If Russian military forces thrust deeper into Ukraine, Vladimir Putin will evidently have calculated that Moscow can withstand new financial sanctions and the small increase of NATO troops along Russia’s borders.

The Russian president knows that NATO will not fight for Ukraine and that Germany and France will again divide the alliance by seeking a speedy return to “business as usual” with Russia. The only move that can freeze Moscow’s ambitions for its former colonies is a major strategic shift by Washington to deimperialize Russia.