You are simply listing well known facts as if that somehow proves you are a mind reader. We all know the wild lies Putin is pushing. That doesn't elevate you to a mind reader. I am sorry, but it just doesn't.

Of course it matters what Putin thinks. To claim otherwise is nonsense. It matters in how we find peace and how we approach this. If you are right that Putin is on some kind of quest to conquer half of Europe then we might as well start nuking Russia right now.

But it so happens that I don't think that is his plan, and so we avoid starting WW3 and wiping out most of the planet. Thus it is not "meaningless" what drives this invasion. It makes a difference regard the survival of this planet or not.

If I am right, there is a chance to end this war by offering concessions to Russia. The future of tens of millions of people could be saved. If I am wrong, then our best hope will be that the Putin regime collapse due to sanctions and failure in Ukraine.

Because if that doesn't happen, we face a bleak future.

Even if sanctions work, if they don't work very quickly the world will get hit very hard by it. Russia and Ukraine are major grain, gas and oil exporters. Rising prices of those commodities is something the world can ill afford at the moment. We already have rapidly rising inflation and a pandemic which is still not quite under control.