Putin Says Ukraine Conflict Is Heading To An End After Trump Brokered 3-Day Ceasefire Begins

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters after Russia’s scaled-back Victory Day parade that he believes the Ukrainian conflict is “heading to an end,” while also saying “it is still a serious matter.”

“Russian president opens to dialogue with the European Union and names former German chancellor Schröder as a possible negotiator”

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Putin said he was ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a third country only once “all conditions for a potential peace agreement were settled,” adding, “This should be the final point, not the negotiations themselves.”

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The remarks came as a three-day ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump began on Saturday and was set to run through Monday, with Trump writing on Truth Social that it would include “a suspension of all kinetic activity” and “a prisoner swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country.”

At the parade on Moscow’s Red Square, Putin hailed Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, declaring that they “face an aggressive force that is armed and supported by the entire bloc of NATO,” and are fighting for a “just cause,” while the show did not include heavy weapons for the first time in nearly two decades.

As the ceasefire period started, Russia and Ukraine traded accusations of violations, with France 24 saying Putin spoke after “a first day of a US-brokered ceasefire was marked by mutual accusations of violations.”

Putin responded to a question about whether Western military aid to Ukraine had gone too far by saying, “They started ratcheting up the confrontation with Russia, which continues to this day,” and he reiterated, “I think it (the conflict) is heading to an end but it's still a serious matter.”

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The same France 24 report said the Kremlin said there were “no plans to prolong the truce,” while also noting the warring sides agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each during the truce.

In parallel, TF1 Info reported that Ukraine and Russia mutually accused each other of violating the three-day ceasefire, quoting the Ukrainian General Staff that “le nombre d’attaques menées par l'agresseur a atteint 51” and quoting the Russian Defense Ministry that “des groupes armés ukrainiens ont lancé des attaques à l’aide de drones et d’artillerie.”

Putin’s comments tied any potential meeting with Zelenskyy to a peace framework, saying “A meeting in a third country is also possible, but only once final agreements have been reached on a peace treaty for a long‑term historical perspective,” and he added, “This should be a final step, not the negotiations.”

“La guerra in Ucraina "si avvia alla conclusione"”

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The BBC reported that Putin said he would only meet Zelensky once a lasting peace deal was agreed, and it also said Putin named Germany’s former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as his preferred negotiating partner for new security arrangements for Europe.

Putin also said Russia was waiting for Ukraine to respond on the prisoner exchange, telling reporters, “We are counting on the Ukrainian side to respond to the proposal made by the President of the United States,” while adding, “Unfortunately, we still have not received any proposals so far.”

Beyond diplomacy, the scaled-down parade itself underscored the security posture, with the BBC saying the parade lacked the usual display of tanks and missiles due to security concerns as authorities feared Ukraine might target Red Square with drones, and it said the event passed off without incident.