Ukraine peace

Russia was concerned about Ukraine joining NATO and they saw that as a threat to their safety. In early 2021 Russia started the build up of troops along the Ukraine border. In December of 2021 Putin sent a letter to Biden asking for assurances that Ukraine would not be invited to join NATO. Biden responded saying that Ukraine's entrance into NATO will depend solely on Ukraine. In doing so he turned over control of how the conflict would go to the Ukrainians. If he had told Putin that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO instead of passing the buck to Ukraine the war could have been avoided. This makes it difficult for Biden to agree to a settlement which is not what Ukraine wants. In for a dime, in for a dollar. A new president would not be in such a bind.