Nah, that's just a media narrative to make him look weak and unhinged. He's a very calculated person, but his big failing is his inability to be flexible or adaptive. Once he makes a decision, he sticks to it, even if it's failing.

This whole thing was planned years ago. That is why he was trying so hard to install anti-NATO Trump as a puppet dictator in the US. He knew Trump would have left him alone in Ukraine. Trump's failed coup and Biden getting elected was a worst case scenario, but Putin went ahead with Ukraine anyway, because despite everything he's going to win in Ukraine eventually. It's inevitable. He'll bomb them into submission, and kill or imprison their leaders, install his puppets, and then have his next Belarus. Moldova is likely next, though that won't be much effort as they're mostly pro Ruskie already.

The key here that I'm talking about is whether or not he plans to make a move on NATO nations, or even a move on Finland or Sweden. He already knows his plan here. It was put together years ago. And as he is not flexible or adaptive he's going to follow through with it no matter what NATO does. Thus we need to assume we're already at war and set up a defensive space of padding now. Not once he gets too close. Now.