How do you solve a problem such as the Ukraine – Russia conflict? Well…, YOU DON’T! All parties will have to compromise..

There is nothing simple about what’s going on in Ukraine.

It should never have ended up in a military conflict. The bloodshed is and must always be seen to be totally unacceptable. It represents a major failure by all those involved (Ukraine, Russia, the west..) to exercise diplomacy and zero tolerance to war and needless bloodshed

But we already know all that

Russia should withdraw from Ukraine and end the bloodshed. But Ukraine must at the same time, agree to tidy up: this isn’t about referendums as it is impossible to reach conclusions that will be fair on all those involved. Just imagine if you have a town with 80% Russia-leaning folk who own land, houses etc., with the remaining 20% Ukraine-leaning; a referendum or forced annexation will not be a permanent solution. At some point in the near future, conflict will resurface. Could it be possible to offer Ukraine-leaning folk in heavily Russia-leaning parts of Ukraine, a relocation plan that provides them with 5 x what they had, in a different part of Ukraine, to create an autonomous region where Russia-leaning parts (largely those places Russia are presently trying to annex) of Ukraine can self-determine. Yes, it could still end up in a mess later, but at least, end the needless bloodshed! If you look at similar arrangements made decades ago in splitting the likes of Cyprus, Kashmir also? there will always be underlying tensions regardless. It is difficult to see how Ukraine can go forward (not forgetting they were fighting internally prior to Russia’s current exercise and there had been past annexations e.g. Crimea) as a country, with the folk in those regions who only speak Russian and do not want to be part of Ukraine (well, at least some of them). Creating an autonomous region (rather than annexation, which is definitely unfair to Ukraine, whichever way you look at it, Ukraine shouldn’t be loosing parts of their land to Russia just because some of the folk in those parts wish to be part of Russia – it doesn’t work that way or the world will be in absolute chaos! I am sure there are many parts of several countries who want away. They simply can’t force annexations left, right and centre) that retains autonomy from both Russia and Ukraine but can regularly choose to align as they wish.

Either way, there will have to be compromise. Question is: what took so long????!!!! Why let thousands die before reaching such comprise??