Subject: Putin softening?
I'll need to read more about it. Presently, I am highly skeptical because of Putin's history. But, if he's willing to accept Ukraine being able to invoke Article 5 without actual NATO membership (as an aside, what's the difference then?), that would be an indication that what many on this board have been saying is true. Putin can't continue to prosecute this war, and is starting to feel pain. It is estimated that he will have reactivated or salvaged pretty much their entire stores by the end of this year. Then he'll have to build new from then on. I know I said several months ago that if Ukraine held out until the end of the year, Putin would have some painful choices to make. It may already be starting.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/art...

“It is important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said, “But there are no details how it will work, and what America’s role will be, Europe’s role will be and what the EU can do, and this is our main task, we need security to work in practice like Article 5 of NATO, and we consider EU accession to be part of the security guarantees,” he [Zelenskyy] said.