If you'd asked our military if it would be worth it to eliminate the Russian threat for at least a decade without shedding a drop of US blood... they would have done cartwheels.
By contrast, if Russia had been allowed to take Ukraine Putin would be on the doorstep of Nato...and we would have had to increase our defense budget exponentially,
Of course, if you are a big fan of Putin and his repressive autocratic form of governing, this spending is a waste.
However, the "Putin is a genius" statement looks more ludicrous every single day.