Putin believes Ukraine conflict heading towards end
Victory Day celebrations across Russia and the world concluded on May 9, while President Vladimir Putin wrapped up a series of meetings with foreign leaders who came to Moscow and spoke to journalists about the Ukraine conflict, Russia-China ties, and other international issues.
“I think the matter is heading towards the completion of the Ukrainian conflict,” the Russian leader observed while answering questions from the press. He also did not rule out a possible meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in a third country once final agreements on a settlement are reached.
Here are some further highlights from Putin’s remarks:
Ukraine yet to respond to Trump’s POW exchange initiative
On May 5, Moscow sent Kiev a list of 500 Ukrainian prisoners of war and proposed an exchange, Putin said.
“We supported it right away,” Putin said, referring to US President Donald Trump’s proposal. According to the Russian president, Ukraine said it needed time to review the list and later stated it was “not prepared” for the exchange. As of now, there has been no action from the Ukrainian side.
Russia has also accused Kiev of rejecting another major prisoner swap earlier on May 9.
Putin and Trump discussed Victory Day ceasefire
During his last phone call with Donald Trump in late April, the two leaders spoke about the May 9 celebrations, Putin revealed. Trump reportedly recalled the common struggle against Nazism.
Putin informed Trump of Russia’s plan to declare a ceasefire for May 8 and 9. “President Trump supported it,” Putin said. Russia publicly announced the truce, but received no immediate reaction from Ukraine. Kiev, however, later proposed a ceasefire on May 6 instead, the Russian leader stressed.
The Ukrainian military has already violated the Victory Day ceasefire on 8,970 occasions since it took effect at midnight on 8 May, including drone and artillery strikes, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Moscow said that it had ordered all of its troops along the Ukraine front line to halt combat operations and stay at their positions.
Putin explains absence of military vehicles at Victory Day parade
Putin confirmed that this year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow featured no military equipment not only for security reasons, but primarily so that the Russian Armed Forces could concentrate fully on achieving the final defeat of the Ukrainian army in the special military operation.
“We decided that we would definitely hold festive events, but without the demonstration of military equipment. Not only due to security concerns, but above all because the armed forces must focus their attention on the final defeat of the enemy,” Putin said.
The president added that this decision was taken long before any provocative statements from the Ukrainian authorities. The parade on May 9 still included marching servicemen and an aviation flyover.
Western elites fighting Russia with Ukrainian hands
Putin also stated that it is the globalist faction of Western elites that is effectively waging war against Russia using Ukrainians as proxies.
“We need to make sure that no one is threatening us. This is our goal,” Putin said when asked about the parameters of peace negotiations. He emphasized that Moscow is well aware of Western assistance to Ukraine, particularly drone technology, and noted that the other side is escalating but also looking for ways to establish contact, understanding that further escalation could be very costly.
Putin confident in future restoration of ties with West
Russian President Vladimir Putin explained that Western politicians are responsible for the Ukraine conflict, as they deceived everyone with their promise not to expand NATO eastward.
“Seeking to use Ukraine as an instrument of their geopolitical goals, these Western figures deceived everyone, and they’re now publicly admitting it,” the president emphasized. “And they began deceiving us about the West’s eastward expansion back in the early 1990s... All of this, taken together, provoked today’s situation.”
Putin also revealed that Russia warned its foreign partners about the possible consequences of a retaliatory strike on Kiev following provocations on Victory Day. According to him, Moscow specifically asked Washington to ensure the safety of diplomatic missions in the Ukrainian capital, which contributed to Trump’s initiative for a three-day ceasefire.
The Russian leader emphasized that Moscow has no desire to escalate or worsen relations with anyone.
He stressed, however, that Russia had never closed the door to negotiations with Europe or Ukraine and mentioned former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as a preferred intermediary for dialogue. Putin expressed confidence that Russia would restore relations with many Western countries in the future.
Russia has no desire to escalate with anyone
Russia has no wish to worsen relations with any country, he stressed. He pointed out that all key Ukrainian government and military decision-making centers are located in central Kiev, in immediate proximity to dozens of foreign diplomatic missions.
The Russian leader revealed that Moscow had warned its key partners, primarily China, India, and the United States, about the possible consequences of Ukrainian provocations on May 9. Putin said Russia clearly outlined the potential scenario that could unfold, which contributed to diplomatic efforts, including Donald Trump’s three-day ceasefire initiative.
Zelensky previously issued veiled threats against any foreign officials planning to take part in the parade.
After that, the Russian Defense Ministry warned that a retaliatory strike on central Kiev would be carried out if attempts were made to disrupt Victory Day events in Moscow, and urged residents and diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital in advance.
Russia offered help on Iran nuclear issue
The president revealed that Moscow had proposed to assist in resolving the Iranian nuclear program issue, including the export of enriched uranium, as it successfully did before. Putin noted that this earlier effort played a key positive role in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the now defunct 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.
According to the president, the United States, Iran, and Israel initially agreed to the idea. However, both Washington and Tehran later hardened their positions – the US demanded the uranium be sent only to its territory, while Iran proposed creating a joint Russian-Iranian enterprise on its own soil to dilute the uranium. As a result, the situation has reached a complete deadlock.
Putin expressed regret over the death of former Iranian Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, describing him as a constructive partner. Larijani played a leading role on the Iranian side in previous nuclear talks.
