Is Russia inherently imperialist and expansionist? Russia wasn’t forced to invade Ukraine, but its leaders chose to do so because they want Russia to become a great power. If Russian elites could somehow relinquish their unwinnable competition with the West, they could set their country on a less costly and more promising course. Discussion Questions: Who is at fault for the war in Ukraine, the Russian citizens or Putin? Why? How should the West have responded to the invasion of Ukraine?