Nobody is actually intent on starting the war, except maybe a few kooky neocons who don’t have any real power. We’re posturing, Russia is posturing, and Ukraine is just caught in the middle.
“...and Ukraine is just caught in the middle.”
Except that Ukraine is receiving a lot of Western assistance because of the perceived threat from Russia. Absent the Russia threat, the West would have zero interest in Ukraine and would send it no money or weapons or trainers. At the same time, it is hard for an economy to do very well if the invasion fear is too intense. So it seems like a bit of a tightrope.