Joe, I have to remind that the reason why Donbass became Russian, is not geopolitical control of the region, but in order to stop meaningless fascist persecution of Donbass citizens by the foreign-installed Kiev regime, that the regime cynically labelled "counter-terrorist operation", lumping all Donbass civilians together as "terrorists", even kids (like Israelis do to Palestinians). . Russia wants to protect not the territories, but the people, who ASKED Russia to interfere. The reason for the whole SMO is not to annex or conquer Ukraine, but to eradicate the revived Nazism in Ukraine. Russia does not want to absorb or control Ukraine. Russia wants to stop the Banderization and nazification. And it is mind-blowing that Banderization is celebrated by the B9 and Western EU leadership. They don't know what they are genuflecting to. It is again nearly the Great Patriotic War situation, where the real fight against fascism is being led by Moscow, and the rest of the European continent, Britain and the US had geopolitical interests and interests of domination, ignoring the inhumanity of Nazi ideology. Countries, who in Hitler' times celebrated Nazi rule as "fight against communism", are full of the same venom today.