Agree, but I recognize as well NATO’s concerns that before the dust would settle, at least a few nuclear bombs could be deployed. Some might reach America, but Americans might intercept them. However, to intimidate Europe, Russians might send some bombs there. They would likely try to avoid pissing off Germans, French, or Brits, but they blame Poles for the fall of the Soviet Union. If Russia decided to drop atomic bombs, strategically, Poland would be the primary target. For NATO, it would be much harder to intercept missiles targeting Poland as well.

Your approach would work if, before the war, Russia would get a warning that NATO would act upon article 4. I wrote about it. If Putin tries to avoid open conflict with NATO, he would not invade Ukraine. But if Putin seeks a military confrontation with NATO, as some speculate, we would have one already.

Now, our only chance of avoiding the open confrontation with NATO is in our hope that the Russians will depose Putin before it happens.