James Clapper: “President Assad remains unwilling to negotiate himself out of power.”

I think the reason they were taken off the list was to provide an inducement or motivation for them to agree to some sort of ceasefire.

I think the tide is beginning to turn here in favor of the Ukrainians, and if they can sustain this, and that means, we in NATO, providing them the weapons they need, the supplies they need, et cetera because the Russians are going to run…

I think the Russians, Putin, I say Russians, Putin is committed to conquering, if he can, which I think will be impossible, all of Ukraine.

It speaks to Putin's character, and his KGB background, having essentially lawless, mercenary group, a private army, responsible only to him.