As a student of history, I find a disturbing parallel in this situation with Hitler's 1938 attempt to make a deal with Chamberlain for the Sudentenland.

Forunately, or so we hope, this standoff will pan out in a way that is not favorable for the offending predator, Putin.

Our leaders, most notably our President, have not made the mistake that Chamberlain made in taking Hitler at his word.

In both situations--the Donbas and the Sudetanland--there was (is) a significant area, or pockets, of a specific ethnic group whose location was in freedom-seeking country but whose identity was linked to the fascist(or communist) hegemony of the power-grabbing nation behind them: Sudetan Germans in border Czech lands, Donbas Russians in eastern border Ukraine lands.

So far, the resistance of our leaders, President Biden, Zelensky, NATO leaders, Macron, Scholz, et al has enabled prevented the dictator from making a bellicose move.

Let us hope and pray that our NATO resistance can prevent a present-day Sudetanland offensive that ultimately brought about six years of world war before the suicidal demise of the dictator and his destructive wehrmacht were buried in the dust of a destroyed Europe.