While it's true that Putin is unhinged, I don't think he's irrational. In fact, he's shrewd and strategic.

Russian military resources have already been exhausted, how long do you think Putin will want to push this needle? Yes he can send more soldiers, but what good are the soldiers without the military equipment?

At this point, it's within Putin's best interests to come to negotiating table with peace talks.

Of course, I don't exclude the possibility that he'll bomb the cities into rubble, in retaliation, but that doesn't mean it's a victory for him. Most likely it'll be a lose-lose scenario for Ukraine and Russia. There will be a compromise made on both sides.

As fighting will shift to the Donbas region, Putin will likely negotiate those two areas and Crimea and Ukraine would have to agree to not join NATO and remain neutral.