There’s a saying that has been making the rounds since the start of Ukraine’s political crisis in late November: “A bad peace is better than a good war.”

The phrase, spoken by President Viktor Yanukovych following the initial protester-police violence on Dec. 1, has subsequently been used on occasion by both sides in relation to the long-simmering conflict over the future direction of Ukraine that has escalated sharply over the past 11 weeks.