With a bit of knowledge about European History I can understand where Russia is coming from regarding the alignment of former vassal states with NATO. The USA has had a similar attitude towards Caribbean, Central American and South American states (Granada, Panama, Chile, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela).
Sensible diplomacy is needed which might be rather short on this side of the fence with Johnson looking to save his ass, Biden facing rampant inflation and falling support, Macron facing an election and Canada in the throes of domestic strife regarding vaccination.
I am sure that the West is correct in responding to the troop build up. by Russia with counter measures – Putin is macho enough to believe that if he spots a weakness he would invade. Johnson failed to pass through Parliament a law to enable sanctions against oligarchs before the Parliamentary Break – too busy lying about parties and the growing distrust of his own party members. Putin needs to be clear that any aggression will be met not only with force, but also with immediate financial consequences.
Further there needs to be a diplomatic push with China to ensure it stays neutral at the least – surely not difficult given the trade between it and the West? Taiwan is the main obstacle here. That and the need for the West and America to recognise that the world order is fluid and changeable. Change is always a concern but not necessarily bad – will future generations look back on the domination of USA companies and culture as a bad thing? It certainly has a lot to answer for regarding the environment and cultural diversity.