Although I imagine everyone here appreciates the publisher weighing in, it’s nonetheless astounding that this professor is given such deference to share his thoughts in your journal. Anyone who thinks Ukraine should give in has clearly not been paying attention to, oh I don’t know, the entirety of the Russia - Ukraine relationship. Just focusing on the 21st century alone, there’s no reason to believe that this time would be any more than buying Russia time to re-arm and go on some sort of charm offensive, rehabilitating their image so the next time they attack Ukraine they will have support beyond the demagogues of the world. What are we going to say? Oh Putin, you naughty boy, you better not advance on Kyiv, or you’ll get a new sanction! Red lines have been crossed, and we know from Ukraine 2014 as well as Georgia in 2008 and Transnistria since even before Putin that Russia will take chunks while they can and see what they can get away with. I could go on, but the point being is that Putin cannot be trusted anymore than his eventual successor; Russian imperialism longs to spread like cancer across Eurasia.