Ukraine's Future as a European Nation

Ukrainian government was made up instilis some extent of old party functionaries, people who came tho the comsomal. But ucrane began charting its own independent course and wanted to separate itself as much as possible from russia. Ukraine has made it clear that it sees its future as a open, democratic european nation. And russia doesn't like that. Do you think that the war february was inevitable? And that putin always intended to invade? Or was there something that could have been done, either among the belligerents or by the west,. to prevent it?