What Putin really wants is for the West to back down first.
He threw a challenge to the collective West. If the West backs down, he is now much more closer to being the alpha guy in the world. African countries, the Middle East, Asia will all be looking at this and thinking that the current hegemon is really kind of getting old and decrepit and we don't have to listen to him anymore.
This is why the US is perfectly willing to destroy the EU to try and stop Putin. In fact, way more willing than Putin himself, who wants to save Europe if possible because they have always been the best markets for Russian goods. Russia will only lose long-term from the destruction of the EU while the US has trillions to gain.
What Putin really wants is for the West to back down first.
He threw a challenge to the collective West. If the West backs down, he is now much more closer to being the alpha guy in the world. African countries, the Middle East, Asia will all be looking at this and thinking that the current hegemon is really kind of getting old and decrepit and we don't have to listen to him anymore.
This is why the US is perfectly willing to destroy the EU to try and stop Putin. In fact, way more willing than Putin himself, who wants to save Europe if possible because they have always been the best markets for Russian goods. Russia will only lose long-term from the destruction of the EU while the US has trillions to gain.