re: Zelensky: Russia must return all territory gained since 2014, calls it a redline

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Sovereignty: the supreme and independent authority of a state or governing body within its own territory, free from external control

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Ukraine is not this.

If he wants it back he should keep fighting and not ask for help

You have no concept of nuance or who is really controlling Zelenskyy or why it was actually our foreign policy that caused this war.

That condition equals 'We won the war and Putin lost!' Won't work. You have to have an agreement that gives Putin some props he can sell to his people to justify the deaths.

Putin should just eat all of Ukraine. Ukrainians deserve to be subjugated if they are this fricking stupid, and eurofags should have a bellicose neighbor if they don’t want peace

If you have the cards. Little Z holds no cards, he is losing ground daily, has no manpower reserves, and lost his best equipment in Kursk

Someone needs to deep six Zelensky before their is no more Ukraine.

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It's not going to happen and there's no way he could reasonably think it will.

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He very well can't just say, "Okay, sure, we'll just give Putin whatever he wants." Obviously, there's going to be negotiations. Zelensky is starting from the position that he is in the right. Therefore, he shouldn't have to give up anything. This is a STARTING position. Putin's position is, "Nyet." Again, a starting position. Trump's position is, "Let's see if we can make a deal."

Crimea. The peninsula has never been historically a part of Ukriane. It was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954 by Nikita Khrushchev. Crimea has a warm water port that has strategic significance to the Russian navy. It would not surprise me to see this as one of the first concessions Zelensky makes. The problem is with the water supply for Crimea, the North Crimean Canal bring water from the Dnieper River to the peninsula.

The North Crimean Canal runs through the Kherson Oblast, and was cut off by Zelensky following the annexation of Crimea by Putin in March, 2014. Should Crimea go to Putin, he will insist on a dependable water supply, preferably one he controls. Additionally, Putin wants secure ingress/egress to the peninsula. This now involves the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which is adjacent to the Donetsk Oblast, which has a significant ethnic Russian population.

Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts represent an industrial sector of Ukraine that had been depopulated of Cossacks, and repopulated with Russians during the collectivization/Holodomor under Stalin, and thus retain a significant Russian population today.

So, some or all of the following oblasts seem to be on the block:
Crimea
Kherson
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Luhansk

I would assume it's Zelenky's goal not to give up all of each oblast, but only those areas that 1.) Allow Russia to maintain the port in Sevastopol. 2.) allow for a dependable water supply for Crimea. 3.) Allow for unencumbered access for Russia to Crimea. 4.) Protect the ethnic Russians in Donetsk and Luhansk.

Putin's negotiating points are for the above, plus Zelensky to step down, Ukraine to join the EEAU, and to prohibit NATO troops in Ukraine.

While I suspect Putin will get most of what he wants, perhaps he will make the concession of giving up some occupied territory insofar as it doesn't jeopardize water and access to Crimea, and the safety of ethnic Russians.

I'm pretty sure Crimea, Crimean water and access, safety of ethic Russians, Zelensky stepping down and Ukrainian membership in the EEAU are all non-negotiable for Putin. The only thing he's probably willing to discuss are exactly where the lines will be drawn. And at that point Zelensky will just be negotiating for acreage.

But after losing so many soldiers fighting for the survival of their nation, he can't just roll over now. That's not going to happen, and there's no way anyone could reasonably think it will.

He's got to try to come away with something.