> making Putin be the good guy

Come on. Who cares what he pretend?

> Best to make invading EU to be too expensive to be worth it.

How do you propose to estimate how much it is worth doing it?

IMO, it is best is to make the kremlin government collapse by all mean necessary. Including sabotage, assassination, propaganda, confiscation, corruption/trahison. And preemptive strike if needs to be.