Eggsyblueskin
Player Valuation: £40m
Sadly in order to bring an aggressor to the table to discuss peace you invariably have to apply some form of external pressure, usually either military or financial, preferably both.I do get what you are saying. It's not an easy situation. It wasn't an easy situation when you know the Taliban are oppressing women, or Saddam is mistreating his own citizens (and that's me being very and not swearing) but I'm not sure you can base world diplomacy on the premise of what you would do if someone lamps you.
The reality is that Russia, Nato and Ukraine is not a simple situation of a mugger and the mugged. It is a situation of competing interests where everyone is trying to mug each other. I'd want a world where that incentive is removed, but before we can get to that point we probably have to have a truce.
None of this makes what Putin has done vaguely acceptable. I happen to have a lot of sympathy for the Russian speaking population in the east of the country, but what he has done invalidates the legitimate concerns he has shown towards them.
To bring it back to point, I just don't think citizens should pay the penalty for that. Abramovich is an Israeli citizen, and his daughter has come out against the war. I think it's motivated by vengeance which on the one hand is fair enough, but on the other isn't actually very productive.
Yo me, it should be made very clear to Putin, he has to get his troops out of Ukraine. That we will offer tangible support to Ukraine and continue to acknowledge it's existence as a country. That any solution is built upon the premise that he acknowledges it's existence and will not attack it again.
Standing by wringing your hands and shouting ‘Shame’ simply has no history of success, quite the opposite I’m afraid.