There are so many angles to this… as a Russian (but you don’t have to be Russian - his interviews and speeches are all translated) I watched Putin’s angry speeches and tried to understand what’s in his head. I don’t think it’s about NATO at all. He loathes Ukraine as a nation (well he literally doesn’t think it’s a nation) and its appetite for freedom and gravitation towards the “west”. He can’t accept that they don’t share his view of being part of the restored Soviet empire. He’s like a jilted lover going after his ex who rejected him… apologies for this analogy. So it’s very hard to rationalize his actions (all zelensksy had to do is promise bla bla bla), not to mention that the bloody aggression can’t be accepted anyway