Something interesting happened after the May 9 Victory Parade in Moscow that has left many analysts a little perplexed. During his post-parade remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “Mr. Zelensky.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Was it a Freudian slip, a sign of respect, or a simple gesture designed to get his attention? The latter seems more likely given Putin’s other comments. Oleksandr Kovalenko described it as a “kind of manipulation aimed at presenting Moscow’s position in a less confrontational manner.” Is that even possible? But has anything really changed other than the addition of the mister title? The short answer is no. Putin’s maximalist demands are still in place. The longer answer is that Putin may finally be feeling the effects of Ukrainian sanctions and the unsustainable losses his military is taking on the battlefield – 1,345,240 as of May 14. A weakened Putin is begrudgingly reaching out to Zelensky in the only way he knows how. The war in Ukraine will be over soon The words that caught everyone’s attention during Putin’s post-parade remarks were: “I think the [war in Ukraine] is coming to an end.” In betting terms, Putin tried to parlay his “mister” comment with the possibility of a meeting with Zelensky – implying an end to the war was within the realm of possibility – hoping the combination of the two would lead to a larger payout: an end to the special military operation (SMO) on his terms.