What are the deeper reasons for the war? All I hear from talking heads is this is aggression from Russia to grab resources and potentially continue to expand their territories through conquest.
The deeper reason is that the Baltics are in a security conundrum. Russia is inherently insecure, and Europe doesn't know where Europe ends. For security - let's compare the Russian Federation and the US.
Russia is the largest country on earth (twice size of US) yet it has half the US population.
The US has two neighboring states and two oceans that border it (with strongest navy in the world). Russia has 14 neighboring states and several neighbor areas in frozen conflict. Russia has no oceans separating its adversaries.
In terms of history, Ukraine (and Belarus) have been the routes of choice for military invasions into Moscow.
As a result of this security situation, Russia (and the Soviet Union before it, and the Tsarists before them, ...) relies on having a neutral periphery as a buffer zone. Ukraine declared itself neutral in its constitution at the formation of the country as it split from the Soviet Union. In 2019 Ukraine stripped neutrality from its constitution and wrote in pursuit of NATO membership.
For Europe not knowing where it ends, just look at EU membership, potential membership, and statements evolving over the past several decades from officials about where Europe ends.
The proximal cause of the war, literally the day-by-day timeline leading up to the conflict, was the Biden Administration threatening to pull Ukraine in NATO, Russia stated this was a red line and that it would invade and destroy Ukraine rather than let that happen, and then Russia and NATO diplomacy failed to resolve the issue.
This is clearly what the war is about: it is what led day by day up to the conflict, Ukraine's president offered to withdraw NATO ambitions as the invasion began to passify it, the Istanbul Peace Agreements early in the war centered on resolving the topic, and the peace discussions now have centered on it.
My guess is that it was the decision of Ukraine to pursuit joining EU and potentially NATO (and potentially having US forces there) and Russia understanding that it is out of options to prevent this by peaceful methods like bribing politicians, propaganda, appealing to voters sympathetic to Russia at that moment etc.
This happened in 2014. Also, if you remember, before starting the war Putin demanded that NATO stops expanding to the East, but was ignored [1].
So basically Russia wasn't willing to lose a large neighbouring country to US.
technically, if that was cause, nato thing. were is retoric about 2 north countries joined now? why so inconsistent?
so russia not willing to loose sovereign independent country to which it promised to secure it to be so?
how one can loose what he does not have nor owns?
By "losing to US" I meant Russia is not willing Ukraine to have pro-US (instead of pro-Russia) government, and potentially having US military there (US for some reason is trying to put its military bases and missiles everywhere around USSR/Russia since WW2).
I think quite large reason is Putin's wishes to leave "legacy" and to continue holding power. He certainly is obsessed with power and the idea that Russia has own way and he is the one to lead it in this way.
