To prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. Prospective NATO members can’t have ongoing border disputes.
And hey, if you can’t join NATO, might as well become a vassal to Moscow. You know — that’s a beautiful country you have there and it’d be a shame if something happened to it.
Also, shores up their claim to Crimea. And steals a lot of ocean-front property from Ukraine, along with all the Black Sea oil and gas rights that come with it. And Russia loves warm water ports, especially on the Black Sea.
To prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. Prospective NATO members can’t have ongoing border disputes.
And hey, if you can’t join NATO, might as well become a vassal to Moscow. You know — that’s a beautiful country you have there and it’d be a shame if something happened to it.
Also, shores up their claim to Crimea. And steals a lot of ocean-front property from Ukraine, along with all the Black Sea oil and gas rights that come with it. And Russia loves warm water ports, especially on the Black Sea.