Via a negotiated settlement, which would very likely include Ukraine giving up some amount of territory to Russia and making some guarantees about neutrality, and the West lifting sanctions, hopefully in exchange for Russia paying for Ukraine's reconstruction.

Agree that it will be very hard to do though. Best time to try was years ago, but unfortunately Boris Johnson vetoed that, and now the Russians don't want to negotiate.

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nradov 17 hours ago | parent | next [-]

That's such a naive comment. Any negotiated "settlement" that Russia would accept would leave Ukraine effectively defenseless and no longer a sovereign state. It would be only a temporary truce, which Russia would use to rebuild their military and then renew the invasion in a few years on some other artificial pretext.

The only possible way to bring the conflict to a lasting peace is to kill enough Russians (including civilians) that they simply no longer have the capability to conduct war. That is the reality.

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Georgelemental 16 hours ago | parent [-]

You base this assessment on what evidence?

If Russia truly wanted to conquer all of Ukraine, they would have made their move in 2014, when the Ukrainian army was far weaker and the front far less fortified. Instead, they stopped at Crimea, and provided only limited support to the breakaway provinces in the Donbas. (To this day, many hardline Russian nationalists resent Putin for this! They think he was "too soft")

Putin invaded in 2022 because he believed his hand had been forced. It wasn't, he was (and is) delusional and wrong, but there is every reason to think that he really believed it.

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__d 16 hours ago | parent | next [-]

You really should read Putin's 2021 essay on why Ukraine should be Russian

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/On_the_Historical_Unity_of_Ru...

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Georgelemental 16 hours ago | parent [-]

I have read that essay. It does not contradict anything I wrote above

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__d 12 hours ago | parent [-]

You claimed that Russia invaded because its leader felt his hand was forced. You have offered no explanation of how it was "forced" to invade a sovereign neighbor.

I contend that it chose to invade because its leader wants to integrate Ukraine into the Russian Federation, and offered this as evidence of that desire. I think that contradicts your statement as to the true rationale for the invasion.

	▲	Georgelemental 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		That essay demonstrates that Putin believes that Ukraine is closely linked to Russian civilization. That doesn't mean he believes Ukraine should be part of the Russian Federation, just that it should have close ties to it. The essay very explicitly advocates for the latter, and blames the West/NATO/"Nazis" for driving a wedge between the two countries. (Of course, Putin's invasion has driven that wedge much further, and destroyed the relationship much more thoroughly, than the "Nazis" ever could. That's why I called him delusional)

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janfoeh 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

There is also every reason to believe Putin is doing this to restore Russia to former size, influence and glory.

> Putin invaded in 2022 because he believed his hand had been forced. It wasn't, he was (and is) delusional and wrong, but there is every reason to think that he really believed it.

Then please name those reasons. As for the "negotiated settlement" you've brought forward - one could be forgiven to think that such a settlement would not be worth the paper it is written on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum .

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irlib 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

[dead]

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UpsideDownRide 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

There is no such thing as neutrality. If Ukraine cannot align with west it will mean they will be forced to be under Russia.

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el_jay 17 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Нet, товарищ. We do not reward wars of conquest by granting territorial gains to aggressors in Anno Domini 2026.

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Georgelemental 17 hours ago | parent [-]

> We do not reward wars of conquest by granting territorial gains to aggressors

> Switzerland and Hobart, TAS based

Easy for you to say! You aren't the one dying.

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defrost 17 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Unlikely Truganini is in agreement here, she watched Tasmanian territory seized by aggressors and those gains writ into law.

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el_jay 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Russia could end the war today by pulling out of the occupied territories and paying restitution. They aren’t doing that, and it seems the Ukrainians themselves still believe it is worth risking life and limb to keep them out.

I don’t know where you’re from but I’d bet money it’s not your land the Russians would be occupying, товарищ.

Lots of not so friendly countries are watching what goes on in Ukraine very carefully, and making decisions about their future military plans…

	▲	Georgelemental 16 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> and it seems the Ukrainians themselves still believe it is worth risking life and limb to keep them out. Increasingly many do not feel that way!

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ninkendo 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> Ukraine giving up some amount of territory to Russia and making some guarantees about neutrality

So you’re saying the country that was invaded without any provocation, gives up territory for the pinky promise that Russia won’t do it again? You know this is already the second time in 10 years Putin has invaded and annexed Ukrainian territory, right? You do remember Crimea?

Or we can go further back in history, look at the policy of appeasement with hitler in 1939. It doesn’t end well. You don’t negotiate with invaders. They’re not going to stop because you asked nicely. They’re going to keep taking until it’s all theirs.

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estearum 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Someone hasn't listened to or read anything from Putin in the last 10 years and it shows. What an astoundingly ignorant comment.

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dwoldrich 17 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Diplomacy was a deliberately lost art and the kickbacks were sweet.

My eyebrows go up when anyone tries rehabilitating Boris' reputation re: Ukraine. He'll spend a long time in solitary confinement in the next life if there is any cosmic justice.

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UpsideDownRide 16 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Have you considered that Boris could understand the situation better than you? People thinking that Russia can honor deals just baffle me.

	▲	dwoldrich 16 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Of course I considered he had information I don't have, I also don't trust him nor his judgement nor his friends nor his handlers and your attempt to rehabilitate him is, as I said earlier, quite an eyebrow raiser. Does anyone remember Brexit and how he was hammering on that? I swear people are memory-holing this guy. Partygate hints at a monster, a professional liar. Were you personally for diplomacy at any point in this process? Do you know why diplomacy broke down? (And do you know/can you recall why before you go research it now?) Have you personally gotten what you feel is a solid reason for the breakdown in talks?

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taneq 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Send in the Bees With Teeth.