“I guess you’re making Putin’s point, aren’t you?”
Whether or not any country elects to join NATO and whether or not NATO elects to expand is not a matter in which Putin has a veto.
What’s ironic here is that in 1995 Russia was contemplating membership in NATO. I do not consider it a coincidence that Putin joined the Yeltsin government and then that opportunity was ended. Had Russia joined NATO then it would have had a say in who joins NATO.
So for now Putin’s opinion on who does or does not join NATO is irrelevant. And if he wants to go to war over it then that’s his choice, just as the war in Ukraine was his choice.
But Pidor Putin, Tsar of all Razvaluha, is lying to himself if he thinks he will be unopposed.
I suppose you can always pretend that Russia has no genuine concerns and no say in the region. I suspect that will lead to on going wars but what do I know. I’m not an “expert”. That being said, the only one who has avoided these confrontations with Russia (and come on much stronger for it) is the one who questioned the experts. They didn’t appreciate that though so...here we are.