[general1465]

> EU aligning itself with BRICS would probably come with breaking away from NATO

Never gonna happen. Eastern Europeans have massive hate boner for Russia, because they were effectively colonized for 40 years as "Eastern Block" and Putin is trying to repeat that.

> Russia (supposedly) wants Ukraine because of the ever growing presence of NATO at its doorstep.

Main point of division between Ukraine and Russia is the fact, that Ukrainians consider themselves as standalone nation, why Russians consider Ukrainians as part of Russia. As long as Ukraine or Ukrainians exists, (or as long as Russia is jingoistic state) there will be war between Russia and Ukraine. It is a repeated narrative for last 300 years.