There have been clashes of empires since the dawn of man. See e.g. the histories of the Bronze Age empires and the clash of Sparta and Athens and Rome and Hannibal. It seems to me that it is of upmost importance that the USA and Russia should get along for both are looking out for the welfare of their own citizens. A lot of this conflict stems from misunderstandings.
I have tried to make clear some of the issues that have caused Russia to see the importance of protecting the Russians in the east areas in Ukraine, But whether i have succeeded or not, you should take my word for it that there are reasons and that it is not worth while to start WWIII because of this issue.
