Russia’s decision to launch what Putin calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine should have come earlier than 2022 and the war has made him smile less, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday during an end-of-year speech in Moscow.

“We should have prepared systematically for it,” he said of the war.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, leading to the continuing war, which has lasted for almost 3 years, far longer than Russian officials had initially expected.

Putin also said that the conflict has changed him. “I joke less and almost stopped laughing,” he added.

Speaking about outgoing US President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter, Putin said it showed that Biden is more human than the politician.

“As for Biden, he’s a politician, and it’s always important which side prevails: political or human,” he said. “It turned out that there was more human in Biden. I wouldn’t condemn him for this.”

Hunter Biden was prosecuted for tax offences and charges related to the possession of a firearm.