There had to be a deal. Get a deal to prevent WW3, stop an endless meat grinder of dead bodies.
Putin is responsible for the meat grinder. The US and allies are not going for WW3. Ukraine ends up losing 20 % of its country, destruction, and handing over mineral rights. Putin lost a lot tanks and hundreds of thousands dead.
Putin pays no reparations for wrecking Ukraine. He keeps the minerals in eastern Ukraine.
Is China looking at this and considering there will be no WW3 if they invade Taiwan ?