Putin Signals Ukraine War Is Nearing Its End

CNBC reported Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the war in Ukraine is drawing to a close. Speaking to journalists at the Kremlin, Putin offered his most direct signal yet that hostilities could wind down. “I think that the matter is coming to an end,” he said.

Putin Speaks After Subdued Victory Day Ceremony

Saturday’s remarks followed Russia’s Victory Day parade, which proceeded on a notably smaller scale than in previous years. The annual May 9 commemoration marks the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. It honors the estimated 27 million Soviet citizens who died during that conflict. Putin’s comments came immediately after the ceremony concluded.

On the question of potential talks with European leaders, Putin was selective about his preferred interlocutor. He named former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as his favored contact point for any future negotiations. The Kremlin has maintained that European governments must make the first move toward dialogue. Moscow points out that those governments severed ties with Russia after the February 2022 invasion began.

Also Read: EU Leaders Weigh Ukraine Talks as War Enters Fifth Year

Four Years of Devastating Conflict

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered the worst European security crisis since the Cold War. Analysts have compared the geopolitical rupture to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis in terms of East-West tension. The fighting has killed hundreds of thousands of combatants and civilians on both sides. Entire regions of Ukraine have been left in ruin by sustained bombardment and ground offensives.

Russian forces have struggled to capture the full Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian troops have held a defensive line anchored around a series of fortified cities. Meanwhile, the war has placed enormous strain on Russia’s roughly $3 trillion economy. Moscow’s relationships with European capitals have deteriorated to their lowest point since the Soviet era.

Zelenskyy Meeting Remains Conditional

When reporters pressed Putin on whether a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was possible, he set a clear precondition. Any such encounter, he said, would only happen after a durable peace agreement was already in place. That framing suggests direct leader-to-leader talks remain a distant prospect rather than an imminent step.

European Union leaders, meanwhile, were reportedly preparing frameworks for potential engagement with Moscow, adding a new layer of diplomatic activity around the conflict.

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