Deep States are giving up on the latest con...?
If so, hope to God it isn’t because they’ve gotten what they wanted.
Looks like this is going to devolve into brinksmanship for the next few years. Russia will stack up more and more forces in their breakaway areas, while Ukraine and other former bloc states will flirt more and more with NATO.
Someone needs to give this other megalomaniac a clue. He is not exactly innocent in this, and the citizenry of the West is too clued into the level of propaganda that we are not willing to fight Hunter's War.
I always look back to the Cold War for insight into Russian thinking. If I remember correctly, the Russians actually did pull out of Austria under the condition that Austria remain neutral, which they did. They also left Finland alone after WW2 (but held on to a chunk of their territory) as long as Finland remained neutral, which they also did. Even so, both countries prospered as Western democracies.
At this point Russia is basically asking the same of Ukraine, be neutral. Of course if they agree, Russia could attack in the future...but then again, they left Austria and Finland alone in a similar situation...
Read later.
Zelenskyy is just getting his people killed at this point.
Putin blinked because the demented megalomaniac is now stuck in a quagmire and the sanctions are destroying Russia. He’s a dead man walking from his own side for the damage he has done to Russia.
Vlad screwed up big time with hus invasion stunt and now is like trapped animal trying to find a way out.
Are they no longer demanding “denazification” and demilitarization? Just official neutrality?
If that’s so, it’s likely the war is going poorly for putin.
They should agree to that. It buys them time -- to beef up their defenses against any future invasion. Next time anyone encourages them to disarm, they'll think twice.
Meanwhile they rebuild with the respect of most nations, and Putin has a lot of egg on his face, while Russia will be convalescing from this debacle for years.
I would point out Russia didn’t offer to end the war, merely start a cease fire, and the condition that Ukraine lay down its arms is ridiculous.
Putin is Surrendering ?
Putin had a closed event in which the only attendees were Aeroflot female flight attendants.
Proof he is afraid of his own military leaders, politicians, and oligarchs.
There is no other rational explanation.
I don’t think the Russian military leaders are enthusiastically prosecuting the war.