Russian President Vladimir Putin said he thought the conflict with Ukraine is “coming to an end,” but stressed that he would meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy only once a final peace deal has been agreed.
“I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin told reporters on May 9 after blaming European powers for escalating the conflict by supporting Ukrainian military resistance to Moscow’s all-out invasion in the past years.
The rare comment from the Russian president came after Russia staged its most pared-down Victory Day parade in years and amid a three-day cease-fire in the conflict announced earlier by US President Donald Trump.
While both Washington and Kyiv sought a lasting cease-fire — with Trump saying he would “like to see a big extension” of the truce between Russia and Ukraine — Putin’s comment followed earlier remarks by his spokesman, who described the potential settlement as “far too complex.”
“It is understandable that the American side is in a hurry,” Dmitry Peskov told state television on May 9. “But the issue of a Ukrainian settlement is far too complex, and reaching a peace agreement is a very long way with complex details.”
Separately, Putin said he believed that the United States was “sincere” in its will to stop the war in Ukraine, but added that it was “above all, a matter for Russia and Ukraine.”
So far, the Kremlin has shown no official compromise in its position toward ending its war in Ukraine, demanding control over Ukraine’s key Donetsk region and a say in Kyiv’s security guarantees after the conflict ends.
Stripped-Down Victory Day Parade Amid Tight Moscow Security
Under Putin, the event marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II has become one of the most important holidays of the year, a grandiose celebration of Soviet and Russian military history, as well as Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
This year, however, it unfolded without tanks or other heavy combat hardware rolling across Red Square amid security concerns after a Ukrainian drone strike hit a Moscow suburb earlier this week.
Moscow had threatened a “massive” strike on central Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the parade.
As the temporary truce to mark the holiday took effect, both Russian and Ukraine reported fewer attacks overnight on May 9, although the Ukrainian military said that Russian forces had launched a missile and dozens of drones at Ukraine since the previous day.
Moscow also claimed Kyiv broke the agreement, though there were no reports of any incidents affecting the parade itself.
Giant screens and state television broadcasts instead showcased weapons including an intercontinental ballistic missile, a nuclear submarine, a fighter jet, and various drones and artillery.
Columns of soldiers and sailors, including troops who served in Ukraine, marched past Putin, who watched alongside Russian veterans near Lenin’s Mausoleum. North Korean troops who fought Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region also took part in the parade, while fighter jets flew over the Kremlin.
In an eight-minute speech, Putin linked Russia’s current military campaign in Ukraine to the Soviet struggle in World War Two.
“The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today,” Putin said in his address, referring to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc. And despite this, our heroes move forward…I firmly believe that our cause is just.”
Despite the cease-fire, however, security in Moscow remained exceptionally tight on May 9, with armed patrols and roadblocks across the capital, and snipers on top of many buildings near the parade site.
Putin was also protected by a large security detail during his appearance and mobile Internet was shut down.
In his evening news conference, Putin said heavy military hardware was absent from the parade “not only for security reasons, but also to concentrate attention” on Moscow’s ongoing invasion.
He added that the international leaders who attended the parade had shown “a certain courage.” Putin’s longtime ally, Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, and Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Tokayev, attended the event.
