A key reason for Western policy failures toward Russia is not Russophobia but a narrow-minded Russophilia that views Europe’s East through Moscow’s prism. Officials and advisers dealing with Russia are invariably schooled in Russian history, language, and literature. Russia’s neighbors are largely seen as secondary actors rather than geopolitical players in their own right. Hence, even in the midst of a brutal war of conquest against Ukraine, the idea of not “provoking” Russia or “humiliating” its leaders continues to prevail.