Of course but if you read closely, I mentioned Erdogan, who purged secular military leadership, started buying Russian SAMs, and bombed US-backed Kurdish fighters. It makes for super awkward dinners back at the NATO clubhouse.
And while I'm 110% rooting for Ukraine to kick Russia out, EU membership for other Eastern European countries has not been an easy road. Now toss in non-military third rail value systems like LGBTQ rights and abortion.
Poland is in the EU and is starkly against abortion and LGBT rights due to the current government being quite nationalistic and Catholic.
Ukraine is more secular. It is not a completely safe haven for LGBT, but it's not ideologically against it, just the usual grass-root homophobia that is being educated away; abortion and women rights has never been a stumbling block for Ukrainians.
And while I'm 110% rooting for Ukraine to kick Russia out, EU membership for other Eastern European countries has not been an easy road. Now toss in non-military third rail value systems like LGBTQ rights and abortion.
I think "less complicated" is a fair description.