There was a time in the 90s when the West promised Russia not to expand the NATO closer towards its borders. Later the West forgot about it. As much as I’m critical about most things Russia, I believe it’s understandable and legitimate for Russia to push back. In my eyes, there should be room for an agreement which indeed maintains some kind a “buffer zone” between both blocks. And the West needs to stop pretending it’s only Russia who’s the faulty one here, in this specific issue.