Putin says Ukraine war is nearing an end, open to talks on Europe’s security
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that he believes the war in Ukraine is “coming to an end” and signalled willingness to discuss a new European security arrangement.
“I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin told reporters in the Kremlin.
His remarks came hours after he vowed victory in Ukraine during Russia’s Victory Day commemorations marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Putin said he would be prepared to negotiate broader security issues in Europe and named former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as his preferred interlocutor.
The Kremlin has said U.S.-brokered peace talks are currently on hold, although President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire from Saturday to Monday that was accepted by both Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump said he would like to see the truce extended. Russia and Ukraine also agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners.
Putin repeated longstanding claims that NATO expansion and Western support for Ukraine were key causes of the conflict, while European leaders continue to insist that Russia must be defeated.
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, remains Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Russia currently controls just under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Putin said a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be possible only after a lasting peace agreement is reached.
