Russia has no right to determine which country should or should not be a buffer. Russia had no right whatsoever to attack Ukraine. Russia is an aggressor here. Will you please ask Russia’s neighbors why they don’t trust Russia? It’s because Russia hasn’t abandoned its imperialist ways (Tsarist and later Bolshevik).
Putin is an old Commie who says Stalin was a good guy, not a murderous maniac he really was. A real Christian would never say that.
We were unable to make Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria or Libya safe for Democracy. Why should we believe that we can make Ukraine safe from Russian influence?