Get a rope.
...is because Putin is the dominant regional power with a large army, a large Navy, some of which is in the Black Sea, and this is all on his doorstep, whereas NATO power is on the other side of Turkey and the Turkish Straits.
Putin has easy access to the area and we barely have access at all. Oh, and might I also point to his modernized nuclear arsenal, specifically enhanced to deter us from regions where Russia has what it regards as its vital interests.