Since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has been pariah on the European continent at America's behest. Many EU countries wanted closer trade relations and a friendlier relationship with Russia overall, but the US did not condone it, leading to a situation where Russia was left isolated, embittered and struggling to piece themselves back together for years in the 90s.

Then the US exchanged further proxy wars with Russia in the Middle East, cementing Russia's position as an enemy, rogue state to Western allies.

And NATO played a significant role from about the early 2000s, practicing war games on or near bordering countries.

Really this conflict has been brewing for as far back as one cares to look and it doesn't take a master geopolitical strategist to see that it was not entirely unprovoked.

The West believed that financial sanctions against Russia would work, but that ploy has totally backfired, making Russia both more self-sufficient, while also forcing them closer together with allies like China and the BRICS.

This has all the makings for WWIII now, with allies of the US on one side and all those sick of US bullying on the other. It's terrifying!