My analogy of your comment; So, I have a dog. My neighbor has a cat. I don’t like cats so I’m forcing my neighbor to have a dog, whether or not they want one. To make that happen I’m going to terrorize them and eventually kill their cat.

It would go better for Putin, and Russia, if they were more accommodating of those neighbors seeking peace and freedom. Ukraine wants to join NATO because Putin and his Authoritarian cronies don’t want them to have the peace and freedoms that they want and the west provides. Ukraine has no choice but to look for cover and protection. No one wants to play his game because his game sucks. Putin’s history of pounding his many tiny neighbors into submission is only further substantiated by what he’s doing to Ukraine. There are NO EXCUSES for his action.