Putin’s Peace Overture: A Calculated Strategy or Genuine Desire for Resolution?

Vladimir Putin’s end-of-year Q&A session with reporters and the public is billed as a chance for Russian citizens to ask the president about the issues that matter to them most. But while much of the televised marathon focuses on domestic affairs, Putin always uses it to send signals to the West and the rest of the world, too. This year, Putin’s messaging was colored by expectations that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will push or an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, or at least for a cease-fire, when he takes office…