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The rapid escalation of Russian military action in Ukraine blindsided many, but did the West ignore Vladimir Putin’s expansionist ambitions?

Monday, as Russia effectively gained control of Crimea, a region with which it has long-standing historic, cultural and military ties, experts and commentators said it may have failed to heed the warning signs.

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Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser placed the blame for the military assault at least in part on mistakes made by Western powers.

Most provocative, he said, were the actions of NATO in what Moscow considered its sphere of influence. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the military alliance moved to recruit many former Eastern bloc countries — 12 have joined since 1999.

“The move east,” Mr. Fraser wrote in Britain’s The Guardian, “was provocative, unwise and a very clear signal to Russia: we are not willing to make you a co-operative partner in the management of European or world affairs; we will exercise the power available to us and you will have to put up with it.”