This is John Batchler, a conversation with Sergei Ploki, the author of the new book,

Russell Ukrainian War.

Sergei is from Zapparizia in Zapparizia, Oblast.

The combat zone right now, he's now the Ukrainian Professor of History at Harvard University.

And his book explores how we got here.

What is apparent is that 2008 was the opportunity for the United States and NATO

to offer security to Ukraine and Georgia that would have prevented the adventurism of the last two decades.

Immediately after the failed book arrest summit in which France and Germany were told rejected the idea of offering NATO membership to Ukraine and Georgia,

Russia attacked Georgia and pulled it apart.

All these years later Russia attacked Putin, Putin attacked Ukraine in 2014 and pulled it apart.

It was the book arrest summit.

George W. Bush wanted it then both to be NATO.

France and Germany said no, and therein lies the tale.

Here's Sergei Ploki explaining.

What happened was split within their alliance.

The United States at that time, led by President George W. Bush, was in favor of inviting Ukraine and Georgia,

joining the alliance.

And part of the Western allies, in particular, in particular Germany, opposed to this idea.

So what happened as the result of the summit was the worst outcome possible for Ukraine and Georgia.

They invited to summit Mr. Putin traveled to summit as well, trying to lobby the European members of alliance to say no to Ukraine and Georgia.

And alliance never reached an agreement.

So there was a promise given to Ukraine and Georgia that one day they would become the member of alliance.

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