“…Carlson then asked MacGregor what Putin’s endgame is in this conflict, to which MacGregor replied that it’s to take a portion of Ukraine and establish a buffer zone separating NATO with Russia….”
***************************************************************
MacGregor speculates that this “buffer zone” will be the portion east of the Dnieper river. IMHO, if the goal is to establish a defensible buffer nation it would also include ALL the territory in southern Ukraine west of the Dnieper that extends up to the Moldova border and to the northernmost border of Transnistria.
Yes I agree with those areas you mentioned......watching how Putins moved throughout the country and where tells more than any reporter guessing.
My guess has been that Putin’s aim is to keep everything east of the Dnieper. Anything less that isn’t big enough to be a proper buffer state. But I could see him keeping part of the south as well, depending on how the military campaign goes, to establish a border that extends to the Moldova border like you mentioned.
I also am guessing that Putin intends to take Kyiv and some territory to the west of the Dnieper in order to gain a negotiating position that lets him get a guarantee from greater Ukraine that it won’t join NATO. Once he has that he’ll give Kyiv back along with the western holdings and drop back to the Dnieper.
I think the rough model for all of this is Russia’s conflict with Georgia in 2008.