Putin's Unusual Talk with Russian Journalists on War.

In an unusual interview with war correspondents and military bloggers, Russian President Vladimir Putin portrayed the Russian military as standing firm against the Ukrainian counteroffensive and suggested that the conflict was fulfilling the goals he set initially. Putin touched on virtually every aspect of the conflict in recent weeks, suggesting that Russia might have to carve out an “exclusion zone” on the Ukrainian side of the border to prevent its artillery from reaching into Russia. The remarks could be a prelude to seeking negotiations by implying that the Ukrainian counteroffensive was doomed.