Putin stupidly allowed the Americans to Define His Options in Ukraine
Paul Craig Roberts
The West gave Putin two options of how he could conduct the war he was forced into:
(1) If Putin quickly subdued Russia’s foe, it would be a sign that Europe was next and opposition to Russia would rise.
(2) On the other hand, if Putin fought for very limited aims, it would allow the war to go on until the West got so involved that a three-week war became a four-year war. The war that Putin mistakenly thought he could keep small has widened into Europe’s preparation for war with Russia.
Neither option was a good one, and Putin chose the worst.