Has Putin Won The War In Ukraine?

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Feb. 11 in Minsk. The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany have agreed on a ceasefire deal. © AFP

Marvin Kalb, Washington Post: Putin won his war in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has slipped off the front pages. Eighteen months ago, when Russian President Vladimir Putin seized Crimea and then instigated a pro-Russian rebellion in the Donbas region, Ukraine was hot news. Putin was roundly denounced, and Russia was hit with damaging economic sanctions. East-West relations soured badly, and diplomats wondered whether they were witnessing the beginnings of another cold war.

Now Ukraine, as a European crisis, has lost its urgency. One reason is the rush of other news, from global economic jitters and the flood of desperate Arab and African migrants to Europe to the preoccupying nuttiness of the U.S. presidential campaign. But there is another equally important reason. Putin seems to have won his little war in Ukraine, and his Western critics watch from the sidelines, sputtering with helpless rage.

WNU Editor: I do not see what is happening in Ukraine a Putin victory. The conflict in Ukraine has been a disaster for everyone .... and sadly .... this is a conflict that could have easily been avoided if Ukrainian nationalists had not pursued their anti-Russian agenda when they assumed power after former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had fled the country. The resulting stalemate (or frozen conflict) has severely damaged Ukraine, and a "damaged" Ukraine is not in Russia's long term interest .... nor for anyone else. Sanctions are hurting Russia, and with time this in turn will hurt Putin's legacy and standing in Russia. It is in his interest to see this conflict wind down, and a political settlement reached. Unfortunately .... the rebels and the Ukraine government have shown a reluctance to go down this path .... and I predict that even when Putin is gone and a new leader has taken the Russian Presidency .... this conflict will still be festering.

Update #1: How to Prevent Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Becoming a Frozen Conflict -- Brad Stapleton, Newsweek

Update #2: I am not sure about this .... Putin's Strategy Is Far Better Than You Think (Michale Kofman, War On the Rocks)