@jeffjarvis

I recently read a great analogy: Putin is a chess king in a state of zugzwang: every move he makes makes things worse. I don’t think he’s at the point of backing away from his maximalist position that Ukraine needs to surrender territory. But the tide has certainly changed in #Ukraine’s favor. There are reports that Putin fears assassination by a Russian oligarch. Putin’s statements that he thinks the war will end soon and he’ll be ready to meet Z in some other country to sign a document are probably theater designed to relieve some of the pressure building against him from within as the Russian economy tanks and the populace becomes enraged over the loss of Internet access.