IMO the Ukraine as a country and as a peoples made a mistake
of judgement in late 2013 by underestimating the resolve of Russia
(right or wrong) in assuring that the Ukraine wouldn't join NATO.
That was evidenced early 2014 by Russia annexing the Crimea and then supporting
the Ukrainian separatists in Donbas. That was the beginning of the current war, IMO.
So one can argue the right/wrong of it until one goes blue in the face, but that
wont reverse what was then the wrong decision ....that is based on the current outcome;
not on what is moral (right-wrong-good-bad)
Can you imagine what the US would do if say Mexico set itself on the path to join
the Chinese Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with the prospect of Chinese
or Russian WMD hosted there and aimed at US population centres. ?
What do you think the US would do?
The principle here is that a country cannot bolster its National Security at the
expense of a neighbour particuluarly if that neighbour is a Great Power
(ie: USA, China Russia etc)
The Cuban Missile Crisis confirms that from the US point of view.
Even our seemingly innocuous AUKUS plan has raised Indonesian
concerns even though the delivery of the subs )(if ever) is at least
20 years down the track :
(source : SMH)