You mean how we were winning every engagement with them and were so good at fighting them they hid away for years just to try again and get thier asses handed to tjem once again.
Prowess and tech on the battlefield means little if the political winds change, the domestic situation is no longer in favor of continued conflict, or the leaders in DC are just malicious or incompetent.
All 3 happened in A-stan, and they didn't have nukes, Russia does, and so does China.
In Ukraine...we never should have tried to get involved there, even after the rebels downed that airliner on accident. Selling Ukraine weapons is one thing in the public mind, sending troops there to possibly fight actual Russian forces is vastly different.
All the current compromise does is basically restore the pre-Gorby Ukraine/Russian border.
If Russia makes a move on the Baltics or Balkans, that's unacceptable.
But I think that the Baltics also present less of value and are less connected to Russia historically than the Donbass and Black sea coast in rebel hands/Crimea.
If anyone had historical claim over the Baltics, it'd be Poland, not Russia, and Russia already has Kaliningrad for a warmwater port in the Baltics.
There are options between fighting Russia's historical influence in Eastern Europe, and pushing NATO farther east, and complete surrender to Russian dreams of recreating the USSR. We have to treat Russia with respect, not contempt, if we want them to ever feel like we aren't looking for any excuse to interfere in their affairs, and maybe be willing to do the same with us.
Particularly if we ever want Russia to feel safe enough to not see China as the lesser threat to their long term interests.
That does not mean we have to abandon eastern Europe either; quite the opposite actually. Help Poland become a UK level power, and help them get enough civie nuke power to offset Russian nat gas. It will change the balance in Eastern Europe, and help provide a strong, independently powerful ally in the region that is not Woke and is not a Russian stooge.
And giving Romania more weapons wouldn't hurt; let Vald's people do what they do best, and they will take care of themselves. Maybe see about giving them civie nuke tech too.