February 22, 2026: Is Putin Looking for an Exit?

The third round of trilateral peace negotiations in Geneva ended abruptly, with Moscow's lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky appearing visibly defeated after sessions described as "very difficult": a diplomatic euphemism for near-breakdown. Despite these outward signs of failure, state media depicts Vladimir Putin as a leader genuinely engaged in seeking an end to the war in Ukraine, a narrative crafted to appease a domestic audience increasingly eager for the four-year-old conflict to conclude. Most striking is the recent emergence of explicit "post-war" messaging on state television, where talking heads have begun publicly imagining a future for Russia after the lifting of Western sanctions. While these signals hint at a pivot toward peace, the reality on the front lines and the deep chasm between negotiating parties suggest the exit remains out of reach.In this episode, Andy Kuchins and Chris Monday unpack how Vladimir Putin and Russian elites understand the world, and how they seek to influence it.