The Ukraine-Russia war is not something to hold up as an example of how to get things done, but the reality is that the two warring parties are seeking for this to be the outcome of its respective efforts. The matter is how it’s handled.
On the Russian side, it may be looking for a place for its next President. This is a tall order for Ukraine because their hostile neighbours seek to weigh in heavily on this top political prize. The meaning of the Presidency in modern Russia is now seen to be its foremost priority.
The negotiations in Moscow over this matter are probably the consideration of all but none of its leadership elite. The place of Putin is secured in its records, but most powerful Russian leaders are pragmatic in their approach. They want repeats, not failures after successes as they see it in the systems of States in the West.
In Ukraine’s view, the moment is not about another mad leader, so to speak, but an assessment of its progresses – and its compromise. The power ‘loans’ that have given it some scope have allowed it to rise to a new prominence that it didn’t have before. It may struggle to keep it. This pre-eminence in the region is a struggle in the making.
