There were no negtiations… And Ukraine was not in NATO or EU because of corruption and a lack of peoples rights. You think this is all a set up, however, it is obvious from the last two decades alone that Russia and Ukraine both cannot get their shit together.
Do you think Russian POW are having a good time in Ukrainian prisons? Just like the Iraqi POW in the US prisons were treated with respect? Give me a break. Fighting fire with fire never works (at least not without destroying everything). All this leads to is a new desillusioned generation with no perspective that is prone to gobble up the next dictators promises. Negotiations are the best we can do (ofc with compromises) and post WWII Europe is a good example. The EU is a great achievment in this regard as it enabled peaceful collaboration (although far from ideal and not aligned with my personal views).