But he probably would have economic sanctions placed on Russia as a result, a negotiated solution would remove those sanctions.
Putin would laugh his ass off. Sanctions? Have western Europe will freeze their asses off when they stop buying Russian natgas due to sanctions?
Putin’s got them (and us) by the short hairs on this one. Geopolitically we’re weak in Ukraine and the rest of the Russian neighborhood. Recent incompetence by our glorious leadership on just about everything certainly doesn’t make Russians really worried.