Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 resulted in the most severe crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when many feared a potential nuclear war.
“I believe that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin remarked to reporters regarding the Ukraine war.
Putin made these comments in the Kremlin following Russia’s most diminished Victory Day parade in years. The national holiday on May 9 commemorates the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany in World War Two and honors the 27 million Soviet citizens who lost their lives during the conflict.
However, achieving victory in Ukraine has proven difficult for Russia.
Over four years of the deadliest European conflict since World War Two, Russian troops have yet to fully control the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv’s forces have retreated to a line of fortified cities.
The war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, devastated large areas of Ukraine, and severely impacted Russia’s $3 trillion economy, with relations between Russia and Europe deteriorating to levels not seen since the height of the Cold War.
According to a report from the Financial Times on Thursday, European Union leaders are preparing for possible discussions.
When asked about his willingness to engage in talks with European leaders, he identified former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as his preferred interlocutor.
“For me personally, the former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Schroeder, is preferable,” stated Putin.
The Kremlin indicated last week that it is up to European governments to initiate contact, as they were the ones who cut ties with Moscow in 2022 following the onset of the Ukraine war.
Regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Putin mentioned that a meeting could only take place once a sustainable peace agreement is reached.
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