This statement is over-generalized and ignores the various reasons the people of Ukraine chose to revolt.
From 2013-2014, the people of Ukraine rose up against their corrupt government and protested the president’s refusal to sign an association agreement with the EU. According to the University of Connecticut, “The Euromaidan Protests/Maidan Revolution/Revolution of Dignity/Revolution of Honour was a student protest movement that sought to force the pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to sign an agreement of association with the European Union. The mass protests were focused in and around Kyiv's Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti/Майдан Незалежності) and turned violent. The movement forced an end to the Yanukovych presidency and the creation of a unity government in early 2014. The effects of the Maidan Revolution led Russian President Vladimir Putin to annex Crimea and support a pro-Russian separatist movement in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which set the stage for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.” (https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/ukraine/contemporary)
The people of Ukraine were not simply “pro-Western” and “aiming to align the country with NATO,” but rather they were dealing with a corrupt leader and government. Viktor Yanukovych aroused dislike from the Ukrainian people in various ways including lavish spending, cronyism, and strengthening ties with Russia against the will of the majority. (https://kyivindependent.com/viktor-yanukovych-ukraines-scandal-ridden-ex-president/ and https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/understanding-ukraines-euromaidan-protests)
While a number of Ukrainians did want to join NATO and create closer ties with the west, that was not the only reason for the uprising in 2014. Therefore, this claim holds some truth, but it is also misleading because it paints a picture that becoming part of NATO was the sole reason for the revolution.
