via Washington Post

Putin’s goal to subdue Ukraine has not changed, and while he has agreed to peace talks, he has also vowed to fight on if Ukraine rejects Russia’s terms. In a recent interview on state television to mark a quarter-century in power, he said, “We have enough forces and means to bring what we started in 2022 to its logical end.”

In the same interview, Putin also described his country as being involved in something greater than itself, a seemingly messianic higher calling to change the world. “Russian people have some differences from, say, Western societies: We think more about something eternal, something infinite, something higher.”

While President Vladimir Putin hosted several world leaders, European ministers gathered in Ukraine to announce the formation of war crimes tribunal targeting Russian officials.

By Robyn Dixon, Francesca Ebel and Ellen Francis

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