How Russia will spin it: yet another example of US imperialism where they force another country to accept their troops so that NATO can get closer to our borders and threaten us.
So the US has never done something that Russia has also not done? I don't understand.
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U.S. Withdraws From ABM Treaty; Global Response Muted
https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2002-07/news/us-withdraws-ab...
Eastern countries are inching closer to NATO, not the other way around. Russia's latest invasion is the reason why. You might as well have said:
> Russia feels threatened by countries trying to protect themselves.
You got this exactly backwards. Countries don't move, but NATO membership does. NATO has been expanding eastwards and Russia has been consistently & explicitly clear that is unacceptable.
Go tell that to Crimea.