[Antoninus]

but that’s only to facilitate the lasting agreement that Russia has all the land on the Black Sea.

A land corridor to Crimea seems to be one of the key objectives, yes. It could also explain the "lack of progress" in the attack on Kiev. The longer the Russians threaten Kiev, the more of Ukraine's military will be tied down defending the capital, the fewer men and material will be available to defend in the south.

[DoughtyOne]

Yes, I agree with that.