I don't like this idea one bit:
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of a referendum in separatist-leaning eastern Ukraine during their Helsinki summit, Russia's ambassador to the U.S. said Friday.
However, the White House said later that it is not considering supporting the idea.
I'm glad that the White House rejected giving Putin a chance to rig a vote after four years of killing people who oppose Putin in the Donbas. The invasion was illegal and I have no doubt that a "vote" would validate that invasion.
There are people who believe the Crimea vote was valid. It was not. Not while Russia occupied the place and nobody was going to reverse it. You do remember this exchange from Catch 22, right?
“What would they do to me," Yossarian asked in confidential tones, "if I refused to fly them?"
"We'd probably shoot you," ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen replied.
"We?" Yossarian cried in surprise. "What do you mean, 'we?' Since when are you on their side?"
"If you're going to be shot, whose side do you expect me to be on?" ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen retorted.
At a more personal level, when I worked for the state legislature my policy was to always vote for the incumbent in the house and senate districts I lived in for the state legislature. Sure my vote was private. But why take chances? How much more do you think that affects people who might lose a whole lot more than I was worried about just a little?
So let's just kill that referendum idea for good.
If Ukraine can build up their forces to recapture Donbas, that is their right. You can't argue that it wouldn't be a just thing to do on both morality and law.
But does Ukraine want Donbas back? Does Ukraine want to pay the price for winning the territory back? When a lot of people there probably are pro-Russia by now--from conviction and coercion. When it is a physical wreck?
I personally think that the non-war solution to Russia's invasion is to settle this with a deal that leases Crimea to Russia, thus not accepting the conquest but accepting that retaking it would be difficult. Unless Ukraine wants to adopt a Hezbollah strategy of fortifying the northern neck of Crimea and periodically bombarding Russian bases in Crimea or planting mines outside of the harbor to harass the Russians, what is Ukraine going to do?
On the Donbas, perhaps Ukraine should just sell the place to Russia and be done with it. Allow residents who want to escape to leave for Ukraine. And allow those in the Ukrainian Donbas to leave for the Russian sector.
Then, with Russian East Donbas and a Ukrainian West Donbas, we can have a contest over who lives better. When has Russia won such a contest against the West? West Germany versus East Germany. West Berlin versus East Berlin. North Korea versus South Korea.
In a generation, those in East Donbas may be begging to rejoin Ukraine.
Russia wanted East Donbas badly enough to wage war? Give it to them. Good and hard.
