President Vladimir Putin of Russia kept returning to one message over and over in his meandering, two-hour interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson: Russia wants to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine ¡ª albeit on the Kremlin¡¯s terms.

That message seemed aimed at the American right and Republicans in Congress, with an eye to undermining support for aid to Ukraine. If so, the day after the long-anticipated interview, it seemed lost in the muddle.

The Russian leader¡¯s discursive historical diatribes, delving into everything from the Rurik dynasty to the Golden Horde, dominated commentary about the interview online and overshadowed the message he intended to deliver.