>Peace negotiations should be inevitable because neither side wants a forever war. Or is that a bad assumption?

Unfortunately, yes. What's in Putin's interest is not the same as Russia's interest.

It would have been closer to the same if he wasn't fed bullshit all the time, but when you surround yourself with yes-men and kill anyone who disagrees, that's what you get.

Russia could continue to lob missiles at Ukraine indefinitely. At which point it depends on if sanity will prevail in Russia and Putin will fall out of a window repeatedly or whether we can offer to lighten sanctions to make them stop.

Personally I'd prefer a different kind of solution, but it's not one I'd imagine the western nations will stomach.