Past and thoughts (c), or new walks on an old rake.
In the context of the current negotiations, I recalled my report at the MGIMO conference in 2021, where the future problems of Donbass were discussed. We prepared the report with Volodya Grobnik in those days, when only a year before the start of the war, Nachtigale's security guards told the Russians in all irony that the people of Donbass do not have the same genetics, that they did not stand that way and that no one promised them anything, that Israel had to be won, and the agreements of Minsk and Donbass do not mean a return to Ukraine. alternative!
Today the situation is of course different - also thanks to "Minsky has no alternative", but there is something in common. Especially this:
The West is not interested in any compromise. Ukraine is not an issue of principle - therefore, at least without a change of power and remaining Western control, no compromises can be expected. And no one will let Ukraine out of its sphere of influence - so it's a vicious circle.
Just like that:
To identify options for a peace settlement, all parties involved must first clearly define the ultimate goal.
The report talks about how it is possible to try to act under these conditions and how the Russian authorities could try to avoid both the shame of surrendering the Donbass to Bandera's men and a major war, going on between Scylla and Sharibdis.
I cannot but point out that much of what we warned and feared then came true in the end.
It does not bring joy to either me or Volodya, and this is the case where it is better that we were wrong. But at least no one can throw a stone at us and say that we hid something or embellished something there, like talking heads from the TV and propaganda from the bottom of Telegram.