I read your comment earlier and didn’t take it the right way.
You are exactly right.
I have no interest in seeing a bad player be rewarded with
land and mineral/or energy deposits, not saying you did or
didn’t.
In this instance, the land should be returned. > IMO
If the Russian speakers want to be a part of Russia,
Russia should facilitate them moving into Russia.
Let them sell their land in the Ukraine for a reasonable
amount, then buy/build in Russia.
That’s what we suggest for people in the U.S. who are
unhappy here.
The borders were set years ago, after careful negotiations
between Russia and the Ukraine. The time to address this
was back then. Now it needs to be handled somewhat
differently.
Agree. As Japan most recently found out war should never be the first, second or even the third resort. Putin effed up.
Having said that I’m trying to see two sides of this conflict. Those eastern provinces were part of Russia less than a hundred years ago and were arbitrarily given to Ukraine as a political sop. As such they do contain majority Russian populations. Ukraine has been fighting a separatist movement there for at least the past ten years, and given the ‘foreign interest’ in Ukraine Russia obviously honestly feels it is being encircled.
All of this should be considered. Anyway, given Russia has invested hundred(s) of thousands of lives already they will hardly be willing to begin negotiating with their withdrawal as a precondition.