Comment by mopsi

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, and by 2021, Ukraine and Russia were in the 8th year of the war.

The Russian "multiple and continuous warnings" (aka demands and ultimatums) were taken seriously in 2008 and Ukraine was not offered a path to NATO membership. Didn't save them from the invasion. The 2008 decision is now widely considered a mistake. The "Russia is afraid of NATO encirclement" argument has been conclusively falsified for a while now.