https://twitter.com/mmazarr/status/1499128333828775938?s=21
Yeah, my impression was that he was definitely more interested in his own theory than anything else. (When I looked up his website and saw a painted portrait of himself, I was like, "okay, yeah, that totally makes sense.")
The interview is pretty absurd just on its face, though. It's like this:
Chotiner: So, Putin's army is literally in Ukraine, killing Ukrainians.
Mearsheimer: I don't think Putin really wants to invade Ukraine.
Chotiner: He says he wants to take back Russian land.
Mearsheimer: I don't think what he's doing counts as imperialism.