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Not surprisingly, Russia is the culprit in Western framing of the Ukraine crisis. Immediately after the Kremlin announced a "special military operation" in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden forcefully condemned "Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring" and "the world will hold Russia accountable."

Without Washington's relentless promotion of NATO's expansion and fanatical instigation of Moscow-Kyiv tensions, a war would have never broken out in the region. The U.S. is instead the big boss behind endeavoring to manipulate Ukraine for American gains, and this eventually provoked Russia to strike back.

On Moscow's front, the White House has been squeezing the Kremlin's strategic space to the maximum. Despite rising military risks in the region, the U.S. has, not just turned deaf, but acted to the contrary, much to Kremlin's delight. The Russian government has made its security demand loud and clear from the outset – the end of NATO expansion. But Washington apparently cares more about its geopolitical ambitions than regional security, unrestrainly expanding the Western military bloc to Russia's doorstep.

NATO was originally established to defend Western powers from the Socialist camp in 1949. It has not only existed after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, but even took in countries that were previously part of the Warsaw pact into the bloc, and expanded right to the borders of Russia.

Washington's selfish geopolitical calculations are behind this move. Firstly, although the Cold War ended with the U.S. being a unipolar power in the world, American politicians have been striving to preserve this singularity. This requires the powerful American military's presence across the globe. The U.S. sees NATO's expansion as the solution: The existence of the bloc is to militarily deter Russia and the enlargement of it will effectively reduce the possibilities of the rival's growing military influence in the region.

Secondly, NATO's spread can intensify European allies' dependence on the United States. The larger the bloc evolves, the harder a consensus can be reached. This will gradually cripple the influence of France, Germany, and the UK in the region, thus intensifying their reliance on their big boss. In addition, increased hostility between Russia and NATO allies is an inevitable outcome of the bloc's expansion. Not being an even rival to Russia, European countries will have to turn to their "Big Brother" for help.

On Kyiv's front, the Biden administration made empty promises one after another, and created an "empire of lies" to woo the Ukrainian government into an outpost in U.S.' geopolitical games for the latter's gains. Biden repeatedly voiced support for Ukraine's NATO admission and vowed "full force" to defend allies in case of Russia's "invasion." At the instigation of Washington, Kyiv made it a top priority to join NATO and has been dancing to the U.S. tune in handling its ties with Russia.

The Biden administration made vows; and the Ukrainian government believed it. When explosions are heard in Kyiv, Biden is still shouting the U.S. will "defend every inch of NATO territory," made crystal clear that American forces "are not and will not be engaged in the conflict with Russia in Ukraine" and "are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine."

Kyiv is left alone after having been manipulated. "We have been left alone to defend our state… Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don't see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an emotional address on Friday.

The ongoing crisis in Ukraine has again proved that the U.S. is the culprit of regional instability. Peace is never achieved by shouting slogans. Listening to regional players' appeals is the first step. Russia has made its demand, urged Washington to address its security concerns, sent its signal on the NATO's encirclement by placing soldiers on the border, and held several rounds of talks with the United States. It has been left with no other option, but to take military measures to respond to Washington's hostility and the NATO's growing activities in and around Ukraine.

All these could have been avoided if Washington could prioritize peace over its selfish gains.

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