The West must accept reality in Ukraine

Threatening a war maximizes Putin’s chances of keeping Ukraine in Russia’s sphere of influence.

The buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine’s border has led to fears of a new war. But the conflict is hardly new, and nor are Russia’s objectives. Ukraine, which has been indirectly controlled or directly repressed by Moscow-based governments for centuries, wants NATO to protect it from future Russian incursions, like the one the Kremlin launched in 2014. But Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that NATO promised not to expand into any more Eastern European countries that border Russia (which already shares a border with five NATO members ).