The funny thing is All Things Considered dropped Ukraine from their news the second they realized that Putin made Biden look like a castrated chihuahua. Putin did invade Ukraine, but I’m not sure you’re entirely wrong: I think he may only have decided to invade once he realized how pathetically weak Biden was.
The question, after Putin takes as much of Ukraine as he thinks he can handle, is who's next? Estonia has a Russian-speaking minority. But they are also a member of NATO. Will Putin hold back for that reason, or think that this is his chance to show that NATO is a paper tiger?
No, he decided to invade after Biden gave Russia permission.
“Russia will be held accountable if it invades,” Biden said Wednesday evening(January 20, 2022). “And it depends on what it does.”
“It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do, et cetera,” he continued. “But if they actually do what they’re capable of doing with the forces amassed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine.”
Well, Biden got the “minor incursion” he asked of Putin.
See link for quote of Biden speech https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ukraine-president-zelenskyy-pushes-back-biden