Both are clear invasions by an aggressor nation for territorial expansion, so therefore saying one needs to be looking for "causes of the war need to be correctly and publicly identified" is just plain silly.
But Nuland and her ilk only emboldened Putin whereas Trump cowed him.
Most wars begin before the first shot is fired and sometimes the aggressor is not the one who fires the first shot. Wars are often the result of long brewing tensions and disagreements. They don’t occur in a vacuum. One country usually doesn’t just up and invade another country. If you can peacefully settle the reasons for going to war, war can often be avoided. That’s why we have treaties, weapons pacts, peace agreements etc.
You know there was a peace agreement in writing between Ukraine and Russia before this war started? It was rejected by NATO and America.
No, I don’t see Russia as the sole instigator of this war. There was a lot of water under the bridge before this war started.