By that logic, Georgia and Moldova should have subordinated themselves to being bent to the will of Russia and promised never to join NATO. Finland and Sweden have literally spent decades placating first the Soviet Union and then the Russian Federation by stating that they wouldn't join NATO. They simply wanted Russia to leave the other states alone. Georgia was no threat to Russia, but they wanted economic and security assurances that EU and NATO membership might bring, so Russia fanned the flames insurgent groups and made sure that NATO won't touch them with Russia-friendly breakaway Republics.

Moreover, Zelensky wasn't even president in 2014 when Russia invaded the Ukraine the first time, literally taking the Crimea in contradiction to the treaty the nation signed promising to respect Ukraine's sovereign territory.

This is classic victim-blaming. Commenter /u/Alphix blames Zelensky for all the post-2014 bombings, even though he didn't take office until 2019. Crimea was specifically recognized by Russia, via treaty, as part of Ukraine. Putin stomped all over that treaty in 2014, and nothing anyone says or does can change that unalterable fact.

The idea that "all Zelensky" had to do was state he was not join NATO was, effectively, a subordination to the Russian state, much like Belarus and Armenia. They would have to settle to being a functional puppet of Putin and his regime. If you're just OK with a "soft" version of the Soviet Union, that's your business. But I for one won't buy into such tactics.