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![Mark N. Katz wearing a collared shirt stands smiling in front of a wall.](/sites/g/files/yyqcgq366/files/2023-08/Mark-Katz-thumbnail.jpg)
Mark Katz offers two theories to explain why Russian President Vladimir Putin suddenly called for an end to what, in a departure from past practice, he referred to as the “war” in Ukraine. Katz suggests that Putin might recognize the costs of the war and genuinely want to end it; he may also want to incentivize Western governments to stop supporting Ukraine at current levels.