Makes sense while the West lacks a Donald Trump; but sense seems to have gone out the door since Trump’s shonky removal.

Disagree! The best hope that Ukraine has is its immediate inclusion in the EU and NATO!

And the west finding alternative energy sources that do not include buying any of it from Russia! And the west needs to show its resolve by amassing a D day style build up on the borders with Ukraine and by sending arms, equipment and mercenaries into Ukraine.

And the UN needs to send combat troops in as well! Never ever again standing on the sidelines, watching unarmed men, women and children being slaughtered in hundreds of thousands!

And the power of veto in the UN security council needs to be removed from Russia and China by a majority vote on the floor by the assembly! Someone needs to stand up and stand for something! Like true Christian morality!

I dare say there'd be hundreds of thousands of able-bodied fighters ready and willing to fight the Russian aggressor. If given weapons and ammunition, and a green light by western governments?

And we need to send more smart bombs to make the price Russia pays way too high for the aggression to continue.

Appeasement is not and never was an answer, nor the surrender of chunks of sovereign territory! Give a little and there will always be demands for more and more!

Other than that, the cure could well be, a little lead pill right between Putin's peepers, or a cruise missile through his bedroom window when he is at home and tucked up in his beddy byes?
Alan B.

Don't agree that Trump's removal was shonky. He lost a fair election! And he was in bed with Putin. Talk about rewriting history and being patently one eyed and self deluded! Trump's day will come and as that happens, the house of cards will fall, he will lose all credibility and probably will serve time?
Alan B.

Ukrainian people need to be saved from the neo nazi types installed in power by a US sponsored coup in 2014. Which failed regarding the US hoping to gain access to Russian military facilities in Crimea. It was a Russian autonomous region before Soviet leader Khrushchev, who was a Ukrainian transferred it to Ukraine in 1954. In 2014, Crimeans overwhelmingly voted to rejoin Russia. Also, in eastern Ukraine, the predominately historically Russian population objected to being ruled by this new government in Kiev and declared independence. Since then around 14,000 people have been killed in the low intensity war with Kiev hoping to retake the area by force. When it became obvious recently a full scale invasions was being planned, the Presidents of Donetsk and Luhansk ASKED Russia for help. The Russian Parliament recognized these republics and authorized Vladimir Putin to initiate appropriate action.

It seems as the author mentions, that Russia would quickly stop further military action if Ukrainian government recognized independence of Donetsk and Luhansk and that Crimea is part of Russia. Also that Ukraine will not join NATO. Of which the real purpose has long been to keep the US in Europe and to solicit support for its aggressive activities , Russia out and Germany down. With Ukraine continuing to fight - largely encouraged by the US, seems result will be Russians taking over more territory. Including capital Kiev to displace government from its headquarters and also the whole Ukrainian Black Sea coastline to Romania. Note the largely unrecognized independent Transnistria - on a strip of land between Ukraine and Moldova is largely Russian sympathetic and so is Odessa, on the Ukrainian west coast. Then appears to me Russians would prefer to get out of areas where locals largely do not want them after hostile elements have been subdued. Have enough challenges keeping the present Russian Federation with all its different ethnic groups together. Seems to memany who have for some time kept an eye on Ukraine situation sources other than the western mainstream media would largely agree with above assessment.

It would be reasonable for Ukraine to agree to give up its territories where the majority are pro-Russian. Indeed, why should anyone include people in their state who do not want anything to do with it?

It would however, be totally unreasonable for Ukraine to give up its arms and the freedom to join NATO, because that would only spell a short interlude before Putin attacks again and swallows Ukraine up completely. No promise of Putin can ever be trusted - only arms can save Ukraine.

Today, Zelenskyy likened his beleaguered country to Jewish inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust: the best option remaining for every Ukrainian is to fight on to the end and if necessary, die honourably while taking with them as many Russian soldiers and officers down to hell.

The author also completely ignored the Australian side: should Ukraine fall, then we too shall soon find ourselves in that same situation, like in the Warsaw Ghetto or in Auschwitz, where the invading Chinese would only keep alive those of us who can work hard, sending them to dig iron and coal in Australia's mines till they drop dead of exhaustion and hunger. This is our war just the same, so even if NATO fails to help Ukraine sufficiently, we should!

What a spineless essay:

"No matter how unattractive it may seem, would Ukraine not be better off to heed Putin's demands and offer giving up some of its territory to Russia before it gets crushed and may be left without any bargaining chips?"

It's not just its territory, Ukraine would essentially become a vassal state of Russia.

Besides, the way the war is going, Russia may just be forced out as it was forced out in Afghanistan.