Freddie I think you need to be very very careful about what you write. Your intro to the Farage piece on the Ukraine war said 'Nigel Farage cited my conversation with the former Nato chief George Robertson when he told the BBC that the West “provoked” Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – Robertson said EU expansion was a reason for the war. Read my interview with Robertson here.' Robertson didn't actually say that it was a reason. It may be infered as could lots of other things but he didn't actually say that either. I'd suggest you change your intro. Thank you
//… Robertson dismissed the idea. “I met Putin nine times during my time at Nato. He never mentioned Nato enlargement once.” What Robertson said next was interesting: “He’s not bothered about Nato, or Nato enlargement. He’s bothered by the European Union. The whole Ukraine crisis started with the offer of an [EU] accession agreement to Ukraine [in 2014].”
Putin fears countries on Russia’s border being “fundamentally and permanently” changed by EU accession. “Every aspect [of society is affected] – they woke up very late to it… I don’t think they ever fully understood the EU,” Robertson said, adding the caveat that the EU was not at fault because accession was what Ukraine, as a sovereign nation, wanted.
Freddie I think you need to be very very careful about what you write. Your intro to the Farage piece on the Ukraine war said 'Nigel Farage cited my conversation with the former Nato chief George Robertson when he told the BBC that the West “provoked” Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – Robertson said EU expansion was a reason for the war. Read my interview with Robertson here.' Robertson didn't actually say that it was a reason. It may be infered as could lots of other things but he didn't actually say that either. I'd suggest you change your intro. Thank you
//… Robertson dismissed the idea. “I met Putin nine times during my time at Nato. He never mentioned Nato enlargement once.” What Robertson said next was interesting: “He’s not bothered about Nato, or Nato enlargement. He’s bothered by the European Union. The whole Ukraine crisis started with the offer of an [EU] accession agreement to Ukraine [in 2014].”
Putin fears countries on Russia’s border being “fundamentally and permanently” changed by EU accession. “Every aspect [of society is affected] – they woke up very late to it… I don’t think they ever fully understood the EU,” Robertson said, adding the caveat that the EU was not at fault because accession was what Ukraine, as a sovereign nation, wanted.
…//