1. Build economic reliance upon Russia. certain critical commodities such as wheat, natgas, and oil.

• On his first day in office he canceled the Keystone pipeline and ever since has been making policies to undermine energy independence.
• Importing millions of barrels per day from Russia.
• Subsidizing oilseeds and biodiesel so American farmers don't actually create food.
• Trade agreements that export remaining food crops to places such as China.
• EU dependence upon Russian gas - more than 50% of their total supply.

2. Agitate Russia. this has been repeatedly for at least the last decade.

• Abysmal withdrawal in Afghanistan literally armed Russia's enemy combatants in Syria.
• Biden was warned specifically about the red line of Ukraine joining NATO and yet he has repeatedly been announcing that he plans to make it happen.
• US and NATO involvement in arming, funding, and training Nazi combatants who are targeting (former Russian) civilians in Eastern Ukraine.

3. Use aggression as an excuse to create sanctions that will cause runaway inflation and set the stage for the great rest

• lockdowns and self imposed scarcity
• paying people not to work, not to produce economic outputs
• shipping port mismanagement
• massive sanctions on all the commodities from step 1

4. (Optional) Loot Russia. I think a lot of people are focused on this and think this is what's going on but in my opinion this world be a side quest, not primary objective.