>>513458715
I doubt there'll be a US base in Ukraine. Under Biden or Obama, yeah, the US might have been stupid enough to try that. Russia will not accept Ukraine membership in NATO. They have repeatedly stated that they consider that to be an existential threat and will go to war over it. They may accept some other security arrangement to get the deal done, but without any Article 5-type protections for Ukraine.

You're right. The eastern provinces are a windfall for Russia. It basically leaves Ukraine as an agrarian society and raw materials mine for the West, and makes a major contribution to Russia's industrial base.