What the Russians don’t seem to get, is the fact that having neighbors like Russia is exactly the reason why nations need Allies in the first place! For a nation with rich resources that sits on a major crossroads as they do that is also a flat open plain devoid of any natural barriers… is suicidal. When the largest border they have is shared with a MUCH larger nation with an even larger military force that has expansionist aspersions… to accept neutrality is suicidal.

Only way they could accept this would be if they were given BACK a nuclear Arsenal which they were deceived into surrendering in 1994 with the understanding that their borders would be forever respected, and that the western powers would guarantee this.

If they had a medium range nuclear arsenal, then any “hypothetical” threat would have to think long and hard before trying to invade.