Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. Putin seems to be hoping that relentless military pressure, combined with changing Western political dynamics and a global focus on the Israeli-Hamas war, will drain support for Ukraine in the nearly 2-year-old war and force Kyiv to yield to Moscow's demands. Putin is eager to show battlefield gains in Ukraine as he faces reelection in March.(Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)