Putin Says He Thinks the Ukraine War Is Coming to An End

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that he thought the Ukraine conflict was coming to an end. I think that the matter is coming to an end, Putin told reporters at the Kremlin after Russia held its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years to celebrate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the most serious crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, left swathes of Ukraine in ruins, and drained Russia's three trillion dollars economy. However, victory in Ukraine has been elusive for Russia so far after more than four years. Putin's comments come amid reports on potential talks between Russia and European Union leaders. Asked if he was willing to engage in talks with the Europeans, he said the preferred figure for him was Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. For me personally, the former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Schroeder, is preferable, Putin said. The meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could happen only after a lasting peace deal was agreed, he insisted.