> Western agression (if you want to put it like that) does not justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nor would it reduce the threat Russia poses. Surely it would increase it!
How many times has Russia invaded western Europe?
How many times has Europe launched an invasion of Russia (3).
Ahhh very carefully worded indeed. I know you desperately wanted to refer to NATO, but that would mean conceding that "Russia" (since you're conflating the USSR and Russia, and assuming modern day borders) had invaded Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary after WW2. All three countries who leapt at the chance to join a pact which meant they wouldn't meet the same fate again, as did Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland who had also been subjugated by Russia in some form in the past
I mean if you really want to keep score we can continue, and we can explore what happened to some former USSR or Russian Empire countries who didn't join NATO (Belarus being the last dictatorship in Europe and under Putin's thumb, Georgia/Russia wars, Ukraine and the very war we are discussing right now), but I don't think it ends well for your argument...
Since "Western" Europe now includes Poland, the Baltics, Moldova and Finland - perhaps you can answer that question for us.
For extra credit: which "Western" country did Russia sign an active military alliance with -- and not only join it invading one of the above countries; but march together with its troops in victory parades, afterwards?
How many times has Russia invaded western Europe? How many times has Europe launched an invasion of Russia (3).