You guys defending Russian government actions are tossing out examples that are just not appropriate. BTW, Canada an Mexico do have alliances that we are not part of, They have trade agreements that have nothing to do with us. WE are not insisting that the Mexican and Canadian governments be puppets of the United States. We haven't been at war with our neighbors for over 170 years... we do not have troops massed on their borders... we are not funding an insurgency in either Canada or Mexico. Now if we had been doing that sh1t then yeah, I would expect them to find allies willing to help them. If they started arming themselves with Chinese and Russian weapons, when we have not given them one iota that we intended to do them harm then, yeah... we would have a right to be upset. But none of that is happening.
Everyone is acting like what is going on in Ukraine now only started 3 weeks ago, this has been going on for 8 years. It was Russia that annexed Crimea, it is Putin's private mercenary army that has been fighting in the Eastern Oblasts. If Putin is 'provoked' over the Ukrainian build up of it's military, he is to blame, that would not have happened if he hadn't started this sh1t 8 years ago when the Ukrainian people overthrow the puppet government that he attempted to establish in Ukraine.
As far as NATO membership, back in the mid-90s that is what I did, I traveled to Estonia, Czech Republic, Romania, and Poland as a liaison to evaluate their acceptance into the NATO alliance... it is not easy to join because basically you have to conform to NATO standard logistics, fuel and munitions, your training has to comport to NATO standard doctrine, training, and operational planning. Officer and NCO training has to comport to NATO standard. The even after they join, they have a defense spending obligation, and agreement to meet strategic defense requirements.
Ukraine has never formally requested NATO membership. In fact public support in Ukraine to join NATO was VERY low.... all that changed when Russia invaded them in 2014. The ONLY reason why NATO looked like a good option for Ukraine was when they were attacked first. Ukraine did not vote to abandon their formal abandonment of neutrality until 2019, doing this only when Putin's mercenary army in the Eastern Oblasts, stepped up offensive operations with advanced offensive weapons and a statement by their leadership that they intended to declare independence. Putin provoked this