How exactly is it bad strategy to open Russia's eyes to the possibility of this war taking a bad turn for them ahead of negotiations? This plays right into the logic I have been stressing for months: as long Russia is winning the status quo and there is no risk for things to go sideways for them, they have no incentive to settle for non-maximalist demands. Game theory dictates that right ahead of negotiations very much IS the point in time when you want to up the ante.
Likewise, you guys keep saying that the Western side is demanding terms which would seem more like Russia losing the war, and I absolutely don't see that. Don't get so hung up on Ukraine not entering the negotiations with a willingness to give up their territory right away. If Ukraine and the West officially cede the territory Russia currently controls and officially renounce any Ukrainian NATO ambitions, that's easily a "good enough" outcome that Putin can frame it as a triumph. And that is a compromise which Trump and the EU would most definitely be willing to make to get this damn war over with.
The West still thinks they can get Ukraine into NATO including most of it's territory why would they still continue to escalate and support Ukraine otherwise.
Zelensky isn't prepared to cede territory and officially isn't even in the position to negotiate with Putin thanks to his own law that forbids such negotiations.
You know why he signed that law years ago right, he already knew Ukraine was in a hopeless position and most likely was going to lose territory to the Russians.