Putin knows that striking a “western interests” could easily spiral out of control. Russians know first hand what an existential war entails, it’s nothing to be taken lightly. Amerikkkans have an entirely different view of world wars, they’ve never experienced a world war fought on their own soil. They’ve always been safe on their homeland and in recent times they can even view the action live streamed like its a video game. Even current US soldiers don’t really know what a war against a peer competitor is really like. Plenty of American “volunteers” to Ukraine can’t believe that fighting Russia is not the same as Irag.