There is a lot of misunderstandings over how this all started.
Let us remember....for years and years, the Ukraine talked up better trade with the EU....where nothing much would come from talks. So, toward the end of 2013 (after the Russian Olympics and EU elections)...oddly, the EU team arrived and wanted a short compact four-star trade treaty finished up. It is odd how it suddenly got prioritized, and we might ask who in the EU led this and what agenda was attached.
Somewhere in this treaty for trade, was a annex for military related affairs. You look over the decade....several neighbors of Russia get easily accepted into NATO. We can question the reasons for the previous folks....but this was one of those times when it made no sense.
A brilliant EU team would have spoken up for some agricultural treaty and opened the door for mass farming trade. Two years later....massive boat/bus/car/truck trade. Step by step. Russians would have done nothing over that.
After the mess starts....the US suddenly has interest in Ukraine....something they didn’t have before. You have to wonder why.
Russia is now in a state of misery over trade relations with the EU, and their lousy exchange rate with the Ruble. Putin may have screwed up....but the EU did just as much, and the US solution of throwing more weapons into the mix begs more questions.
In the beginning of 2013....Ukraine had tons of potential for trading. Large IT sector growing....boat sector working out great....tourism finally taking off with people actually visiting the country. Today? Screwed up to the maximum.