It appears that the Russo-Ukrainian War is heading towards a stalemate. Russia now knows they are not going to capture Ukraine in its entirety but can hold 'em off in the East and in the process, make Ukraine a landlocked sovereignty just as are many another Eastern European states.
It further appears that Europe is becoming more divided regarding an outcome. It appears that Germany - the biggest "player" in the EU - only sees its economic interests "fueled" by relatively inexpensive and plentiful supplies of oil and natural gas from Russia and any long term disruption of those supplies will adversely affect those interests.
So the only way out is a negotiated settlement. Despite Zelensky's comment that "Henry the K" is thinking 1938 (Chamberlain's "appeasement" to Hitler), both parties will have to give up something. In the case of Russia, a cease fire and reparations, but Ukraine to give up the lands Russia has captured and accept they are a landlocked state.
Now Ukraine has valuable agricultural exports such as wheat that represent exports paid for in "hard" currencies such as $ and €, but also on a humanitarian level, "Feeding the world".
Except for one major problem, the "products of agriculture" would need be shipped West by rail to "free" European ports such as Danzig (whoops, Gdansk in newspeak), Antwerp, and Hamburg. The problem of course is that Ukrainian railroads are Russian gauge and Western European are Standard.
The thought of sustained transloading at the Ukraine-Poland border is simply unthinkable to me, but will this be an invitation to "Standardize" the Ukrainian gauge, or at least enough to reach the agricultural fields?
Thoughts, anyone?
It further appears that Europe is becoming more divided regarding an outcome. It appears that Germany - the biggest "player" in the EU - only sees its economic interests "fueled" by relatively inexpensive and plentiful supplies of oil and natural gas from Russia and any long term disruption of those supplies will adversely affect those interests.
So the only way out is a negotiated settlement. Despite Zelensky's comment that "Henry the K" is thinking 1938 (Chamberlain's "appeasement" to Hitler), both parties will have to give up something. In the case of Russia, a cease fire and reparations, but Ukraine to give up the lands Russia has captured and accept they are a landlocked state.
Now Ukraine has valuable agricultural exports such as wheat that represent exports paid for in "hard" currencies such as $ and €, but also on a humanitarian level, "Feeding the world".
Except for one major problem, the "products of agriculture" would need be shipped West by rail to "free" European ports such as Danzig (whoops, Gdansk in newspeak), Antwerp, and Hamburg. The problem of course is that Ukrainian railroads are Russian gauge and Western European are Standard.
The thought of sustained transloading at the Ukraine-Poland border is simply unthinkable to me, but will this be an invitation to "Standardize" the Ukrainian gauge, or at least enough to reach the agricultural fields?
Thoughts, anyone?