No. of Recommendations: 10
Putin has the upper hand right now in the Ukraine. Why? Because as we've said ad infinitum here Zelensky doesn't have the dudes, the guns or the money to push Putin out.
Doesn't matter. You seem to refuse to accept that. It just doesn't matter. Look at Afghanistan (twice...once with us, once with the USSR...and if we go back further, the British). Look at Vietnam. There are numerous examples throughout history of an inferior power outlasting a superior one.
All the Ukrainians have to do is outlast him. And they are more than capable of that as long as they get materiel from the west. I won't recapitulate all the facts I've provided in the past. But they haven't changed, and in some cases have become more severe (for Putin). Another six months (maybe a year), and Putin will be desperate to have this war over, and salvage some credibility. Arguably, he's already getting desperate.
As for the Felon, he really wants a Nobel Peace Prize. He thinks he can get it by getting both sides to end the war in Ukraine. IMHO, the only way he would even be in the running is if he got Putin to withdraw completely, including from Crimea. If he did that, he might actually deserve the prize. But that's not going to happen because of the Felon. It will only happen when continued aggression causes Putin more harm than good back home. Plus, he'll never give up Crimea willingly.
