In February, when the war began, it was possible to talk of “off-ramps” and potential resolutions, but now, the official lamented, “I don’t see how Putin can accept anything we can morally or politically entertain.” Ever since taking the presidency in 1999, Putin has been quite open about what he wants: to stay in office as long as he chooses and for Russia to be acknowledged as a great power. Yet his notion of quite what this means and what he is willing to do to achieve his goals has changed over time, and we now
