Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted that the war in Ukraine may be coming to a close as he led his country in celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow amid Victory Day celebrations, President Putin suggested that a resolution with Kyiv and its Western partners is possible, even going so far as to say he would be willing to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a third country after a peace framework is agreed.
“I think the matter is heading towards the completion of the Ukrainian conflict,” the Russian leader said per state media RT.
The comments also came amid a three-day ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long been an advocate for both sides agreeing to a broader peace deal. So far, an agreement to end the four-plus-year war has proven elusive, with President Trump claiming that a deep “hatred” between Putin and Zelensky was preventing an armistice.
It remains to be seen whether the Ukrainians or the Russians will be willing to give the necessary concessions for a deal; however, with both sides hitherto largely sticking to their maximalist demands.
For Kyiv, this has meant the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from their territories, including Crimea, while also maintaining a path towards joining the NATO alliance and the European Union. For Moscow, this has meant Ukrainian forces ceding total control of the Donbas and for the country to give up NATO aspirations.
Whether a compromise between the two diametrically opposed positions is possible remains to be seen. However, with American financial and military support for Ukraine largely drying up under the Trump administration, and Russia seeing two of its major allies on the world stage — Iran and Venezuela — greatly diminished, the incentive structures to keep fighting may be changing.
President Putin suggested that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder could be a trusted interlocutor to represent Europe in peace negotiations. A long-term friend of Putin’s, Schröder may not go down too well across Europe in such a post, however, given his financial ties to Russia, including state energy firms like Gazprom and Nordstream.
Putin reiterated the Kremlin’s position that the Ukraine war is aimed at ensuring that no one is capable of threatening Russia, suggesting that keeping Ukraine out of NATO will remain a central demand in any future negotiations.
Earlier this week, President Zelensky said that Ukraine is planning for envoys from President Trump to visit Kyiv over the “spring and summer” to help “reinvigorate diplomacy.” Zelensky has recently claimed that his government is willing to negotiate, including trilateral meetings with the U.S. and Russia in a third-party country such as Turkey or Switzerland, but said that the “ball is now in the court” of Moscow and Washington.
European Council President Antonio Costa said this week that Brussels is also ready to hold talks with Russia and Ukraine when the “right moment” comes.
In a message to the Ukrainian people, the top Eurocrat said on Saturday: “Your bravery inspires us every day. You defend our European values. We will stand with you for as long as it takes to achieve a just and lasting peace.
“We believe your future is in the European Union. A lot of hard work is taking place to make it happen. We look forward to taking the next steps in your accession process as soon as possible.”