So it was on Thursday when Putin met with a group of young Russian entrepreneurs. Anyone looking for clues as to what Putin's ultimate plan for Ukraine might be should check out the transcript of the conversation, writes CNN columnist Nathan Hodge..

Putin's words speak for themselves: His goal in Ukraine is to restore Russia as an imperial power.

Many observers quickly caught on to one of Putin's most provocative remarks, in which he compared himself to Peter the Great, Russia's modernizing czar and founder of St. Petersburg, Putin's own birthplace, who came to power in the late 17th century..

" " He did not take anything, he returned. That's how it was"

"

" " The same applies to the western direction, Narva. Why would he go there? He came back and strengthened, that's what he did"

Directly alluding to his own invasion of Ukraine, Putin added: "

The remarks were quickly condemned by Ukrainians, who saw them as a naked acknowledgment of Putin's imperial ambitions..

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There is something to comprehend, both from the point of view of history and from the point of view of current events.. Podolyak hinted at talk in international capitals about offering Putin a face-saving way to de-escalate or end hostilities in Ukraine..

French President Emmanuel Macron led the conversation, saying over the weekend that the world " These arguments might have seemed more reasonable before February 24.

In the run-up to the invasion, Putin laid out a range of claims to justify the need for war, from NATO expansion eastward to Western military aid to Ukraine..

" "

In other words, there are two categories of state: sovereign and conquered.. According to Putin's imperial opinion, Ukraine should belong to the latter category..

Putin has long argued that Ukrainians have no legitimate national identity and that their state is essentially a puppet of the West..

In other words, he believes that Ukrainians do not have independence and are a subject people.

Drawing on the memory of Peter the Great, it also becomes clear that Putin's goals are dictated by some sense of historical destiny.. And Putin's project of imperial restoration could theoretically spread to other territories that once belonged to the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, which should cause alarm in all countries that emerged after the collapse of the USSR..