And if Putin is somehow convinced that all the West will do is scold him, hold meetings, and tell him he’s a meanie?
Putin is not afraid to kill people and break things. The West is far more reluctant to go to war than he is. He will continue to take and take until he is stopped. The longer the West waits the more expensive the final cost. But no one wants to be the first to fight back, and the whole mess could very much spiral out of control.