Subject: Re: Let’s See If This Pans Out for Putin
The way to end the war is to persuade Russia that Ukraine (and the West) will never stop fighting. The European strategy is exactly that - make it clear and unambiguous that support for Ukraine will continue unstopped until Russia leaves the country.

Certainly agree, but it’s not lost on me that the last Russian guy who retreated (from Afghanistan) lost his job just a year or two later (Gorbachev) and I’m sure Putin is also aware of that history. That makes his retreat a much more bitter pill, and he is likely to try to prevail unless internal forces (either political, economic, or otherwise) force his hand.

I wish it were not so, but I’m not optimistic. That said, to allow him to claim land by naked aggression will only encourage him to repeat it again. (Actually, as he has since Crimea (most notably) and other smaller territories in 2022.)