Art wrote:Alixanther wrote:Using your logic, they could have handed down an ultimatum to US too, to retake Alaska
Russia voluntary conceded rights to Alaska to the United States. So no, it's not my logic.
Also, bear in mind there was no Soviet Union at the moment when Russia conceded these territories
1) Russia didn't legally concede these territories.
2) Both Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine were the constituents of the SU, hence the latter inherited their territorial claims.
It's funny you admit we had the right to defend ourselves, but only by defensive measures
I didn't say anything about defensive measures. The point was that in June 1941 Romania didn't defend itself. Another point was that the universally accepted norm in the inter-war period was not to resort to war as a means of policy.
Our discussion was about Soviet Union, not Russia. Whether Russia conceded or not Alaska is not relevant, SU could STILL wage political and even military means to retake Alaska, if they deemed useful / necessary. And trust me, Alaska could have been controversial, but Bucovina and Moldova were centuries old Romanian territories - both by culture and by language.
About the provinces taken by Stalin from Romania in '40:
1) Even if you can prove that Russia didn't legally concede "these territories", Bucovina was NEVER under control of Russia. When Moldavia was under Ottoman tutelage, the Ottomans thought they could bypass vassal suzerainty and sold Bucovina directly to Austrian Empire. So your case is moot, because Stalin effectively invaded territory which never was under Russian control, NEVER. Capisci? Stalin is guilty as charged.
2) Ukraine has never accepted being under Russian control, or Soviet control. They have been forced to do so. Pitting Ukraine alongside Russia in order to make Russian case somewhat relevant at hundreds (if not thousands) of kilometers away of their natural boundaries is childish and worth of contempt. Not to mention the fact that Soviet Union does not inherit any "rights" from the Russian Empire. Any empire - Russian Empire is no exception - was carved by military power, not by legitimate claims. If somehow there would have been any possible natural claims that the Russian Empire was justly residing in Balkan area, Soviet Union hasn't inherited none of these: Soviet Union was not a proponent of panslavism and they did not care for the well-being and political representation of member states, on the contrary, each time Soviet Union annexed a country / province, they employed the most savage purges against indigenous population.