Subject: Re: War, currencies and jurisdictions
US and Europe upset the apple cart by expanding NATO
Correct. Since decades NATO constantly expands eastwards (the German expression for it: "NATO Osterweiterung"). Russia again and again warned that´s unacceptable. 2021, before(!) the invasion of Ukraine, they again warned about "red lines" they can´t allow the West to cross, mentioning specifically the planned admission of Ukraine into NATO (2008 NATO promised to allow Ukraine to join NATO).

It’s deeply concerning that there are people in democratic countries willing to promote the ultra-nationalist Russian narrative that NATO expansion is to blame for Russian aggression—even though countries joined NATO through the democratic decisions of their elected leaders. The fact that more and more conservatives in free societies now believe people in smaller nations don’t deserve free will nor the right to self-determination (or should blame themselves for getting invaded as a consequence of exercising such basic human rights) is a very disturbing development.