Putin likely can withstand any sanctions from U.S. or Europe

The reason for this likely would be that he doesn't care what happens to democratic Capitalists inside or outside of Russia and wants to re-establish the Soviet Union.

So, here is likely the danger: The U.S. applies all its sanctions and then Putin knows nothing else is coming so he invades Ukraine and whatever other countries he wants with his army.

I think the end result is that the U.S. will have to fight fire with fire. In other words the U.S. (with Ukraine's permission) might have to hire it's own mercernary army that it can disavow in public to fight against Putin's mercenary army he has hired to take over cities one by one.

So, these mercenaries likely would be sort of like Blackwater was in Iraq, a private Army hired by the U.S. but disavowed as a part of the U.S. military. So, they would be fighting and dying for money only and wouldn't be recognized as presently being U.S. soldiers even though they might once have been.

This concept is likely sort of a proxy war of a proxy war the kind that Putin has declared using KGB tactics. So, these would be a CIA hired mercenary army to combat the KGB type of mercenary army presently in place in the Ukraine.

IF the Russians called us on this we would have to say they weren't our soldiers. If Germany was called on this they would have to say, "They aren't our soldiers." If Britain was called on this they would have to say "They aren't our soldiers" But, like I said likely this will happen in order to prevent a nuclear war of actual armies with insignias. IF Russia can deny their mercenaries then so can the U.S., Germany, France, England etc. As long as Ukraine approves of this likely this is what will start to happen next in Ukraine. (unless Putin pulls out his mercenary army from the Ukraine).