That was nearly four years ago. Russia has lost a lot prosecuting this war since then: lives, money, infrastructure. Reports are that Putin is already losing support over it.

I have no idea whether that has changed his mind about anything. I don't give a lot of credence to anything he says.

I hope he's right, and this war will end soon. If that costs him popular support, I won't be sad about that. If he manages to retain office, I won't be thrilled, but it's better than ongoing war. This war is a pure loss for all sides, with absolutely nothing to be gained. It persists solely to avoid even greater loss from surrendering.