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So what's the plan? Just keep the war going until there's nobody left to kill him?
Give them up for something. EU membership and sufficient security guarantees, and put the contested territories in legal limbo so the god Terminus doesn't set down his lines.
The positive path forward for Ukraine goes through the EU, a Poland type trajectory economically, and perhaps using their vast store of veterans in those Cossack fantasies they have sometimes for cash and political capital.
If in 20 years Ukraine looks like Poland and Russia looks like Russia, contested provinces and people will be trying to join Ukraine.
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(1) Fight until the army collapses
(2) Cultivate stab-in-the-back myth that the war was eminently winnable if Ukraine had gotten just gotten more aid and gotten it faster
(3) Flee to a friendly country
I mean I don’t blame the guy, if he didn’t do it the hardliners would shoot him in the head and get someone who would.
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If I am in his position, the plan will be to keep the war going, stay in power as long as posible using the war til I die
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