Mr. Putin appears to be caught in the same dilemma, between seizing as much as possible and legitimizing at least part of what has been taken. Like Stalin, after similar doubts, he is likely to make the same choice — trusting only in force, not the West, to secure his gains. That might be a victory of sorts. But it wouldn’t be what he wants.

The Kremlin has been in a state of high alert for some time, and President Putin has been eager to reassert Russia's nuclear threat to the West.

In a significant sign of vulnerability, Russia has abruptly canceled its flagship Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg, a major annual showcase of military strength. -The Kremlin cited vague “security reasons,

The Kremlin said on Friday that a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy could only happen as a final step to seal a peace deal.

Austria's Foreign Minister revealed that Donald Trump allegedly offered Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine to Vladimir Putin as part of a peace deal, but Putin rejected it, choosing to continue the war.

Russian officials are attempting to delay high-level negotiations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a new assessment by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to move toward a peace settlement for Ukraine but Moscow's main objective is to achieve its goals, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television in a clip published on Sunday.