Russia doesn't want to go to war with NATO. No one wants a nuclear war. I don't know what it is you don't see that I see. The Russians have always been conflict adverse, they barely had the courage to ship most their comrades small arms during the cold war, let alone stand up to the west. Their tactical dogma is built around the assumption that they are being invaded, which is part of the thing that's put them back on their heels in Ukraine. The only aggression they have ever offered is against weaker foes. In contrast the US is not all that conflict adverse and has often shown up to help weak "allies". NATO doctrine is pretty aggressive and the US is more aggressive than that. I don't see what advantage could ever be gotten by playing a weak hand against Russia.