> Keeping a conflict worthy of WWII smouldering in the area for more than 4 years now?

> The sensible thing to do would have been to encourage a Ukrainian surrender early on and send them some food/whatnot in a care package, then fortify the Polish border.

Imagine if the British had responded this way to the invasion of Poland in WW2.

Worse: which side of the border is Auschwitz located?

> It is also one of the very few paths that could reasonably see Poland or countries in that general region getting nuked.

Ukraine had nukes, gave them up. Was probably sensible at the time, but the observed behaviour is now "having nukes means you don't get invaded, giving them up means you do". Russia invading at all is pushing nations more in the direction of getting their own nuclear arsenals to deter Russia.

(Also, but entirely separately, Trump's USA sabre-rattling over Canada, Greenland, war with Iran, and disengagement from previous allies everywhere, is pushing nations the same way but to deter the USA(!) or China).