Putin didn't get the memo on that
He considers that Russia should be the superpower rival to the USA
If he did not aim to antagonize the USA he would have focused on slowly dominating his rivals - he would have used his hackers, money and soft power to take over Ukraine and Belarus (as he was doing prior to 2014)
But hubris got to him
The hubris your post contains is astounding. This is the mentality of K Street and the McCane Republicans and their ‘National Grandeur’ ideology. If Russia can become the most powerful state in Europe what is that to real Americans who work for a living not propagandists, government hacks, and K Street agents such as you.