The fact is that the example of Afghanistan clearly shows what a puppet state is like, and what happens if it is left without a supporting army. There were US s

The fact is that the example of Afghanistan clearly shows what a puppet state is like, and what happens if it is left without a supporting army. There were US soldiers backing the afghan government, yet when they left (actually, even _before_ they left) the whole country collapsed. There are no US or other NATO soldiers in Ukraine (apart from privateers). They get material support, but nobody else is fighting for them. Yet they repelled the initial, vastly overpowering Russian attack, and they have been able to hold their lines for the past year pretty well. The EU or the US is not fighting a war against Russia in a classical sense. If they were you would notice, because we are talking about nuclear powers. It would most probably be a rather short war.