Russia seeks to be a gamechanger in Europe, and redesign the world order formed after the Cold War had ended. The wide-ranging attack against the Ukraine does not merely aim to replace its government with a Russian "puppet regime", but also strives to convey a message to the West, and the United States in particular, whereby Russia will not hesitate to use force to safeguard its "strategic boundaries", is willing to go to war with the long-term objective of ending American global hegemony, and establish a multilateral world order reflective of Russia's importance and centrality.
The West, led by the U.S., spearheads an overall pressure policy designed to curb Russian aggression, collect a high toll from it, and turn it into a "leper" in the international arena. The United States, which orchestrates the western coalition, is taking actions that fall short of direct war against Russia, while employing unprecedented political and economic measures.