Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believed the war in Ukraine was “coming to an end”, signalling what appeared to be one of the Kremlin’s clearest indications yet that Moscow may be seeking a negotiated settlement after more than four years of fighting.
“I think the (war in Ukraine) is coming to an end,” Putin told journalists at a Kremlin press conference following Victory Day commemorations in Moscow on May 9. “I believe that things are moving toward a conclusion, though it remains a serious matter.”
The remarks came as the Kremlin renewed calls for direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Putin said he would be willing to meet Zelenskiy in a third country, departing from his longstanding position that negotiations should take place in Moscow.
“Whoever wishes to meet is welcome to come,” Putin said, according to Meduza on May 9. “A meeting could also take place in a third country, but this would require reaching definitive agreements beforehand.”
The Gulf states and Turkey have offered themselves as possible venues. With the Trump administration withdrawing from the negotiating efforts, distracted by its war in the Gulf, Zelenskiy has reached out to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the last weeks as a possible replacement in the mediation efforts.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov earlier repeated Russia’s standing invitation for Zelenskiy to visit Moscow. Zelenskiy has previously said he is prepared to meet Putin in any city not directly involved in the conflict.
Putin also said a planned exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side remained possible under a three-day ceasefire announced by Moscow, although he claimed Kyiv had yet to submit formal proposals.
The Russian president argued that western governments had expected Russia’s rapid defeat after launching large-scale military support for Ukraine following Moscow’s 2022 invasion.
“First of all, they were expecting a crushing defeat for Russia — as we know full well — and the collapse of its statehood within a matter of months,” Putin said. “But then they got stuck in this rut, and now they simply cannot find a way out of it.”
He added that the US appeared increasingly interested in ending the conflict. “They clearly have no need for this conflict; they have many other priority tasks,” Putin said.
Simon Saradzhyan, a longtime Russia observer and Time correspondent, said Putin’s comments represented “the strongest signal he has sent so far that he wants to end the war soon”.
Putin is under increasing pressure due to a flagging economy and rising popular dissent to new restrictions on internet freedoms to bring the war to an end.
Separately, a political window to do a deal with the Trump administration is closing. Putin and Trump get on well personally, and as IntelliNews has reported, Trump is motivated as he wants to do business with Russia. Reportedly there is a so called “Dmitriev package” of business deals worth $12 trillion on the table – six times more than the entire value of the Russian economy – that would the US access to everything from oil and gas, through critical minerals and on to Russia very large consumer market that Trump is interested in to counter China’s monopoly over many of the world’s strategically important commodities. However, with the Republicans likely to lose control of both the House and the Senate in the November mid-terms, Putin is motivated to close a deal with Trump soon, while he has complete control of the US political process.
Putin vows victory in Ukraine and targets NATO at Moscow's scaled-back parade
Enhanced security measures have been taken in Moscow ahead of President Vladimir Putin's speech at the Red Square parade marking the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Meanwhile, a three-day ceasefire brokered by the United States the previous day eased fears of possible Ukrainian strikes on the Russian capital during the celebrations.
Speaking in front of hundreds of military personnel and flanked by a few world leaders, the Russian president said he was fighting a "just" war as he identified Ukraine an "aggressive force" that is being "armed and supported by the whole bloc of NATO".
Putin, in power for more than a quarter of a century, uses Victory Day, Russia's most important secular holiday, to showcase the country's military might and rally support for a military invasion of Ukraine starting in 2022. However, this year, for the first time in nearly two decades, the parade is being held without tanks, missiles and other heavy weaponry, except for the traditional flyover of combat aircraft.
Russian officials attributed the sudden change in format to the "current operational situation" and cited the threat of Ukrainian attacks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "additional security measures" had been taken.
Previous ceasefire agreements have not held up
Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed a truce from 6 May, but neither agreement was honoured as sides exchanged mutual accusations of continued attacks.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had accepted his request for a ceasefire from Saturday to Monday and agreed to exchange prisoners, saying a pause in fighting could be the "beginning of the end" of the war.
Zelensky, who said earlier this week that Russian authorities "fear drones could fly over Red Square" on 9 May, followed up on Trump's statement by issuing an executive order "allowing" Russia to hold Victory Day celebrations on Saturday, declaring Red Square temporarily closed to Ukrainian strikes.
Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, called Zelensky's decree a "silly joke" as he told reporters, "We don't need anyone's permission to be proud of Victory Day."
Russian authorities have warned that if Ukraine tries to disrupt Saturday's celebrations, Russia will launch a "massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv".
Russia's defence ministry urged civilians and staff of foreign diplomatic missions to "immediately leave the city". The EU said its diplomats would not leave the Ukrainian capital despite Russian threats.
Putin is using Victory Day celebrations to bolster national pride and emphasise Russia's position as a world power. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people between 1941 and 1945 in the Second World War.
Addressing the parade participants, the Russian president recalled the huge contribution of the Soviet people to the victory over fascism and said his soldiers are now fighting in Ukraine against an "aggressive force" backed by NATO.
Putin expressed confidence in victory in Ukraine
"Victory has always been and will always be ours," Putin said as columns of troops lined Red Square. "The key to success is our moral strength, courage and valour, our unity and ability to withstand anything and overcome any challenge."
Those present in Red Square were then shown a propaganda video sequence designed to emphasise the power of the Russian army and its "achievements" in the war against Ukraine.
Russian military units paraded through Moscow’s Red Square, accompanied by an official broadcast detailing the armed forces' various accomplishments.
Among those marching were North Korean soldiers who had been sent to help the Russian army in the war against Ukraine. They had, as the announcer's speech claimed, made a great contribution "to the defeat of neo-Nazi invaders in the Kursk region."
The parade was over in 45 minutes
On Saturday, as troops prepared to march through Red Square, authorities imposed restrictions on access to mobile internet and text messaging services in the Russian capital, citing public safety.
The government has been methodically tightening internet censorship and imposing ever-tighter controls on online activity, prompting discontent and rare public displays of discontent.
Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo travelled to the Russian capital for the celebrations.
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