Nope, all that was needed to be done was to claim neutrality. They had even signed a trade agreement with the EU after running their president out of Ukraine. Ukraine would have not lost land to Russia, Ukraine would have not lost any of their men to the meat grinder that ensued, and also cost many Russian men their lives as well. But they didn't, because they wanted the military conflict with Russia, fully expecting that NATO would jump into the breach. But that was not the goal. The goal was to have Ukraine take on Russia by itself, and then rely on American taxpayers to supply all of their military & monetary needs.
First Europe commits suicide by inviting in Muslims by the millions, then it provokes Russia into a proxy war. Trump tried to find a peaceful resolution to stop the kinetic conflict, and Europe throws a wrench in it. So, let them deal with Russia.
We are 37 trillion dollars in debt, and our status as the world's reserve currency was then, and is now even in worse jeopardy, because our legislature is incapable of creating a budget that stops adding trillions to the deficit spending problem that is just barreling this nation into bankruptcy. Europe is actually already there.
But Russia had no right to demand that / make that a prerequisite for peace.
Your preposterous statement is comparable to saying that WWII didn't have to happen - if only the Allies had acceded to Nazi Germany (and later Soviet Russia) invading, dismembering, and annexing Poland.
In actual fact: All that was needed was for Putin to order his troops to remain in their barracks.
All that was needed was for Putin to mind his damn own business!
Regards,