[Renfrew]

As long as Russia is allied to China, blocking Russia is essential to defending against China.

Take Ukraine. It is the most fertile agricultural region of the world outside the Midwest.

China cannot feed itself without imports. If Ukraine is in the Western block the west will have an essential control over China.

[Paul R.]

I've not seen a cogent explanation by any of the Putinistas on here of WHY Putin would, rationally in 2022, be so fearful of NATO. NATO can put up a good defensive fight and IMO eventually win a defensive war against Russia, if Europe has a very mild winter. (If it's a harsh winter, I'm not sure what we do with all the frozen Euro's.) But, NATO is not configured well at all for an offensive war, and I see no practical reason why NATO would be interested in such. This leaves us with irrationality (seems unlikely) or cold, calculated aggression, including pretty much complete control of bordering countries.