Draping noodles over one's ears can lead to a charge of "discrediting the army".
Meanwhile, the leader of the Western European Appeasement Caucus is visiting Washington for some quiet meetings.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting the White House on Friday for a private meeting with President Joe Biden as both allies become increasingly vocal about their concerns that China may step off the sidelines and supply weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The Germans have been not terribly quiet about fretting about the course of the war and not wanting to see the Russians beat around too badly. They seem to be continuing to nourish some fantasy that Vladimir Putin is someone that they can do business with. The nations bordering Russia know better, but whether it is prejudice against the smaller nations of Eastern Europe or inherent German superiority, the German politicians continue to not pay attention to them.
The thing that Scholz seems to be turning a blind eye to is that, in war, absent one side completely crushing the other, both parties get a say in how the war will end. Even the Japanese, facing what they might have feared would be continued atomic obliteration of their country, had a condition.
So, what does Russia want?
Russia wants to restore its empire. For whatever reason, Putin's first step was to try to conquer Ukraine. From there. he would just have his army go a little further and take Moldova. The rest of his ambitions are outside of the scope of this post.
So, what does Putin want, now? He wants the war to cease on the most favorable terms possible, which means a recognition that he keeps all territory under the boots of his soldiers. He wants, as part of that deal, to neutralize, if not neuter, the Ukrainian army. With a cease-fire or some other sort of agreement, he'll push for the lifting of sanctions. Then, with money from Western customers (and sociopathic entities like American and European corporations) and with Chinese materiel, he'll rebuild his army. And then, when he judges that his army is ready, Putin will rip up any agreements/treaties he has made and he will try again.
Before then, he will do everything he can to strengthen his ties with the American Taliban to weaken a future American response by electing more pro-Russian politicians like MTG. He'll keep working to fund pro-Russian politicians and parties in Europe.
Putin's goals are clear to anyone who has not turned a blind eye to it, either out of ideological blindness (the far Right) or out of a craven desire to appease a dictator out of the hope that, maybe, this time, appeasement will work.
What is the open question is whether or not various politicians in Western Europe and the US have learned from history. Those to the east of the Oder-Neisse Line have learned that the word of Russia, like the word of past dictators with territorial ambitions, is not worth half a farthing.
