It’s not appeasement, Russia has legitimate concerns with us breaking our agreement that no former Soviet block country will be permitted to join, we broke that agreement, Ukraine was the final straw.
Surrounding them with offensive capabilities from neighboring countries right on the border is not necessary and will just put us in another arms race. Remember Cuba? We got all pissed off when Russia put missiles that close to our borders, yet here we are doing the exact same thing to them and we wonder why they are getting pissed.
Ukraine was denied entry into both NATO and the EU. Russia wanted the resources under the soil in Eastern Ukraine, and to isolate it from the Black Sea.
NATO is NOT an offensive based alliance, but a defensive one designed to contain Soviet expansion against the Warsaw Pact. It is a security agreement. Name one nation that NATO invaded under its charter - zero.
Russia’s unilateral invasion of Ukraine has driven Sweden and Finland to the point that they need security. Pretty damn simple.
Your analogy to Cuba is flawed - did we invade Cuba? No. Are US nuclear missiles in Finland or Sweden? No. Were they in Ukraine? No.
Russia/Soviet Union has been an aggressor nation since it’s inception. Ask the Poles and the rest of Eastern Europe. Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia joined NATO, right on the border with Russia - did Russia threaten them with war? No.
Exactly! Russia has been a perfect neighbor. No reason for any of those countries to want to defend themselves.