News analysis As war rages in Ukraine following the invasion by Russia, the realities on the ground are difficult to assess—it is estimated that thousands have been killed, including hundreds of civilians, and up to a million forced to flee their homes. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin is rightly deserving of blame, top U.S. officials over the past decade have played important roles in critical events that undermined U.S. relations with Russia and resulted in the destabilization of Ukraine. The deterioration in our relations with Russia, in many ways started with President George W. Bush in 2008 when he dangled before Ukraine the promise of NATO membership during the Bucharest declaration, boldly claiming, “We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO.” The promise of NATO membership for Ukraine was something that has never been taken lightly by Russia, which has remained resolutely opposed to any NATO expansion …