to answer my rhetorical question advanced a few posts back, i believe all four of pcr's essays are worthy of posting this am. this one could be said to be both a wider review of current events as well as one that deals with small points also;

A Quick Decisive Victory Can Prevent a Wider War

Paul Craig Roberts

I am beginning to think Russia will lose the war, and her credibility with it, to negotiation.  For the third time the Kremlin has taken the negotiation bait.  According to the Russian news agency Tass, Russian and Ukrainian delegations will meet at an undisclosed location in Belarus for talks Monday morning. This is odd.  The Kremlin had previously concluded that it was pointless negotiating with Ukraine, because Ukraine is a Washington puppet incapable of independent decision.

While the talks are happening, the Europeans will be supplying fighter jets to Ukraine via Poland.  This despite the death and destruction Putin warned would come to those who interfered with Russia’s Ukraine operation.  Thus, the Kremlin seems to be again cooperating with the Ukraine’s efforts to beef up resistance when Russia needs to quickly win the war.  https://www.rt.com/news/550796-eu-fighter-jets-ukraine/ 

It is beginning to look like the Kremlin never meant to fight.  According to reports, the Russians have only committed 30 percent of the assembled invasion force to the conflict, and apparently  the Kremlin is too fearful its troops might endanger civilians to trust them with the heavy weapons that would bring the war to a quick close.

I stress the word, “looks.”  We don’t actually know. The Western media is a propaganda mill that never reports truthfully. The Ukrainians issue fanciful reports like the Iraqis during the US invasion of Iraq. The Russian media seems to have a policy of not reporting on the war.  I have not seen an announcement from Russian officials about how they regard the success of the operation.  .........read more.......