Putin signals that Russia’s war in Ukraine is ‘ending’ | News of the Russia-Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the conflict in Ukraine could “end” and said that he wants to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the third country if the peace agreement is concluded.

Putin made the comments to reporters on Saturday, hours after pledging victory in Ukraine at Russia’s biggest Victory Day event in years.

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The comments came as Russia and Ukraine began a three-day ceasefire and agreed to a 1,000 prisoner exchange, raising hopes for progress.

At the meeting, Putin praised Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, describing their mission as “necessary” against “a military force that is armed and supported by the entire NATO alliance”.

“Victory has always been ours and will always be ours,” he added, as troops lined up on Moscow’s Red Square.

Speaking to reporters later, Putin blamed Western “international elites” for the war, saying they had promised NATO would not expand eastward after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, but had tried to drag Ukraine into the European Union’s path.

Then he said, “I think the matter is over.”

The Victory Day holiday in Russia marks the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and honors the 27 million Soviet citizens who died in the war.

This year’s exhibition was much smaller than usual, with videos of military equipment being shown on large screens instead of tanks and missiles in Red Square.

For the first time, Saturday’s demonstration featured North Korean soldiers, paying tribute to Pyongyang sending its troops to fight Moscow’s forces to stop Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region.

Russia announced a ceasefire for the holiday on Friday and Saturday, while Zelenskyy announced a peace deal that would begin on May 6, but nothing happened, and the parties blamed each other for continuing.

Fears over the celebrations eased on Friday, when US President Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had bowed to his request for a ceasefire from Saturday to Monday and a prisoner exchange.

“Stopping the killings will include the suspension of all sporting events, and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners in each country,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social Post on Friday.

“Discussions are ongoing” on ending the war, Trump said, adding that “we are getting closer every day”.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard-fought War,” he said.

Zelenskyy followed Trump’s comments with a mock order allowing Russia to hold Victory Day celebrations, announcing that Red Square would temporarily suspend strikes in Ukraine.

The Kremlin dismissed the comments as “stupid jokes”.

Zelenskyy has previously said that he will meet with Putin to discuss a peace agreement, but has rejected the Russian leader’s offer to come to Moscow. On Saturday, Putin told reporters that he would meet with Zelenskyy in another country, but only to agree on a comprehensive agreement.

“A meeting in a third country is also possible, but only if the peace agreement based on the past history has ended,” Putin said. “This should be a final agreement, not a negotiation.”

Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since the last day of 1999, faces serious “concern” in Moscow about the war in Ukraine, which has killed thousands, left large swaths of Ukraine in ruins, and destroyed Russia’s $3 trillion economy.

Russian troops have been fighting in Ukraine for more than four years. That’s longer than when the Soviet Union’s armed forces fought in the Second World War, known as the Great Patriot War of 1941-45.

But Russian forces have so far failed to capture the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, while Kyiv’s forces have been pushed back into the line of defense cities. Russia’s progress has slowed this year, even though Moscow controls one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory.

European Council President Antonio Costa said last week that there is a possibility of dialogue between Europe and Russia on the future security of the continent.

Asked on Saturday if he was open to talks with the Europeans, Putin said his favorite was former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder.

“For me personally, the former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Schroder, is the best,” Putin said.