he Minsk agreements were a reasonable path to peace... how did that work out?
The Minsk Agreements are exactly the type of talentless and feckless leadership I've been talking about. It was window dressing--it was let's draw up some agreements for the sake of saying we drew up some agreements. That was never going to settle anything, because the basic premise of those agreements was based on a point of contention: Russia had to withdrawal its military presence, Russia denied it ever had a military presence. It was complete half-assed diplomacy. So, I don't think they are an analogy to a reasonable path to peace.
russian defeat followed by decolonization and demilitarization.
What do you mean by demilitarization?
What does Russian defeat look like? Ukraine sure as hell can't defeat them without major Western aid--how far should the West go? Is there a limit?
He is using pressure to get the US to pay for service, or give him more discounts for SpaceX.
Ah-ha, that makes a ton of sense.
Yes, but as long as it is much harder and more painful for RuSSians, I am in.
Once you suffer sustained economic hardship and pain, get back with us with you being in.