Putin says the Ukraine war is winding down, hours after a scaled-back Victory Day. He floated talks via Schröder as a ceasefire began.
Vladimir Putin declared that he believes the war in Ukraine is “coming to an end,” remarks that landed just hours after he vowed to defeat Ukraine at Russia’s most restrained Victory Day parade in years.
Speaking to reporters. Putin said the “matter is coming to an end” and suggested Russia could be open to negotiating new security arrangements for Europe.. He also indicated that his preferred counterpart would be Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder. framing the prospect of talks through a familiar political relationship.
Putin’s comments arrive amid growing pressure inside Moscow over the conflict’s costs.. The report described wide anxiety in the Russian capital as the war has killed hundreds of thousands. left large areas of Ukraine in ruins. and strained Russia’s economy.. Russia’s relations with Europe have also deteriorated to levels not seen since the cold war.
On the battlefield, the war’s trajectory remains uneven.. Russian forces have not been able to seize the whole of Donbas in eastern Ukraine. where Kyiv’s troops have been pushed back to a line of fortress cities.. The report added that Russian advances have slowed this year, while Moscow controls just under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
In the same remarks, Putin sharply criticized Western support for Kyiv.. As a ceasefire was marked on Saturday’s start. he pointed to mutual accusations of violations. arguing that “the west” had escalated the confrontation with Russia and remained locked into a strategy that failed.. He said Western actors expected Russia to suffer a crushing defeat and for its statehood to collapse. but that plan did not work. leaving them “stuck” in a pattern they cannot break.
Putin also reiterated his approach to meeting Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.. He said he would be willing to meet only in a third country once conditions for a potential peace agreement were settled. emphasizing that the “final point” should be agreement rather than negotiations themselves.
When asked about whether he would engage with European talks, Putin returned to Schröder as the preferred option.. The report notes that many in Ukraine and across Europe are likely to be skeptical about bringing Schröder into any process. citing his background as a close friend of Putin and his ties to Russian business and projects. including the Nord Stream gas pipelines.. It also recalled that in 2022. Zelenskyy condemned Schröder after the former chancellor met Putin and spoke in the Russian leader’s favor.
The ceasefire itself is a key part of the shifting political atmosphere.. Russia, Ukraine, and Donald Trump announced on Friday that a three-day truce would begin on Saturday.. During the first day. both sides traded accusations of breaches. with continued drone activity and civilian casualties reported on both sides.. The Kremlin said there were no plans to extend the truce.
Prisoner exchanges were also part of the ceasefire arrangement. The report stated that Russia and Ukraine agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each during the truce, while Putin said Saturday that Russia had not yet received any proposals from Ukraine on the exchange.
The timing of Putin’s remarks and the tone of the day were underscored by the altered character of Victory Day celebrations.. The parade in St Petersburg was vastly smaller than in previous years.. For the first time in nearly two decades. no military hardware was displayed. and only a small number of foreign dignitaries attended. mostly leaders of Russia’s close allies.
In the week leading up to the event. the report said there were signs of desperation from the Russian side that the parade would not be disrupted by Ukrainian attacks.. Moscow reportedly threatened to bomb the centre of Kyiv, including foreign embassies, and warned overseas missions to evacuate staff.
Across the border, Zelenskyy marked Saturday differently.. After earlier issuing a “decree” that allowed Russia’s Moscow parade to go ahead. the report said he observed Europe Day. celebrated as a foundational day of the EU.. Zelenskyy described Ukraine as an “inseparable part of the European family. ” arguing that Europeans have stood with Ukraine since the early days of the full-scale war and that this support is a political choice rather than charity.
The report also detailed the guest list at Putin’s parade. Only the leaders of Belarus, Malaysia, Laos, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan were listed as attending, contrasting with last year’s higher-profile visitors, including China’s Xi Jinping.
At five years into the conflict, the scale of human impact remains a central driver of international debate. The report reiterated that the war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since the second world war.
While the ceasefire has offered a narrow window for easing tensions, European leaders continue to weigh broader diplomatic possibilities.. The report cited the European Council president. António Costa. who said last week he believed there was “potential” for the EU to negotiate with Russia and to discuss the future of Europe’s security architecture.
Against that backdrop. Putin’s call for security talks and his choice of Schröder as a preferred partner may be interpreted as an attempt to open a channel without immediately signaling readiness for direct. unconditional engagement with Kyiv.. The skepticism likely stems not only from personality and history. but also from the practical realities of ongoing clashes. the immediate test of the ceasefire. and the insistence—repeated by Putin—that meetings should come only after conditions for any agreement are settled.
Putin Ukraine war Victory Day parade Ukraine ceasefire Schröder talks Zelenskyy Europe Day European security architecture