Throughout Europe today there are political movements to break away from the nation-state as it evolved throughout the centuries -- the United Kingdom (with the rebellious 13 New World colonies being the original Euro "separatists" in the 18th century; and now, in "modern" manifestations, some in Scotland and Wales seeking independence); Spain (Catalonia); to some extent groups in Belgium and France as well. The list goes on and on ... (remember the Basque conflict?) And, also, remember the famous 19th century phrase attributed to Massimo d'Azeglio, "Abbiamo fatto l'Italia, ora dobbiamo fare gli italiani"?
Forget about an East-West Cold War struggle -- i.e., 20th-century, now struggling economically former "superpowers" on the extremities of the European/Asian world playing tough with each other on who's-gonna-nuke-who in a global macho struggle.
Americans and Russians, with their nation-continents, can't, historically, really understand that geographical space is limited; contrast an American in the Middle West to a Mitteleuropa Czech "stuck" in the "heart" of Europe. Or a Japanese in island-country Japan.
The real story in Russian-Ukrainian relations is about Europe-as-a-separatist continent. Will geographically space-conscious Europeans accept that the inhabitants of, arguably, members of that space -- "Ukraine" -- are indeed part of Europe? And under what conditions?
Ukraine, as currently configured, is essentially a European, not an American problem.
d'Azeglio image from