> But, you are ignoring the fact that Crimea did not decide to secede but that Russian soldiers I’m not so desperate to pick a side here. It’s absolutely right

> But, you are ignoring the fact that Crimea did not decide to secede but that Russian soldiers I’m not so desperate to pick a side here. It’s absolutely right that Crimean secession wouldn’t be possible without Russian military intervention. And yes, it’s illegal from Ukraine’s point of view. At the same time, it’s legal from Russian point of view. Who’s in the right? Now, NATO member states have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to explain why it’s all right for Kosovo or Taiwan, but not for Crimea. You have to agree that Taiwanese de-facto independence wouldn’t be possible without the US involvement. So my point is, there has to be consistency.