This isn't going to change anyone's mind. The pro-Russia folk believe that Ukraine as a nation never existed in the first place, so they are fine with below option. The top one is just wishful thinking - why would they stop fighting? They stand nothing to gain from this and they'd lose everything they fought so hard to gain.

I'll get down-voted yet again, but I'll keep saying this: If you care about Ukraine - join the war, send in the troops. Otherwise - shut the fuck up. Spamming the flag everywhere does not help. Sending weapons doesn't really turn the tides either. Cheering Ukrainian soldiers into a suicidal counter-offensive - well that's an especially fucked up thing to do.

What gives any arbitrary country a mandate to exist though? We recognize that plenty of other social institutions are transient. Nobody demanded a massive international intervention to continue the existence of the Whig Party or the Studebaker Corporation. Why are countries unique and special? Also, this seems like a very modern thing: nobody is demanding we bring back Tanganyika or unwind German unification.

I get the desire to preserve the Ukranian culture and community. But you don't need a sovereign nation for that: compare the re-establishment of the Welsh language and culture, for example.

Would the population have been better off-- at least in the "not exploded" sense-- by backing down with a quick surrender in exchange for some "we'll formally tolerate your cultural differences" legal concessions? I'm sure at this point, it's impractical to negotiate to that, because there's too much bloodshed and burnt bridges on both sides, but it seemed like it was never even on the table: the Western world decided an independent Ukraine had to exist even if everyone involved knew it was going to be a very painful and expensive endeavour to keep it.

This explains this sentiment.

I think for the war to end some kind of terms of peace need to be drafted and ratified by the involved parties.

It now comes down to how much war is required to achieve such a thing.

Anti war positions tend to recognize the meat grinder of conscripts is an unnecessary step and promote minimizing the amount of time it needs to run.

But I am sure there are people expecting or even outright demanding the total capitulation of a nation at war, which is a particularly brutal position to take.