I think your basic misstep is you are acting like Russia is our equal when they are not. This is the broken remnants of a failed empire threatening to start nuclear holocaust if we don't allow them to feel more important by using force to abuse and absorb their neighbors. In a conventional war Russia does not have the technology to stand toe to toe with NATO and threatening to kill everyone is with nuclear winter is all they really have left. If we are not willing stop the expansion of Russia into other European nations then we should declare mission accomplished disband NATO and leave Europe to defend it self.

There really are only two choices. Putin is a mad man with a nuclear arsenal who threatens the whole world or his blustering fool who is willing cripple his countries economy because of his pride.

Compare the Ukraine to Iraq all you want but that entire line of argument is nothing more than BS propaganda spread by Russia's state controlled news papers that have convinced the Russian people there is a threat of US invasion. I assume these are the same brilliant thinkers who believe the US can be broken up by encouraging Texas to secede. I know you can point to some neo-nazies who were involved in the protest but that does not really compare to twice Iraq twice invading its neighbors and using mustard gas on its own people. In the Iraq US comparison Russia is much more like Iraq then it is like the US.

What will restart the cold war is not the west allowing countries Russia considers subservient to join the modern world but the Russian belief that they can regain their lost glory but threatening world annihilation if they are not allowed to get heir way. The Soviet Union had real power modern Russia has one card which they can't play without ceasing to exist and taking most of the world with them. Appeasing that sort of behavior is an incredible bad idea. Should we let Pakistan and North Korea stating playing nuclear chicken with the rest of the world?