I've been collaborating with Ukrainians nearly everyday for the last ten months.

Putin lost the moment he tried to enter their country.

These people are pissed. They won't give up even if you have to peel them off the sidewalk.

Putin may go all Grozny on them, but they still won't relent.

And no, China is not an ally of Russia. They pretend to be when it is expedient.

Right now, it is becoming not so expedient, and the Chinese will react accordingly. China's economy works best in a stable world that is generally at peace.

China thought Putin would slip into Donbas and Luhansk and call it a day. They weren't expecting this.

Meanwhile, the Russian people are living in an economy where all their favorite stores are closed, foreign-based gas stations are shut down, they can't use their Visa, Mastercard, or Amex at IKEA -- oh wait, the IKEAs are all closed. Okay, McDonald's, can't use them there, either. Oh wait, all the McDonald's are closed.

Did I mention that the Ruble is now worthless?

The Russian army is stuck in the mud around Kyiv, where thousands of young conscript soldiers who were lied to and told they were going on a peacekeeping mission are often begging their Ukrainian counterparts to arrest them so they can phone home.

If that is winning, you have a very Trump-like definition of winning.