I argued on another site that Trump should be allowed breathing space to try and forge an acceptable peace. Apparently, numbers of others, including supposed and even genuine conservatives, think that this is a betrayal of Ukraine. Apparently, all unbeknown to me, I was, according to another contributor, supporting “Ukraine’s capitulation.”
I understand where these people are coming from. It is the mindset fashioned by the Alamo, Custer’s last stand, Britain standing alone in 1940, Rorke’s Drift, Masada, Constantinople, and many other backs-to-the-wall battles and wars. Their position is that Russia invaded Ukraine and cannot be rewarded for so doing and, beware, Russia wants more than just Ukraine under its thumb and will be emboldened by any perceived victory.
I can’t find fault with the logic of this position. I simply take issue with its real-world application. To take the second point first, that Russia is intent on empire building. Every country mentioned as potential targets for Russia – e.g., Poland and the Baltic states – are members of NATO. I would have thought that Article 5 would have deterred Russia from invading. Isn’t that why Zelensky is keen on joining?
Second, I might see the sense of being gung-ho for Ukraine, if I believed that it could lastingly “defeat” Russia within any reasonable timeframe and without drawing the US and Europeans into a wider war. But I don’t believe that for one moment. Russia is too big and has lost too many men to give up, however long the conflict is dragged out by supplying Ukraine with weapons of war. It will mean carnage on a largescale before Russia grinds out a victory, which may perhaps mean the end of Ukraine as an independent nation.
Realism points to the best solution being peace on sufferable terms.
In my view, those who are gung-ho for Ukraine live in a world of their own making, quite divorced from reality. In the absence of Russia’s capitulation – which is unrealistic – they appear to want endless war; and seem ready to risk a wider war and, also, let’s be clear-eyed, to risk the whole of Ukraine being overrun.
As I said in my post, which I referenced above, Trump’s strategy is the only game in town. I should have added, ‘in real life’. In La-La Land Russia withdraws its forces, issues mea culpas and pays reparations. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the victorious Saint Zelensky. Christoph Walz plays the chastened Putin the Terrible. And people aren’t really slaughtered in their thousands, day after day, week after week, year after year.
Let us keep in mind, Putin is winning, and winners don’t like ceasefires, particularly unconditional ones. But if Trump manages to find a way through and eventually brings about a lasting peace, he would surely be in line for the Nobel Peace Prize. A silly thought. I am realistic enough to know that nothing Trump can do will ever satisfy those suffering from TDS, i.e., the vast majority of the great and the good. Trump will inevitably be accused, whatever the outcome, of selling out Ukraine.
It has been my long held wish that the slaughter on both sides stop. Yes, it is baddy against baddy but it is young men who are dying. Find a ‘workable’ solution and rebuild.
I think there is a long and complex history between Russia and Ukraine.
That’s about all of any possible value I have to add on the topic and it is probably worthless.
I agree with AnotherRanga, I hope the slaughter of young men on both sides ends. That is probably the simplest and most sensible thing anyone could hope for.
When this conflict started and different opinions emerged, I took the time to read about the history of “Kiev Russ”, and how the Ukraine eventually came into being.
It is a very complex story indeed, goes back a long way.
Not making any judgement but ethnically it’s a mess, created by interfering American and European busybodies, after the wars.
I like the way you sorted your arguments. I’m afraid you are right, there is too much ideology and emotional baggage involved to convince those on both sides to see reason.
As you said, maybe Trump will come up with something to stop the slaughter of young men and distraction of infrastructure.
The big men obviously don’t care.
I thought I’ve turned off autocorrect?
Destructing little app.
Perhaps you were “distracted”
Agree with all of that, Peter. Furthermore, one needs to look at the ethnic distribution within modern Ukraine. The fight is basically over areas east of the Dneiper River, which are Russian speaking areas.
While no doubt many citizens of these areas may wish to remain in Ukraine, I would hazard a guess that many may well choose to return to the ethnic enclaves of the past. Why not have a UN run referendum on this issue?
Nikki Gemmell in the Oz:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/forget-trump-zelensky-is-the-true-leader-of-the-free-world/news-story/73b0d37ae4ab4cbb04b29a4c251f7608#comments
Women get excited by the idea of men fighting. Reason number 8678567 why women shouldn’t vote.
Love your comment. Though I know I shouldn’t.
Putin is a good ol’ fashioned Russian chauvinist. He simply doesn’t think Ukraine should exist.
He said as much in the first 30 minutes of his interview with Tucker.
This is an insurmountable problem beyond the comprehension of the tiny minds of the euroweenies.
Yet another example of stolen elections (2020) having consequences.
I’m in total agreement with you Peter, along with the article nearly 2 weeks ago in The Spectator Fallacies about the Ukraine War by James Allan (paywalled)
https://www.spectator.com.au/2025/03/fallacies-about-the-ukraine-war/
And now today I’m reading Zelensky is again changing his mind re delaying the ceasefire.
There is a lot of literature out at the moment about stolen elections etc.
What this shows is the two super powers using the Ukrane for there sphere of influence and weaponry.
WhatbI cannot find are the evidence of the fighting in the donbass, chimera and Odessa.
When the war started, there were excellent links to the fighting in Odessa, wth the small Russian population holding a demonstration in font of a civic building with a couple of busses filled with unkranian males armed with metal poles and plants of wood.
the Russians were killed and raped, bodies thrown out of windows.
this is why Odessa was taken over by Russia and the donbass war started.
Was there killing in the donbass before this, before 2014 ?
Realism points to the best solution being peace on sufferable terms.
Putler has had the guts kicked out of his army after finding out
a: His forces combined arms training was abysmal.
b: The doctrine of tanks covered by helicopters has become unfeasible due to man carried SAM.
c: His army is so corrupt that basics like tyres and fuel were either substandard or fake.
d: His reliance on groups like Wagner was fine for bush wars, much less so for anywhere else.
He will come away with a much depleted army which will have a lot of experience in what dosnt work on a modern battlefield.
Ukies have allowed themselves to be used as a catspaws for a lot of shady crap in the leadup
They have demonstrated that assault without air cover by armor is a mugs game, and no air cover by either side gets artillery back a queen of the battlefield.
The drone genie is out of the bottle, this is not a good thing.
They have lost so many of their people.
Both sides seem to enjoy posting “murder the wounded” via drone footage.
Both sides may only be remaining in the fight because of outside supplies/logistics and intel.
Both sides will have enormous numbers of observers (think Spanish civil war style) testing crap at the expense of mens lives.
Peace – even a bitter one, needs to occur.
It needs to stop. One million five hundred thousand men and boys dead, bleeding guts hanging out, shattered bodies. Sons snd brothers, uncles and now grandfathers since they are conscripting 60 year olds. There is nothing noble about death or injury in war.
Gemmel should offer herself as a soldier on the front line if she feels so strongly about it, instead of urging even more be thrown on the mountain of the already dead. I saw that video of the conscripted down syndrome guy with a wooden gun frightened in a trench, being taunted by the others. It is depraved and shameful.
Russia was always the main prize for the people sponsoring this war. And they always hated the Slavs. This has nothing to do with Ukraine, it was always about Russia. Ukraine is a proxy, used for its geographical location. They tried Georgia before, but Georgians seem more reasonable and more perceptive than Ukrainians. People supporting this UKR fight against “Russian aggressor” are, at minimum naïve, or simply Russophobes.
Trump is doing God’s work in trying to bring peace to this deep state engineered conflict.
John of Melb
Really, who had their greedy eye on Russia: Lithunania? Lichtenstein? Who exactly?
One of the most virulent anti-Russian nations, which is actually begging the US to site nuclear weapons on its territory because it despises and distrusts Russia, is itself Slavic: Poland.
Poland has a point seeing Russia has broken every single major international agreement that its entered into. To Russian politicians agreement are a feelz thing and won’t hold up next day if they so choose.
Is Lithuania sponsoring this war to the tune of almost half a trillion $s? Is Lichtenstein providing satellite drones’ targeting and all the modern equipment, and manning it (because Ukrainians don’t have the capability)?
They already started dealing with Poland by helping anti-conservative candidate to win the election. And then the current guy proceeded to prosecute and jail his political opponents (US-style).
The thinking in the UK and the US was always that one country (who is not them) cannot own some much land with so much resources on its own.
And what agreements from the last 40 years would that be? The Minsk accord?