Ukraine live briefing: Russian retreat in northeast fuels cautious optimism for Kyiv and allies

Vladimir Putin’s definitive quality as president — his refusal ever to back down — helped him project Russian global power for years, Robyn Dixon reports.

But facing repeated setbacks in a catastrophic war in Ukraine, his inflexible approach is looking more like his great flaw.

If Putin sticks to his habit of refusing to back down, analysts say, he is most likely to grind on, she writes.