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Alexander Of Assyria

(7,839 posts)
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 08:33 AM Aug 2023

In Ukraine War...Neither side is winning. Is it time to negotiate?

Russia and Ukraine both reluctant to cede territory, but some Western allies are losing patience

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-endgame-analysis-1.6911021

"The history of negotiating with Vladimir Putin for the past 22 years has been a history of broken promises. The Russian state is brutally corrupt, increasingly attached to militarism and increasingly untrustworthy."

Still, the argument fills the pages of the respected Foreign Affairs magazine, where dueling headlines proclaim the conflict in Ukraine is an "Unwinnable War" and negotiations are the only realistic endgame, countered by the claim that "Russia Can Only Be Stopped On The Battlefield."

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/unwinnable-war-washington-endgame?check_logged_in=1&utm_medium=promo_email&utm_source=lo_flows&utm_campaign=registered_user_welcome&utm_term=email_1&utm_content=20230718


https://www.foreignaffairs.com/responses/should-america-push-ukraine-negotiate-russia-end-war#russia-can-be-stopped-only-on-the-battlefield

…..


…sober thought and analysis…which would you go for?












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In Ukraine War...Neither side is winning. Is it time to negotiate? (Original Post) Alexander Of Assyria Aug 2023 OP
we should be, and probably (i hope) are negotiating rampartc Aug 2023 #1
Bullshit................. Lovie777 Aug 2023 #2
It seems to me that Russia is losing. yardwork Aug 2023 #3
Russia has lost, they are only extending the war since they think there is a chance Trumpy can win FSogol Aug 2023 #4
But it's hard to argue that Ukraine is winning. maxsolomon Aug 2023 #34
That's why I phrased my response as I did. yardwork Aug 2023 #35
Who do you want to negotiate? Emile Aug 2023 #5
All Putin has to do is stand down and order his troops home. Torchlight Aug 2023 #6
The Ruble is tanking and Russia is losing. sarcasmo Aug 2023 #7
Exactly CanonRay Aug 2023 #15
I am as sensitive to any here about Russian propaganda, but read the opinion piece--it touches on hlthe2b Aug 2023 #8
Ukraine is giving it their all - we should do what we can to keep helping SalamanderSleeps Aug 2023 #9
Well, coming from you, I gained the impression you wanted Ukraine to surrender ages ago. Emrys Aug 2023 #10
Impressions can be in error, difficult to give up. Alexander Of Assyria Aug 2023 #16
Impressions reinforced by repetition tend to prove accurate. n/t Emrys Aug 2023 #19
Nothing preventing Putin from ordering a withdrawal Kaleva Aug 2023 #11
Only if Putin negotiates in good faith, which so far he refuses to do. They are not at stalemate ... marble falls Aug 2023 #12
Putin can not be trusted, that's the quandary with negotiations, Alexander Of Assyria Aug 2023 #17
So the response to that is to place the onus on the country that was invaded to negotiate a peace. BannonsLiver Oct 2023 #40
Ukraine is winning by not being overrun by their large neighbor. It is up to the Ukrainian Chainfire Aug 2023 #13
Ukraine negotiated with Russia in 1994 Clash City Rocker Aug 2023 #14
Negotiate what? How much of Ukraine Russia gets to keep? Fuck that shit. Wingus Dingus Aug 2023 #18
The answer is right there sarisataka Aug 2023 #20
No. Sky Jewels Aug 2023 #21
Came here to say just as much to find out you said it first. Efilroft Sul Aug 2023 #23
Agree. Sky Jewels Aug 2023 #26
When I see people on the left agreeing with the talking points from the right (and Russia)... Efilroft Sul Aug 2023 #27
Yep. It's like they're leftists from the 1950s and Sky Jewels Aug 2023 #29
Here's an article about a certain gullible element of the left getting hoodwinked. Sky Jewels Aug 2023 #30
Thanks, Sky Jewels. Efilroft Sul Aug 2023 #31
Ha ha, yes. Sky Jewels Aug 2023 #33
What weapons is NATO holding out on? maxsolomon Aug 2023 #37
Missiles, yes. Efilroft Sul Aug 2023 #38
F-16s are still on the needed list unc70 Aug 2023 #39
It should be up to Ukraine, nobody should be pressing them to negotiate. Pompoy Aug 2023 #22
What's the weather like in Moscow? NT anamnua Aug 2023 #24
Stalemate does not necessarily create a reason to negotiate: WWI comes to mind andym Aug 2023 #25
Putin and Medvedev need to be bombed back to the stone ages. Initech Aug 2023 #28
Would Czechoslovakia be enough to appease Putin? Fozzledick Aug 2023 #32
no. fuck anyone who says negotiate Recycle_Guru Aug 2023 #36

rampartc

(5,483 posts)
1. we should be, and probably (i hope) are negotiating
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 08:38 AM
Aug 2023

i'm sure trump could use his legendary bargaining skill to surrender without informing zelensky.

FSogol

(45,650 posts)
4. Russia has lost, they are only extending the war since they think there is a chance Trumpy can win
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 08:46 AM
Aug 2023

and will either aid them or reduce aid to Ukraine.

maxsolomon

(33,531 posts)
34. But it's hard to argue that Ukraine is winning.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 02:46 PM
Aug 2023

All the fighting is on their territory. They have suffered terrible damage to cities, to infrastructure, to Ukrainian lives, to their economy. They are nowhere near reclaiming Donetsk & Luhansk on the battlefield, let alone Crimea.

Russia doesn't appear to be running out of weapons or cannon fodder. They've mined the entire front and aren't running out of mines, ever. They still control the Black Sea & (mostly) the air. Putin is not going to be deposed. They can continue a war of attrition far longer than Ukraine can.

Finlandization may be the best Ukraine can get. It is tragic.

yardwork

(61,897 posts)
35. That's why I phrased my response as I did.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 02:52 PM
Aug 2023

Ukraine has lost, and continues to lose, enormously. It's a miracle they've held out this long and well.

It makes me mad that Russia is getting away with this.

Torchlight

(3,586 posts)
6. All Putin has to do is stand down and order his troops home.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 08:50 AM
Aug 2023

At that point, only then may good-faith negotiations begin. War is certainly not unwinnable, except maybe from Moscow's perspective.

hlthe2b

(102,777 posts)
8. I am as sensitive to any here about Russian propaganda, but read the opinion piece--it touches on
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 08:56 AM
Aug 2023

Putin's non-trustworthy history and the analysis is not conservative-biased. Likewise, foreignaffairs.com is a nonpartisan site.

I believe Russia is losing, but I'm not basing that on firsthand knowledge, so I have no problem at least "hearing" from war correspondents for Canadian media or the same from trusted US sources.

I am as pro-Ukraine as it comes, but I'm also willing to read what I may not be ready for or want to consider.

That said, I want to ramp up support for Ukraine, not try to arm-twist them into failed negotiations.

SalamanderSleeps

(609 posts)
9. Ukraine is giving it their all - we should do what we can to keep helping
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 08:56 AM
Aug 2023

and the MAGA-Putin Gang should keep their traitorous pie holes shut.

Emrys

(7,328 posts)
10. Well, coming from you, I gained the impression you wanted Ukraine to surrender ages ago.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 09:10 AM
Aug 2023

Your glib framing of a complex situation in an ongoing war as "Neither side is winning" says it all.

What do you suggest they negotiate?

Immunity for Putin and his henchmen for the massive war crimes they've committed and are still committing daily?

If so, you'd reward criminality on a grand scale.

Ceding of Ukrainian territory to Russia?

Look at what it's done in the territory it's already temporarily holding and populations it's subjugated. Repression, torture, rape, mutilation, murder, crushing of dissidence, use of people as human shields, kidnapping of children, basically genocide.

Any prospect that Russia could stage a "peaceful" occupation of Ukraine was snuffed out by its conduct in Bucha and other conurbations.

So ceding would again reward wanton criminality and give no guarantees of a better life for anyone in the region, and would just postpone further hostilities against a better-prepared Russia.

And how would you enforce any settlement that might be negotiated?

Putin never saw a treaty he wasn't happy to flout. Tune in to the Russian airwaves on a daily basis, translated by the likes of Julia Davis, and you'll see that the Putin regime's agenda is bloodthirsty imperialism on a far grander scale than it's attempting currently.

More crucially, repeated opinion polls have shown no appetite for capitulation among Ukrainians themselves. How would you intend to impose any settlement that the population doesn't want, indeed fears?

marble falls

(58,267 posts)
12. Only if Putin negotiates in good faith, which so far he refuses to do. They are not at stalemate ...
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 09:14 AM
Aug 2023

... by a long shot.

BannonsLiver

(16,630 posts)
40. So the response to that is to place the onus on the country that was invaded to negotiate a peace.
Wed Oct 11, 2023, 08:05 PM
Oct 2023

Yeah, that’s not how it works.

 

Chainfire

(17,757 posts)
13. Ukraine is winning by not being overrun by their large neighbor. It is up to the Ukrainian
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 09:21 AM
Aug 2023

people and government to decide how to pursue or end the war. If the NATO allies are getting bored with the war, they need to step up the aide and give Putin something to fret about. Negotiating with Putin would be like negotiating with Trump; he will tell you what you want to hear and then ignore everything he promised. Smart alliances do not try to negotiate with war criminals.

Clash City Rocker

(3,403 posts)
14. Ukraine negotiated with Russia in 1994
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 09:34 AM
Aug 2023

Ukraine surrendered their nuclear weapons. In return, Russia promised to never attack Ukraine. Then Russia attacked Ukraine, proving that Russia can’t be trusted to negotiate in good faith.

As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. If Ukraine gives land to Russia, Putin takes it, slaughters anyone in that region who doesn’t vow fidelity to Russia, repositions his troops and then attacks Ukraine again to get more. Zelensky isn’t that dumb.

sarisataka

(19,177 posts)
20. The answer is right there
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 10:22 AM
Aug 2023

If the aggressor cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith, there is no reason to negotiate.

There example of a Korean type of ceasefire is a false comparison. The ceasefire line was essentially the prewar border. Do you see Putin pulling back to his border?

Still there are those who would once again give away another country's territory for "peace for our time".

Sky Jewels

(7,259 posts)
21. No.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 10:24 AM
Aug 2023

Enough with the bullshit appeasement of brutal invaders and destroyers of a sovereign nation. I’m so fucking sick of the Putin apologists.

Efilroft Sul

(3,599 posts)
23. Came here to say just as much to find out you said it first.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 10:42 AM
Aug 2023

The West needs to quit dragging its feet on giving Ukraine the weapons it needs to win this war faster.

Sky Jewels

(7,259 posts)
26. Agree.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 12:30 PM
Aug 2023

This is a scenario on par with Hitler's invasions of European countries in WWII.

The people on the "left" who talk about "negotiating" as if this were some arrangement both sides had voluntarily entered into just enrage me.

Efilroft Sul

(3,599 posts)
27. When I see people on the left agreeing with the talking points from the right (and Russia)...
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 02:11 PM
Aug 2023

...something's very wrong. You don't take sides with the goddamned oppressor — you kick his ass.

Sky Jewels

(7,259 posts)
29. Yep. It's like they're leftists from the 1950s and
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 02:14 PM
Aug 2023

they're reflexively sympathizing with the USSR over the oppressive "west."

I am about as liberal/progressive as they come (Bernie Sanders level), but I can see through bullshit propaganda, no matter the source. Even Bernie is for aiding Ukraine in its righteous fight against Putin's Russia.

Efilroft Sul

(3,599 posts)
31. Thanks, Sky Jewels.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 02:17 PM
Aug 2023

I clicked on the link and Cornell West's grimace half-scared the bejeezus out of me.

Sky Jewels

(7,259 posts)
33. Ha ha, yes.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 02:28 PM
Aug 2023

He has done a lot of good things. But it's a shame he's going to ultimately be hurting the progressive side with his third-party b.s. candidacy.

maxsolomon

(33,531 posts)
37. What weapons is NATO holding out on?
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 03:13 PM
Aug 2023

They've got fighter jets, tanks, HIMARS, anti-missile systems, and as many artillery shells as we can produce.

Cruise Missiles?

Efilroft Sul

(3,599 posts)
38. Missiles, yes.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 05:01 PM
Aug 2023

The Biden administration and the German ministry of defense are waffling about sending their respective longer-range ATACMS and Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Bureaucrats in both countries are soiling themselves about Ukraine using those weapons to bring home the war to Russia and are looking into placing range restrictions on them.

unc70

(6,149 posts)
39. F-16s are still on the needed list
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 05:14 PM
Aug 2023

Drones are helping, but control of the air is still lacking. Air superiority is still lacking

Pompoy

(126 posts)
22. It should be up to Ukraine, nobody should be pressing them to negotiate.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 10:35 AM
Aug 2023

In the meantime, provide as much help as possible.

andym

(5,451 posts)
25. Stalemate does not necessarily create a reason to negotiate: WWI comes to mind
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 11:17 AM
Aug 2023

The WWI stalemate lasted for 5 years, before the war came to a close with the allies defeating the central powers. A negotiated peace was not possible because of the incompatible goals of the sides as is the case in Ukraine. Russia wants to annex Ukraine, either ASAP or in the near future. Ukraine wants to remain independent. These are incompatible goals and there is no possibility of successful negotiation.

Initech

(100,237 posts)
28. Putin and Medvedev need to be bombed back to the stone ages.
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 02:12 PM
Aug 2023

And I think that's the only way we win this war. Otherwise they'll have their sights set on their next target.

Recycle_Guru

(2,973 posts)
36. no. fuck anyone who says negotiate
Wed Aug 16, 2023, 02:55 PM
Aug 2023

Ukraine and allies should bleed Russia until they get all land back including Crimea.

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