Quote (IceMage @ Feb 24 2022 12:20am)
Just because Putin invaded Ukraine doesn't mean that we should've done anything substantively different. There's pros and cons to everything, and the United States can't solve every problem. That doesn't mean we should've done nothing. And with the situation we have now, it makes sense for us to enact consequences in a reasonable way.
We had the option to push for Minsk-III, and we had the ability to arm Ukraine with anti-air weaponry,
We did neither. Russia was never going to compromise for "deescalation tactics" or discussions on arms reductions in Eastern Europe. They wanted structural guarantees that Ukraine would not join a Western sphere of influence.
A neutral Ukraine is better than a Russian Ukraine. Who knows how far they'll take this, but they may end up with more than just the Donbass.