Putin Signals End to Ukraine Conflict Amid Ceasefire and Victory Day Observance

"...Putin also said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe, and that his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder...."

"...Putin was speaking in the Kremlin after setting out his view of the causes of the war. He blamed "globalist" Western leaders, saying they promised NATO would not expand eastward after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, but then tried to draw Ukraine into the European Union's orbit...."

"...Instead of the usual intercontinental ballistic missiles, tanks and missile systems rolling across the cobbles of Red Square, Russia played a video of its military hardware in action on giant screens opposite the Kremlin walls...."

"...Russian troops have been fighting in Ukraine for well over four years. That is longer than Soviet forces fought in World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45...."

"...Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since the last day of 1999, faces a wave of anxiety in Moscow about the war in Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, left swathes of Ukraine in ruins, and drained Russia's $3 trillion economy. Russia's relations with Europe are worse than at any time since the depths of the Cold War...."

"...Russian forces have so far been unable to take the whole of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine where Kyiv's forces have been pushed back to a line of fortress cities. Russian advances have slowed this year, though Moscow controls just under one fifth of Ukrainian territory...."

"...After Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating unilateral ceasefires they had each declared over recent days, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire from May 9 to May 11 that was supported by the Kremlin and Kyiv. The two sides also agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners...."

"...He added that he would "like to see a big extension" of the ceasefire. There were no reports of violations of the ceasefire from either Moscow or Kyiv...."

"...European Council President Antonio Costa said last week he believed there was "potential" for the EU to negotiate with Russia, and to discuss the future of the security architecture of Europe...."

"...European leaders have said Russia must be defeated in Ukraine and cast Putin as a war criminal and autocrat who they say could one day attack a NATO member if he is allowed to win the war. Russia dismisses such claims as nonsense...."

"...Putin, who ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022, casts European powers as warmongers for supporting Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in support, weapons and intelligence...."

"...Asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin said a meeting was possible only once a lasting peace deal was agreed...."