Yeah, that’s fair. What I’m clumsily trying to say is actually optimistic - that if things were going better for Russia, they would be further west and there’d be no talk of peace, even on ludicrous terms.

And in cold calculus knowing full well it prolongs the suffering of innocents - if this was a board game, the smart thing to do might be to keep fighting and letting Russian hubris bleed itself to death. It kind of makes you think North Vietnam’s strategy against the U.S. is the way to go. Keep bleeding them until they decide it’s no longer militarily possible or politically worthwhile to keep fighting. Anything less than that ensures Russia will try again the first second they’re able.