Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured at the talks with US envoys in Moscow on December 2, 2025, has not compromised on Russia's objectives. Alexander Kazakov/Reuters Kyiv, Ukraine —

Vladimir Putin does not want a deal, and the sweetness of being begged to entertain one is something the Russian president relishes. Five hours of US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law meeting with the Kremlin head seemed to yield little publicly. It is helpful to step back and view the world and the Russian invasion through his eyes.

It is a war Putin started, hoping he could in a matter of days put Russia back on the map as the pre-eminent military force in Europe, capable of decisive action after the embarrassing departure by the United States from its longest war in Afghanist

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