Why have they fought so hard against the Russians if they were "being used as fodder"?
Why does Russia get to decide what happens in another country, by using force and missiles etc?
Sounds like you're completely wrong.
Europe doesn't want to be cannon fodder for the Russian empire.
Russia doesn't want war with Europe, it wants to sell natural gas.
The Baltic states are all in NATO for no reason then?
Well, you know, if Russia doesn't want war with Europe, it could stop invading pieces of Europe.
Putin and his boys disagreed on national TV with you. They want to nuke Europe. Read Putin's own texts on the subject, it's very clear. And read books like Foundations of Geopolitics that are officially approved and required reading for military officers.