Now that Trump’s plan to seize 50% of Ukraine’s mineral deposits has leaked, Putin might be more worried about the USA/NATO/“the west” getting “all” of Ukraine and Russia getting nothing. So if he backs off from wanting to seize Ukrainian territory, he can push for “Ukrainian sovereignty” to prevent the USA from turning Ukraine into a vassal state.
Now that Trump’s plan to seize 50% of Ukraine’s mineral deposits has leaked, Putin might be more worried about the USA/NATO/“the west” getting “all” of Ukraine and Russia getting nothing. So if he backs off from wanting to seize Ukrainian territory, he can push for “Ukrainian sovereignty” to prevent the USA from turning Ukraine into a vassal state.