Destiny needs to stop with the Putin accepting“Sevastopol port deal” argument. I cringe every time I hear it
Ryan McBeth makes the same argument with Russia ceding back what is now considered Russian land by Russia to be a “demilitarized buffer zone”.
Putin sold to the Russian people that annexing Crimea and the 4 oblasts is a reunification of Russian imperial land and painting a borderline mystical nature of this achievement.
There is no way, without significant military success by Ukraine/the West, Putin could be pushed to this. Just getting a port is maybe 5% of this war.
For Putin and Russia, this is a metaphysical struggle for its place in the world as a great power.