The West has tried peaceful engagement with Russia many times, the reset under Obama, tacitly accepting the annexation of Ukraine, turning a blind eye to massiv

The West has tried peaceful engagement with Russia many times, the reset under Obama, tacitly accepting the annexation of Ukraine, turning a blind eye to massive civilian casualties in Syria, Trump's attempts at engagement and shaking down Zelensky, but it never works. We've opted to shrug and let them do what they want over and over. Giving space to Putin is always interpreted as a sign of weakness. The basic problem is Ukrainians didn't want to be dominated by Russia, they're fed up with it, and who can blame them. They wanted to enter the EU and join NATO. And why shouldn't they, surely that's up to them? Turning the blind eye to Russian aggression and annexations, opting for peaceful accommodation at every turn now matter how far they pushed is one thing. The democratic desires of Ukraine to engage with the West was another. Put the two together and they're an explosive combination. So the only option to avoid this would have been to absolutely deny Ukraine access to the EU or NATO, to ignore the desires of their citizens and abandon them to perpetual Russian domination and exploitation. I don't see any way that's morally justifiable or acceptable to the west, it's just not how we think and not the values we aspire to.