Ukraine War: Western Missteps and Putin’s Responsibility

Condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should not prevent scrutiny of the Western policies that preceded it, an analysis of the war argues. It calls for examining both Moscow’s responsibility and the West’s historical mistakes to help avoid repeating them.

The central distinction is between explaining a conflict and justifying it. The article maintains that the legitimate condemnation of Russia’s invasion does not remove the need to investigate the wider circumstances in which the war emerged.

NATO’s historical expansion is a key part of that examination. The analysis places it within a broader debate over Western policy, arguing that decisions made before the invasion deserve critical assessment rather than being excluded from discussion.

That scrutiny does not absolve Vladimir Putin of responsibility. Instead, the article presents an assessment of Western errors and Russian wrongdoing as compatible tasks, rather than competing explanations that require choosing one side’s account.

Its focus is ultimately on the lessons of the war. Understanding how earlier policies and decisions contributed to the crisis, it argues, is necessary if similar mistakes are to be avoided in the future.