If Ukraine Joins NATO, Putin would likely back down (and there won't be nuclear war)
If Ukraine Joins NATO, Putin would likely back down, and there likely won't be nuclear war. Russia has never shown a propensity to want to die in a nuclear Armageddon, and withdrew nukes from Cuba during the cold war and apologized over sending bomber aircraft to the U.S., out of fear of retaliation from the U.S. Despite all the bluster, Russia has historically been terrified of nuclear war, and while willing to send endless amounts of soldiers to the meat grinder in a horrific way just like WWII, I doubt they're willing to risk nuclear war. On the other hand Putin is surrounded only be yes men, likely believes Russia could survive a nuclear war given drills where more than 40% of the population went in to underground shelters, and nuclear protocol has changed in Russia justifying the use of nuclear weapons to deter conventional as well as nuclear attacks, meaning Russia might use nukes even if nukes are not used against them and as a preemptive first strike or retaliation. We're likely closer to nuclear war than any time in human history as Putin is a mad man, aging and likely with dementia, who is at this point more unpredictable than he was in the past. Putin was no saint, looking at the 10's of thousands dead in Chechnya, Moldova, and Georgia, and looking at Syria, Kazastkan, and their arming of Hezbollah and the Taliban. However, he also was always seen as a cold, rational, calculating individual who made strategic and not personal decisions. Ukraine seems to be involved in deeply personal feelings, and represents the loss of the soviet union, something they refuse to give up.
Despite all of this, I'm doubtful Russia would really risk nuclear war, if only his advisors stopping him. Most likely, Russia and Putin aren't really willing to risk nuclear war, and if Ukraine joined NATO likely would back down. Russia invaded Ukraine before it could join NATO, and has never invaded Estonia, Lithuania, or Latvia, all former soviet states that border Russia and joined NATO. Furthermore America itself borders Russia with Alaska, and Russia has never actually invaded in the U.S. Both Finland and Sweden are likely to join NATO and are known NATO allies and border Russia, making up a larger surface area than Ukraine does. Russia has always demanded that none of these countries join NATO, but this is due to their fear of
