Quote Originally Posted by jackal2 View Post
Yes no question it was a strange decision from Putin. I didn't think he'd invade. I thought it was classic Putin brinksmanship, which he's previously used to gain better outcomes than he's maybe entitled to expect, but something has gone wildly wrong with his judgement here, leading many observers to raise questions about his mental state. And therein lies the reason why he needs to be given some sort of ladder to climb down, even if it's apparent to everyone other than some in Russia that he's failed to achieve his objective. It still signals the beginning of the end for him anyway, but hopefully in a less dangerous way than backing him completely into a corner.
I totally see where you're coming from and in a way I agree with you. The problem is that this kind of mindset - better to give him what he wants or he might do something mental - is the reason why we are where we are today.