Hi
@Mainframe , I think Ukraine has more positive trends going for it than Russia does, including in terms of both absolute and relative combat results. That is, it, IMO, inflicts more damage than it receives.
If we take a snapshot of the conflict, we see Ukraine has a larger standing army, a significantly larger industrial base behind it, its armed forces are only progressing technologically, and it is connected to a larger economical pool.
Russia is regressing in many aspects of combat capability, and industrially it is overwhelmed by war needs.
But those trends are unlikely to proceed. Eventually Ukraine will have to bring forward results that are more tangible for the general public that doesn't understand security matters. Both its own and foreign publics, needing to convince the former to return to or not leave Ukraine, and convince the latter to support military and financial aid to Ukraine.
It's only a matter of time before those negative trends overtake the positive ones.
For Ukraine it will be a challenge trying to find the exact spot where it has to accept a status quo and negotiate peace.
Whether or not Russia survives militarily until then, relies on too many factors, primarily China as a wild card.
For Putin, it's best to end the war, or work to get China's material support. Plenty of ways to get off the tree even in the current state. For Ukraine it's probably best to keep fighting to gain as much as possible as long as it has those positive trends.
Therefore, since Putin and Zelensky have no common interest in settling on a status quo right now, they simply have to endure. That is, no big political moves besides gathering support.