us govt now saying out loud what everyone has been saying privately for months:

complete removal of russian troops from ukraine territory (read particularly: crimea) is extremely unlikely.

at some point negotiations are best option.

exactly when negotiations should start will be ultimately decided by ukraine.

but influenced by nato.

key point: responsibility for the invasion is 100% on the kremlin.

return to feb 24 territorial lines has to be a minimum for any negotiation.

putin will not accept this through voluntary concession. ukraine needs to be supported military to impose it.

A lot of personal hogwash Bremmer!

1.) NATO has no might, Joe Biden is the pivot in decision for war or peace.
2.) Removing Russia from Crimea is utopic

Indeed, to keep NATO out of the Black Sea, Russia will keep Crimea and Eastern Ukraine for existential threat from the West. Erdogan needs to shed his Ottoman feathers eying Tatar independence and admit the Black Sea coasts will not be restored to Turkic empire.

For all the bloodshed in vain, very little border change from Feb. 24 demarcation line will happen. The hero German admiral Schonbach was correct and the politicians have failed. No pain for America, the European Union is destroyed. Western Europe is not compatible with Eastern Europe, too much diversion in historic pretenses. The EU was founded to stop old feuds and work on economic ties. The Rumsfeld, George Bush, Cheney, Clintons, Kerry, Biden and Trump have succeeded in destruction of foe Europe.

Scholz, Macron are begging monarchs and autocrats across the globe for a barrel of oil or a tank of LNG to keep warm and the industry from completely collapsing. Biden's baby in Kyiv and his Blitzkrieg across Europe ... was devastating. The freedom and optimism of 1989 has been undone. Every sort of settlement of the war in Ukraine will be illusoir. What has been wrought cannot be undone.

Further arming Ukraine will only destroy it. The west must act to end this war now | The Guardian - Apr. 27, 2022 |

'Sapere aude'