If we return to where the war started, how did Ukraine first provoke Russia - by hoping to join EU, by existing? Ukraine could have been another non-allied coun

If we return to where the war started, how did Ukraine first provoke Russia - by hoping to join EU, by existing? Ukraine could have been another non-allied country, but Russia escalated. Regarding the role of the US and NATO in the conflict: "The interim Yatseniuk Government which came to power initially said, with reference to the country's non-aligned status, that it had no plans to join NATO. However, following the Russian military invasion in Ukraine and parliamentary elections in October 2014, the new government made joining NATO a priority." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine%E2%80%93NATO_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine%E2%80%93NATO_relations