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>According to the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Bessarabia was recognized as being within the Soviet sphere of influence. However, Bukovina was never mentioned. Its inclusion was a unilateral Soviet expansion that Hitler considered the first major breach of their agreement.

> Upon hearing Molotov's demand for Bukovina, Hitler was reportedly furious and "thundered and lightninged" against Stalin for violating his own commitments. He viewed it as a "slap in the face".

>Hitler dismissed the Soviet justification, that Bukovina was the "last part missing from a united Ukraine", as a mere pretext for further westward expansion.

>To avoid a wider conflict and protect vital Romanian oil supplies, Germany pressured Romania to cede Northern Bukovina. However, Hitler's official response stressed that this was a "new" (ein Novum) issue and that Bukovina had historically been an Austrian crown land with a significant German population.

So even after all of this, when Hitler again invited Molotov to Berlin, he got hit with a new slew of demands.

>Molotov insisted on the withdrawal of ALL German troops from Finland, which he considered to be within the Soviet sphere of influence.

>Molotov demanded that Soviet influence in Bulgaria be recognized, specifically through a mutual assistance agreement between the two countries.

>Molotov again raised the issue of Southern Bukovina, stating that Germany must recognize Soviet interest in the region.

> The Soviets demanded military bases on the Dardanelles and Bosporus. Hitler only offered a contractual assurance of free passage for Soviet warships, which Molotov rejected

So who was the warmonger all along? Barbarossa was not some retarded race war for colonial expansion, it was a reactionary strike.

NFT

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