So now that the US, EU and Ukraine know what we already knew six months ago they’re letting it leak out to the general public.
“The conversations have included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal, the officials said. Some of the talks, which officials described as delicate, took place last month during a meeting of representatives from more than 50 nations supporting Ukraine, including NATO members, known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the officials said.”
The problem with those talks is they don’t include Russia.
“The Biden administration does not have any indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate with Ukraine, two U.S. officials said. Western officials say Putin still believes he can “wait out the West,” or keep fighting until the U.S. and its allies lose domestic support for funding Ukraine or the struggle to supply Kyiv with weapons and ammunition becomes too costly, officials said.”
What’s wrong with this whole picture. We convinced the Ukrainians that between their manpower and our weapons the Russians would be crushed in months. That is probably because we believed that Ukraine was just a foreign possession of Russia. And they wouldn’t expend the blood and treasure to fight for it.
But there are millions of Russians for whom the Donbass is their ancestral home. It would be like California breaking away from the US and the Mexicans living there trying to force the Anglo residents of Northern California to give up their language and culture. If it came down to pictures of Sacramento being ethnically cleansed would it be surprising if the US stepped in and tried to annex the Anglo areas? I don’t think so. Well at least if we had a president who didn’t hate America.
After this I’m guessing the Baltic states and the Eastern Europeans will begin reevaluating their relations with the US, the EU and Russia. Following the lead of the US in matters of war has been shown over the last twenty years or so to be a perilous strategy.
So the geniuses in the Pentagon and the State Department had already figured this out months ago but continued to spout all the nonsense about the breakout that was about to sweep away the Russians in Crimea. One thing though, the reality of what will end up happening there should make it easier for the Republican House to put a stop to that $61 billion Biden wants to finish off the few remaining Ukrainian men.
I wonder where in the US Zelensky will end up retiring to? Hopefully he’ll update his ensemble and stick to comedy but skip the piano playing.