Agree that it will be very hard to do though. Best time to try was years ago, but unfortunately Boris Johnson vetoed that, and now the Russians don't want to negotiate.
The only possible way to bring the conflict to a lasting peace is to kill enough Russians (including civilians) that they simply no longer have the capability to conduct war. That is the reality.
If Russia truly wanted to conquer all of Ukraine, they would have made their move in 2014, when the Ukrainian army was far weaker and the front far less fortified. Instead, they stopped at Crimea, and provided only limited support to the breakaway provinces in the Donbas. (To this day, many hardline Russian nationalists resent Putin for this! They think he was "too soft")
Putin invaded in 2022 because he believed his hand had been forced. It wasn't, he was (and is) delusional and wrong, but there is every reason to think that he really believed it.
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/On_the_Historical_Unity_of_Ru...
I contend that it chose to invade because its leader wants to integrate Ukraine into the Russian Federation, and offered this as evidence of that desire. I think that contradicts your statement as to the true rationale for the invasion.
(Of course, Putin's invasion has driven that wedge much further, and destroyed the relationship much more thoroughly, than the "Nazis" ever could. That's why I called him delusional)
> Putin invaded in 2022 because he believed his hand had been forced. It wasn't, he was (and is) delusional and wrong, but there is every reason to think that he really believed it.
Then please name those reasons. As for the "negotiated settlement" you've brought forward - one could be forgiven to think that such a settlement would not be worth the paper it is written on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum .
> Switzerland and Hobart, TAS based
Easy for you to say! You aren't the one dying.
I don’t know where you’re from but I’d bet money it’s not your land the Russians would be occupying, товарищ.
Lots of not so friendly countries are watching what goes on in Ukraine very carefully, and making decisions about their future military plans…
Increasingly many do not feel that way!
So you’re saying the country that was invaded without any provocation, gives up territory for the pinky promise that Russia won’t do it again? You know this is already the second time in 10 years Putin has invaded and annexed Ukrainian territory, right? You do remember Crimea?
Or we can go further back in history, look at the policy of appeasement with hitler in 1939. It doesn’t end well. You don’t negotiate with invaders. They’re not going to stop because you asked nicely. They’re going to keep taking until it’s all theirs.
My eyebrows go up when anyone tries rehabilitating Boris' reputation re: Ukraine. He'll spend a long time in solitary confinement in the next life if there is any cosmic justice.
Does anyone remember Brexit and how he was hammering on that? I swear people are memory-holing this guy. Partygate hints at a monster, a professional liar.
Were you personally for diplomacy at any point in this process? Do you know why diplomacy broke down? (And do you know/can you recall why before you go research it now?) Have you personally gotten what you feel is a solid reason for the breakdown in talks?