I'm not GP, but thanks for this comment. It just shows how we just see one side of the picture in the West.

> Ukraine was the one asking for NATO membership.

Also, if I may add to this: according to polls in 2013[1], popular support for Ukraine joining NATO was very low. Actually, most people saw NATO as a threat rather than protection. This was well after the 2008 Bucharest summit where NATO officially announced that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.

This is to say that maybe it was more like "the US was pushing for Ukraine to be part of NATO" rather than Ukraine (as in the Ukraininan people) "was the one asking for NATO membership".

[1] https://news.gallup.com/poll/167927/crisis-ukrainians-likely...