wtmartinaggie said:
Sorry for going dark there, campout with the kiddo this weekend....
My main question is two fold. First, why the veiled sense of satisfaction over the prospect of Ukraine losing? That seems odd from an emotional sense as an American. Second, I get you may not agree with the war, but I just can't grasp why anyone would want them to lose and see that as anything but a significant strategic setback for the West.
The Ukrainians are a pawn in the sense they are a geographical buffer zone, there's no debate there. I get hating that it's the case and wanting it to end. Losing ground and negotiating a stalemate just invites future conflict. The Russians have have made it pretty clear that their ambitions reach to Moldova and likely beyond. If 2008, 2014, 2018 and 2022's incursions along Russia's border territories are any indication for the future, they'll keep going until they are defeated. That means more leveled cities, more displaced people, and more mine-laden territory to reconstruct.
I guess the long/short of it is that I don't see this cycle stopping until:
1) The Russians are comprehensively pushed back by one of these independent states.
2) WW3 starts and East or West unconditionally surrenders.
We can start there.
I don't see any way out of stalemate without us going all-in on Ukraine which would essentially be WWIII. Ukraine is not getting their land back unless they can take it back on their own. Odds of that are extremely low. Odds for getting Crimea back don't exist. That ship sailed in 2014.
So, their options are to negotiate a settlement that somehow placates Russia or add Ukraine as the 51st state and fund them into perpetuity.