Vladimir Putin has said he believes the war in Ukraine is "coming to an end", more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country. Speaking to reporters in the Kremlin on Saturday following Russia's annual Victory Day commemorations, Putin said: "I think that the matter is coming to an end."
The remarks came after Russia held what observers described as one of its most subdued Victory Day parades in recent years. The 9 May holiday marks the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two and commemorates the estimated 27 million Soviet citizens killed during the conflict.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered the most serious confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when fears of nuclear war brought the world close to catastrophe.
Despiteyears of fighting,Russian forces have not succeeded in fully capturing the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian troops have continued to resist along a line of heavily fortified cities.
The war has caused widespread destruction across Ukraine and led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, while also straining Russia's economy and deepening tensions between Moscow and European governments. Relations between Russia and Europe are widely considered to be at their lowest point since the Cold War.
Putin's comments came amid reports that European leaders may be preparing for possible negotiations over the conflict.The Financial Timesreported this week that European Union officials were discussing the prospect of talks.
Asked whether he would be open to engaging with European representatives, Putin said his preferred interlocutor would be former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who has long maintained ties with Moscow.
"For me personally, the former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Schroeder, is preferable," he said.
The Kremlin said last week that European governments would need to initiate any renewed diplomatic contact, arguing that they had cut ties with Moscow following the invasion.
Asked about the possibility of meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin said such talks could only happen after a lasting peace agreement had been reached.
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