(September 6, 2022 at 6:30 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: What’s intriguing about this conflict is that Ukraine doesn’t have to win the battles to win the war - the longer it goes on, the worse it’s going to get for Russia.
... for everyone.
(September 6, 2022 at 6:30 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: Regarding specious comments made about the peace proposals: why in the world would Ukraine agree to cede territory to end the war?
Precisely.... to end the war.
(September 6, 2022 at 6:30 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: Russia didn’t stop at Crimea, what makes anyone think they’ll stop at the Donbas? Or eastern Ukraine? Or Poland? Or the Baltic states?
That would have to be agreed at the same time and any failure by Russia to abide by that deal, would result in some greater action by NATO. Hopefully, other large nations would also commit to keeping Russia in check.
(September 6, 2022 at 6:30 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: Putin has made it very clear that he feels Ukraine has no right to exist as a sovereign state.
That is probably propaganda to keep their morale up and instill fear in Ukrainian forces, don't you think?
(September 6, 2022 at 6:30 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: It always makes more sense to give the bully a broken nose that to keep giving him your lunch money.
What if the bully then breaks your bones?
I think that, if we are to ever see this war to end, some concessions must be given on both sides.
Russia claims to want their Russian speaking peoples in Donbas and Crimea to not be under the yoke of a western leaning government, along with wanting a buffer nation between it and NATO. Belarus is one and Ukraine should be the other.
From my point of view, this war is the wrong way to accomplipshing either of these goals, but what do I know?
- Concerning the Russian speaking people, simply giving them a Russian passport, housing and jobs in present day (ahem, 2021) Russia would have been far far cheaper in both currency and human life.
- Concerning the buffer to NATO, Russia would just need to be a friendly nation towards Ukraine... and the Oligarch-based society should have appealed to the Ukrainian Oligarchy, but maybe the greater market of the EU appealed more to them... I don't know. Either way, the Russian way of doing things was clearly steering Ukraine away from them, hinting that they were doing things the wrong way. And so, like children, Putin&co. resort to violence.
To end the war, Russia would give Ukraine some peace; Ukraine would give Russia some land.
The western world could ease back on some sanctions, but I think they should mostly be kept - it's that bloody nose you talked about.
Yes, Europe will suffer a bit with the lack of gas for a while, but that will provide a good incentive to invest in renewables/nuclear and further independence from the very geographically localized fossil fuels and the dodgy regimes that control them around the world (yes, this includes the US).
China and India would rub their hands in glee as they get cheaper oil and gas from Russia that they can't sell to Europe... but that's going to happen even if the war goes on indefinitely.