NATO chief Rutte: "Why are we interested in what russia thinks about troops in Ukraine? It's a sovereign country. It's not for [Russia] to decide”
Rutte's point is jackass stupid and completely ignores post-Cold War history.
Russia supported Ukraine's independence on condition of neutrality and non-alignment. Washington's aspirations for Ukraine’s NATO membership violated that condition and disregarded previous assurances on NATO non-expansion.
However, let’s suppose Ukraine has an inviolable sovereign right to join any military bloc it likes. If Ukraine’s membership threatens the security balance with neighboring states, those neighbors also have an inviolable sovereign right to defend their interests and restore the balance.
Sovereignty isn’t a license to create provocative security threats and upset the balance of power.