Make a friendly Ukraining nation, or if that fails (maybe that already failed), then annex Ukraine to Russia. His endgame is to keep NATO out of his borders an

Make a friendly Ukraining nation, or if that fails (maybe that already failed), then annex Ukraine to Russia. His endgame is to keep NATO out of his borders and ensure the loyalty of his subjects (Belarus, Ukraine, Stan countries etc...) In this recent turmoil, he used Belarus to move troops. If Belarus was not a loyal subject, they'd not have allowed that. It would have put him in a weaker position in the case of a full-on war.