Vladimir Putin believes that he is winning the battle in Ukraine, despite Russian troops suffering heavy losses and having withdrawn from northern areas of the country, according to the last Western leader to meet with him.
Russia has failed to make the quick inroads into Ukraine that were widely anticipated given the size of its army and the armaments at its disposal during the invasion which began on February 24.
Under the inspirational leadership of Volodymyr Zelinsky, Ukrainian forces have fought for every inch of ground which has frustrated Russia’s advancement.
Putin’s troops have withdrawn from large areas of the north of Ukraine, including around Kyiv, while they appear now to be focusing on completing an invasion of the east of the country.
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Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer believes that Putin still believes himself that the invasion of Ukraine is a success after meeting him last week, and that it has been a necessary war to protect Russian interests.
"I think he is now in his own war logic," Mr Nehammer said in an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press'. "I think he believes he is winning the war."
He said that he told Putin that he had seen the hundreds of civilians who had been killed in the northern city of Bucha after the Russians withdrew, which suggested war crimes had been committed.
"I told him what I saw. I saw the war crimes. I saw the massive loss of the Russian army," he told NBC.
"And I told him that there is a need for humanitarian corridors for cities like Mariupol or Kharkiv, for example. Civilians need water and we need to take care of the wounded there."
Recalling Putin's response, Nehammer said: "He told me he will cooperate with an international investigation, on the one hand. And on the other hand, he told me that he doesn't trust the Western world. This will be the problem now in the future."
He echoed recent concerns from the CIA director that Putin could turn to nuclear weapons to get his way in Ukraine.
Mr Nehammer said: "He knows that he has this weapon. And he knows the threat of this weapon. So I don't know if he'd really use it."
Meanwhile Zelensky said in a video address on Monday that Russian forces had begun the "Battle of Donbas" after senior officials said Moscow had begun a new offensive push along most of Ukraine's eastern flank.
"A very large part of the entire Russian army is now focused on this offensive," he said, adding: "No matter how many Russian troops they send there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves."
