> which was provoked nonetheless

This is misinformation.

> the US proxy war

This is misinformation.

Use your favorite search engine to find the "rand corporation overextending and unbalancing russia" paper. There are dozens of similar papers, also from Brookings: "path to persia"

By the way, the Trump administration also perpetuated this "misinformation" when they pretended to seek peace in January 2025.

> the "rand corporation overextending and unbalancing russia" paper.

This document does not say what you said it says.

> also from Brookings: "path to persia"

This document is about Iran, and has nothing to do with Ukraine.