• =?UTF-8?B?UHV0aW7igJlzIFJpc2luZyBQcmljZSBmb3IgUGVhY2UgaW4gVWtyYWluZQ==?

    From ltlee1@21:1/5 to All on Wed Oct 23 11:56:51 2024
    "Early in the war, Washington and Berlin believed that Mr. Putin was
    headed for defeat. Sanctions would cripple his economy, and public
    discontent would inexorably mount as the war dragged on. Western
    technology would give Ukraine enough of an edge on the battlefield to
    block Russian offensives, and in the end Mr. Putin would come to the
    West looking for an off-ramp from a ruinous war.

    Those were the good old days. ...

    What the Scholz and Biden teams now want is an off-ramp from Mr. Putin.
    ..
    Mr. Putin, unfortunately, isn’t in the business of offering easy
    off-ramps. Sensing Western war-weariness and Ukrainian weakness, he will probably demand a high price for peace.
    ..

    There are three things Mr. Putin wants from the war: as much of
    Ukraine’s territory and population as he can conquer, Russian vetoes
    over the foreign and economic policy of what is left of Ukraine after
    the war, and a substantial weakening of both NATO and the EU. Although
    the costs are high, every day of the war brings Mr. Putin closer to all
    three objectives."

    https://www.wsj.com/opinion/putins-rising-price-for-peace-in-ukraine-79ad1531

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