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Posted on 02/26/2026 4:34:25 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Trump administration is pressing Kyiv to agree to painful territorial concessions as the price for peace. In a draft peace agreement first reported by Axios in November, the administration proposed that the entire regions of Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk be recognized as de facto Russian territory and that Russia retain control of the parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia its forces now occupy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing back, refusing to do anything that would violate his country’s territorial integrity. Yet the realities of the battlefield are not on his side.
Ukraine has been putting up valiant resistance, but its determination cannot disguise the fact that it is losing the war. Russia controls a large swath of Ukrainian territory, and Kyiv has little chance of dislodging it, as Ukraine’s failed counteroffensive in 2023 demonstrated. To be sure, recent Russian gains have come very slowly and at significant cost; over the last three years, Russia has taken a mere one percent of additional Ukrainian territory. But that does not change the reality that Russia now holds almost a fifth of the land within Ukraine’s 1991 borders—or that Russia’s greater resources and population mean that Moscow can fight on for years to come. Overcoming those Russian advantages and clawing back lost land on the battlefield would require time and investment that Ukraine doesn’t have.
Current circumstances are therefore pushing Kyiv toward a compromise peace—one that will necessarily include the surrender of Ukrainian territory.
(Excerpt) Read more at foreignaffairs.com ...
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What war?
Wasn’t Ukraine supposed to be erased after two weeks?
I honestly have no idea who is “winning”. Russia seems stalled at the front for the last two years. Ukraine is able to hit deeper into Russia and key targets, while Russia can do the same. A rocket here, a missile there, but on the ground nothing seems to be moving much.
But, the realpolitik of it is simply that the EU and US are paying just to maintain this status quo on the front lines. Russia could mobilize a million more men who served and retired prior to the war. That would mean a lot more US and EU resources. So Trump saying to Zelensky “give up those ethnic Russian provinces” seems reasonable IF it will actually end the war. Ukraine stays a neutral buffer zone between NATO and Russia. Russia already “lost” a lot, including seeing Sweden and Norway join NATO even if Ukraine did not. Putin can claim victory, and Zelensky can claim he defeated the red menace.
Those lines don’t move very much.
And that's the million dollar question.
Russia doesn’t lack for land and the factories that are in Ukrainian-held Donbas are probably outdated.
That’s not much for Russia to gain in Donbas.
From the Russian perspective, Ukraine is a buffer state.
Even if they are, what about the mighty Russian Military who thought Ukraine would be beaten in about a week.
That was 4 yrs ago. Sh!t happens.
Kiev in two weeks!
As the days and weeks go by, it is certain that the war will continue until it ends. When it ends, it will no doubt be rather clear as to the outcome. Wait and see.
The remainder of the animosity on FR threads seems a but like the halftime show on a championship game, everyone with something to say, but with the rest of the game left to be played. Time will tell.
You are most welcome, Private Oblivious.
Yeah Ukraine has been losing this war for four plus years now and Russia is winning it at the rate of 2K casualties for every 100 meters gained. At the rate they are going this will be The 100 Years War II. Victories like this end empires.
Trump’s attention is needed elsewhere (IRAN)
Let Ruzzia and Ukes fight it out.
So does Ukraine get to keep the 1200 sq kilometers of Russia they captured ????
I agree. Ditch Zelensky and Putin.
The two dwarf napoleons deserve each other.
It’s a little man’s war.
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