That's the real story when you gobbled up up Putin propaganda. NATO is not a country or an empire, simply a defensive organisation. Even Putin contemplated joining NATO to withstand Chinese threat and Putin lackeys Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey are members of NATO.
Simple truth is western countries are enjoying free market democracy and Ukraine wants to be part of it. Instead of offering a competitive system of its own, Putin is using force to rob Ukraine bc robbing of its own is the economic system in Russia. Putin cannot provide a social economic system to others as its own system is made of a pyramid structure that provide all wealth to the very top and that is not acceptable to democratic Ukraine. That's how Putin, a KGB thug, became the wealthiest man on the planet.
