Putin cut natural gas supplies to the West, hoping to freeze comfortable Europeans into abandoning Ukraine. But Europe’s winter has been one of the warmest on record; gas prices are lower than they were before Russia invaded Ukraine. The winter war has settled into a stalemate, with little territory changing hands. But there’s a problem with that optimistic scenario: Neither Russia nor Ukraine appears eager to compromise. With luck, Ukraine and the West will be able to wait Putin out and seek a settlement with his successors.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 18, 2023 04:43 UTC