You're effectively arguing that my highly critical perspective on NATO isn't valid or justified

What? No. I'm just saying that I disagree with it.

(Actually, highly critical perspective of NATO in general I can completely agree with, I spent a lot of my youth being vigorously critical of NATO while they were engaged in bombing the shit out of Yugoslavia and critical of the US for a huge multitude of reasons. I'm just saying that this particular criticism of NATO, that they were the ones that engineered the Ukraine war, I disagree with.)

is it that hard to imagine that they would put another country is a dire position to support their own geopolitical ends

It's not hard to imagine, they do it constantly. Including, right now, to Ukraine, by being overall a shitty partner, providing an inconsistent supply of weapons which the Ukrainians can't really turn down but which also come with a big laundry list of restrictions on how they're allowed to use them. I get why they do it, starting WW3 is something that impacts the US and they don't want that, whereas dead Ukrainians aren't something that impacts them so they're fine with it. I'm just saying that doesn't automatically mean that any particular theory which also includes them putting another country in a dire position etc etc automatically therefore becomes true.

You said you didn't want to debate the Ukraine war, so I didn't really say much about it, but if you want me to explain in detail why I don't agree with the theory I'm fine with doing that.