Putin hints at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, but why now?

Vladimir Putin has signalled that his country’s warfare with Ukraine may beryllium ‘coming to an end’, arsenic the Russian president again blamed the West for prolonging the warring done subject enactment to Kyiv.

Speaking aft Victory Day events successful Moscow, Putin said connected Sunday that helium was acceptable to clasp nonstop talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy successful Moscow oregon a neutral country.

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His comments travel arsenic Russia and Ukraine observe a abbreviated three-day United States-backed ceasefire and proceed prisoner-swap discussions. However, broader bid talks stay stalled, and the 2 sides proceed to transportation retired attacks against each other.

Ukrainian officials said connected Sunday that Russian attacks near astatine slightest 3 radical dead, and that adjacent to 150 combat engagements had occurred connected the beforehand lines successful the erstwhile 24 hours.

The remarks besides bespeak mounting unit connected some sides aft much than 4 years of warfare that has devastated parts of Ukraine and strained Russia’s economy.

What did Putin say?

“I ⁠⁠think that the substance is coming to an end,” Putin told reporters of the Russia-Ukraine war, Europe’s deadliest struggle since World War II.

The Russian leader, however, added helium would beryllium consenting to conscionable Zelenskyy lone aft the presumption of a bid statement had already been settled. The Kremlin had rejected US President Donald Trump’s August 2025 connection to clasp a trilateral gathering with Zelenskyy, Putin and Trump.

“This should beryllium the last point, not the negotiations themselves,” Putin said aft the Victory Day, which marks Russia’s triumph implicit Nazi Germany successful 1945 successful World War II.

The Russian president said helium would beryllium consenting to negociate caller information arrangements with Europe, and that his preferred negotiating spouse would beryllium Germany’s erstwhile Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Schroeder has faced dense disapproval successful Germany for his adjacent narration with the Russian president. The erstwhile German chancellor became president of a arguable German-Russian state pipeline consortium aft leaving bureau successful 2005.

Russia has accused the West of expanding the NATO information confederation to encircle it, and Putin has fixed this arsenic 1 justification for Russia’s February 2022 penetration of Ukraine. He framed the NATO enlargement arsenic a “matter of beingness and death” for Russia.

Asked aft the parade if Western subject enactment for Ukraine had gone excessively far, Putin said, “They started ratcheting up the confrontation with Russia, which continues to this day.”

Putin besides said Western countries had “spent months waiting for Russia to endure a crushing defeat, for its statehood to collapse. It didn’t enactment out”.

“And past they got stuck successful that groove, and present they can’t get retired of it,” helium added.

Why is Putin talking astir ending the warfare now?

The Russian president’s proposition that the extremity of the warfare whitethorn beryllium approaching is being driven much by planetary “hope and optimism” than by a sober speechmaking of his words, according to expert Keir Giles.

Giles, a chap astatine Chatham House, noted that determination person been “plenty of promises implicit the past 18 months that the extremity of the warfare was imminent”, nary of which “turned into reality”, helium told Al Jazeera.

He cautioned against interpreting Putin’s comments arsenic a reliable indicator that the struggle is genuinely nearing resolution.

“The champion we tin anticipation for is that present Putin realises that Russia is not successful information winning the war,” helium opined, adding that Putin whitethorn truthful beryllium “more consenting to suspend it than antecedently erstwhile helium rejected each of the bid efforts of Trump due to the fact that helium believed that Russia could summation much from warring connected than from Trump enforcing a ceasefire”.

The warfare has killed tens of thousands of radical connected some sides, near swathes of eastbound Ukraine ⁠⁠in ruins, and drained Russia’s $3 trillion economy. Western-led sanctions person besides impacted Russia’s economy.

Moscow’s relations with Europe are worse than astatine immoderate clip since the depths of the Cold War. While Russia controls astir one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, it has struggled to afloat seizure the eastbound Donbas region, portion Ukraine’s counteroffensives person failed to reclaim large occupied areas.

Putin’s remarks besides coincide with renewed US-led efforts to propulsion some sides towards astatine slightest impermanent ceasefires and humanitarian agreements. Trump connected Friday publically backed the latest three-day truce, saying helium hoped it could go “the opening of the end” of the war.

The US president placed ending the warfare successful Ukraine astatine the bosom of his 2024 re-election bid, adjacent claiming helium could halt the warring wrong 24 hours of taking bureau again.

A woody has proved elusive arsenic Russia has insisted connected taking implicit the full Donbas portion and has opposed Ukraine’s introduction into NATO, portion Kyiv has refused to concede immoderate territory and has demanded that information guarantees beryllium portion of immoderate deal.