[tlozo]

Is Ukraine a former Soviet occupied country, or is it an original constituent founding member of the USSR?

Well I guess according to your logic Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenian shouldn't exist as independent, free countries.

On December 30, 1922, in post-revolutionary Russia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is established, comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine and the Transcaucasian Federation (divided in 1936 into the Georgian, Azerbaijan and Armenian republics)

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ussr-established

[CapandBall]

“Well I guess according to your logic Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenian shouldn’t exist as independent, free countries.”

Q: How many tanks did NATO send to Georgia during the Russian/Georgian war in 2008?
A: zero

Let these former Soviet states (Russia/Georgia, Russia/Ukraine, et al) settle their own boarder skirmishes, and let NATO stop playing World Police™️.