The Myth of Western 'Appeasement' of Russia

This fantasy that the U.S. has spent decades “placating” Russia is absurdly wrong on the facts.

Bret Stephens is just making things up:

Contrary to the claim that Putin’s behavior is a result of Western provocation — like refusing to absolutely rule out eventual NATO membership for Ukraine — the West has mainly spent 22 years placating Putin through a long cycle of resets and wrist slaps. The devastation of Ukraine is the fruit of this appeasement.

This fantasy that the U.S. has spent decades “placating” Russia is absurdly wrong on the facts, and it is dangerous because it creates the impression that the breakdown in U.S.-Russian relations over the last two decades has come from being too conciliatory, which is simply not the case.