This is John Batchel, spoke with Anna Borshevkaya of the Washington Institute, watching Russia, watching Putin.

She has a surprising and very convincing case as to what Putin wants. It's not only Ukraine.

It's not only respect. It's power, global power, equal to the U.S.

Listen to Anna.

She describes the ambition here.

It's World Island ambition.

More of this later.

This is likely Putin not only trying to be relevant, but again, from a, from kind of bigger strategic perspective, he doesn't, he wants to be seen as an equal to the United States.

And he is also signaling that if, if there is a resolution to Ukraine as quickly as possible he could be

helpful in other areas such as China and Iran and that's that he's play he's playing a

very specific strategic game here he he's trying to signal that let's just resolve ukraine let's just do it as

quickly as possible then i can be helpful on other issues the reality is it doesn't work like that it's

not going to work like that giving russia more uh relief uh in a quick resolution to Ukraine is not going to make all of a sudden

Russia more amenable to support the United States.

But I think that is what he's trying to do here.

I think that is how he's pushing for some kind of a deal on Ukraine on his terms.