At the conclusion of the second day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 25 , Russian troops continued their incursions in the country on multiple axes — most notably against the capital Kyiv, which will likely be surrounded and besieged over the coming days. In recent hours, Russian officials have made conflicting statements about inking a potential political settlement with Kyiv to end the conflict. But President Vladimir Putin and Foriegn Minister Sergei Lavrov have both continued to assert the current Ukrainian government is illegitimate and insist on Ukraine’s “denazification and demilitarization,” which is a strong signal that Moscow’s ultimate goal in the country remains regime change.