...because Ukraine is so depleted demographically they will be unable to defend themselves for quite a while, if ever.

Perun covers that also. In fact, in the video I linked today. Their population pyramid, and the Ukrainian one, look very similar. So I don't think that's an issue for one and not the other. Both have more older females than older males, but those aren't child-bearing ages.

If you want to know about Ukraine and Russia, don't rely on any of the conventional media (and especially nothing on the right-wing propaganda channels). Find a source like Perun who will spend more than two minutes on a topic (his videos are an hour or so each). Very deep dives. The good, the bad, and the ugly. He doesn't try to paint a rosy picture, or a dismal picture. It is what it is, and that's what his videos tell us.

I think Ukraine would be crazy to settle for a deal that didn't allow them to join NATO. They need that. Neither Russia nor Ukraine will be up for another war anytime soon, but Russia already has the larger population. So they could regenerate faster. With no sign of democracy in Russia for the foreseeable future, Ukraine needs to assume the worst. So, yes, I agree that they need NATO to defend themselves longer-term.