KABUL (Pajhwok): Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he believes the war in Ukraine is nearing an end.
Putin made the remarks just hours after vowing victory in Ukraine during Moscow’s most subdued Victory Day parade in recent years, Reuters reported.
“I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin told reporters about the Russia-Ukraine war, Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
He also said he was willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe and identified former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as his preferred negotiating partner.
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the most serious crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when fears of nuclear war brought the world to the brink of catastrophe.
The Kremlin said peace talks brokered by US President Donald Trump’s administration were currently on hold.
Trump announced a ceasefire from Saturday to Monday, which was supported by both Moscow and Kyiv. The two sides also agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners.
“I’d like to see it stop. Russia-Ukraine — it’s the worst thing since World War II in terms of loss of life. Twenty-five thousand young soldiers every month. It’s crazy,” Trump told reporters in Washington.
He added that he would “like to see a big extension” of the ceasefire. There were no immediate reports of ceasefire violations from either Moscow or Kyiv.
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