You are likely to need it.
Russia has laid out its claims for peace. They are winning on the battlefield and in their economy. And they do have some pretty strong allies that we've helped them create. Russia is the winner -- not the loser. They have faced the best the US/NATO can throw at them and still are winning.
Why in the world would they relent now? Well, they won't. They will go for a deal that gets them very close to their stated objectives of the last three-plus years. Anything less is a fool's game.
Trump should be smart enough to know that he ain't dealing with some little bitty country like Iraq or Afghanistan with threats and that can't fight back (except, of course, Yemen still fights back). He'll need to turn on the charm and not the attack dog.
I'm glad he's trying 'cause it's high time we focused on our own and the $37 trillion in debt that can sink us.
“They have faced the best the US/NATO can throw at them and still are winning.”
No, they haven’t. Haven’t fought US troops yet. Just some weapons. If the USA was to fight them, we’d destroy them.
It’s a WWI style trench warfare stalemate. No one on either side is breaking thru like a panzer blitzkreig. That bird has flown.
I do agree that Russia can keep the pressure on Ukraine for far longer than Ukraine can find men to defend itself, but that is still years away at this pace.
Putin does have a lot to lose—mostly human beings and a huge, hefty economic price.
I think Trump’s offer to let them keep the lands they occupy, and end US sanctions is a good deal for Putin that he’ll take.