If that’s the idea then it’s a rather misguided plan. Russia knows exactly what promises from the west are worth at this point, and they’re perfectly aware that if the conflict was somehow frozen then the west will waste no time pumping Ukraine with weapons and beefing up their military as fast as they can.
After having committed so many resources, and having lost so many lives, it’s politically impossible for the Russian government to do anything but finish this decisively. There’s also very little reason for Russia to negotiate given that they’re winning militarily, economically, and geopolitically. The longer this war goes on the worse off the position of the entire west becomes.
Finally, Russia knows that China has its back because China needs Russia as a partner to secure resources and as a shield in the west. The worst possible outcome for China would be if Russia was balkanized by the west and US was able to install puppet regimes there. The war is also depleting US resources pushing out their timeline for a conflict with China which gives China much needed time to prepare. Therefore, if Russia ever found itself in a difficult position then China will step in and provide support.
This is not a conflict that can end on terms favorable to the west. The real question is what the west will do once they realize the reality of the situation. I’m hoping western leaders aren’t suicidal enough to start a nuclear holocaust, but given that constant escalation has been the approach, unfortunately that can’t be ruled out as the ultimate outcome here. The alternative is for the west to accept defeat which will be the end of the empire as everyone in the world will see that NATO cannot match Russia as a military power.
If that’s the idea then it’s a rather misguided plan. Russia knows exactly what promises from the west are worth at this point, and they’re perfectly aware that if the conflict was somehow frozen then the west will waste no time pumping Ukraine with weapons and beefing up their military as fast as they can.
After having committed so many resources, and having lost so many lives, it’s politically impossible for the Russian government to do anything but finish this decisively. There’s also very little reason for Russia to negotiate given that they’re winning militarily, economically, and geopolitically. The longer this war goes on the worse off the position of the entire west becomes.
Finally, Russia knows that China has its back because China needs Russia as a partner to secure resources and as a shield in the west. The worst possible outcome for China would be if Russia was balkanized by the west and US was able to install puppet regimes there. The war is also depleting US resources pushing out their timeline for a conflict with China which gives China much needed time to prepare. Therefore, if Russia ever found itself in a difficult position then China will step in and provide support.
This is not a conflict that can end on terms favorable to the west. The real question is what the west will do once they realize the reality of the situation. I’m hoping western leaders aren’t suicidal enough to start a nuclear holocaust, but given that constant escalation has been the approach, unfortunately that can’t be ruled out as the ultimate outcome here. The alternative is for the west to accept defeat which will be the end of the empire as everyone in the world will see that NATO cannot match Russia as a military power.