximity to Russia I would do the same. And I don't need "americans" to push me to do this.

@@victimized "Own will"??? USA/NATO agitators, , , as happened in Ukraine in 2015

@@seppohannunen7020 Don't tell me what happened in Ukraine, I've been there in the very epicentre myself. Apparently you are so given up on yourself that you can't imagine people and countries having free will. This will not be a productive discussion so I wish you a good day and bye.

@@seppohannunen7020 terrorist r.SS.a's bot - please go away.