A decision to negotiate over the heads of the Ukrainians would reveal just how Trump sees Ukraine and Europe.
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
Look, however it started, Russia has had significant portions of those territories for a decade. They’ve been arresting dissidents, running propaganda, and making their roots as deep as possible. It’s not going to be easy for Ukraine to just resume administration of those areas.
I live in a country that was occupied by Nazi Germany, where the Nazis did the exact same things and put the local Nazi sympathizers in charge of local administration. It didn’t turn us into a country with deep Nazi roots.
We just imprisoned and shot those fuckers after the war.
I hope it’s that easy. I fear it’s not.