The West could have played smart and made friends with Rusia after the USSR broke up in the early 1990's.
Russia went through turmoil after that, until Putin brought it back. The majority of his people respect him.
If Russia was friends with the west, then China would not have dared to do what its done, and doing now.
Nato and the US have moved armaments / missiles near to US borders multiple times over. The US would not accept Russia doing the same.
Putin has valid points in what he is asking for now. The west cannot have everything their way, Russia is not a small weak country, which they can walk over. They need to treat it with respect.
The real threat is China, and Russia needs to be with the West to quell that threat.
