President Trump suggested that the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately if he were re-elected, but there are still no signs of the war ending.

Sometimes I wonder what Putin is really thinking.

To put it nicely, he is a 'strong person'; to put it bluntly, he is quite stubborn.

To understand Putin well, we need to go back to 2014.

That spring, Russia insisted that Crimea was 'its land' and actually sent troops to take it.

The international community was in an uproar, and Ukraine was in shock.

Crimea was originally Russian territory during the Soviet era but was administratively transferred to Ukraine in 1954.

Then, as the Soviet Union collapsed, it became part of Ukraine, and Russia has always felt uneasy about it.

Putin seized that opportunity and took Crimea entirely under the pretext of "protecting Russian-speaking residents."

Then in the fall of that year, he declared, "This is now Russian land." That was when everything began.

As time passed, in 2022, Russia moved again. This time, it declared war across all of Ukraine.

Putin once again brought up the justification of "protecting our people." But his true intentions are likely different.

He once said, "The collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest tragedy of the 20th century."

Understanding this statement makes the war less strange. He is someone who wants to restore the old empire, and Ukraine is the first piece of that vision.

Moreover, as NATO seeks to expand into Eastern Europe, the war began and has yet to end.

Why hasn't it ended? For Putin, this is not just a fight; it is also a war of image.

The psychology of "If we lose, Russia is finished." If he retreats, the iron-fisted image he has built will be shaken.

And he seems to think that time is on his side.

The West will tire of its own problems, Ukraine will eventually wear out, and then the picture he desires will be completed.

But this is an old illusion. The longer the war drags on, the more discontent builds within Russia, and Ukraine is actually becoming stronger.

Whether Putin realizes it or not, those of us observing from the outside can feel it. This war, if it has no end, will lead to disaster.

These days, I tend to my garden and see the lavender that bloomed beautifully in June. The year Putin started the war, I began planting and nurturing lavender.

Now, the fragrant purple lavender spreads its subtle scent in the late spring every year.

Some create a year remembered for its fragrance, while others create a year remembered for the smell of gunpowder.

I want to ask Putin. Do you really still think this fight is worth it?

Flowers will bloom again someday, but human lives do not.