I wonder if Putin's "short term end game" is the two separatist regions.
The rest can wait a while.
Pre Putin's invasion I thought why not give Crimea back to Russia,
keep Ukraine out of NATO, being neutral and partly demilitarized,
BUT that would have only been able with strong Russian security guarantees to Ukraine.
This is not possible anymore.
Ukraine will never trust Russia again,
they don't want to be neutral,
they must be able to defend themselves,
now even stronger than before and
Crimea nor Donbass will fuck all be given to Russia. Free elections might be the fundament for a useful solution in those regions.
Putin has fucked up in a dimension no one thought would have been possible. I my own mind he ends up with his own pants on his head, publically and forever in the book of history.