http://buchanan.org/blog/pjb-who-lost-russia-255
Trump's not wrong about our nation making many mistakes in our relationship with Russia. This article was written in 2007 and appears prophetic.
Having said this, I certainly pray that Trump actually knows he's not wrong. I'm still digesting today's events.
Those nations wanted to join NATO themselves though. They're sovereign nations, not Russian puppets. They looked at what the West could offer them and at what Russia could offer them and they chose for the West. Many of these nations are among the most pro-American nations in the world. Western Europe has some annoying anti-American tendencies at times, but most of Eastern Europe will always back America.
Sure, most European countries (the Netherlands included) neglect their army but there also are European countries who do spend a lot on their army (Eastern Europe, UK, France). Meanwhile Russia is a crumbling and aging country with delusions of grandeur. Seriously, the Italian economy is bigger than the Russian economy and Russia actually has only 150 million citizens. The Russians know they only can have influence if they manage to divide the West (against American interests) so that's exactly what they are doing. An united West relegates Russia to a regional power with serious economic problems, so obviously they want to play the US and the EU apart.
Meanwhile the EU has its problems, but none of them are really existential. The EU is closer to the US culturally, the EU is richer than Russia, the EU is bigger than Rusia, etc. Like it or not, the EU has so much more to offer to the US than Russia. Especially if we start taking the NATO pledge seriously (one of Trump's rare redeeming qualities is that he gets us to finally spend money on our armies, I'll admit it). There literally is no reason to start appeasing Russia. And there isn't really a reason to be afraid of them either, they're not that relevant if we don't make them relevant. China is much more of a threat.
