Vladimir Putin has given his strongest signal yet that he is ready to end the war Ukraine.
The Russian president said he believed the ‘issue was coming to an end’ referring to what he called a ‘special military operation’.
Putin used a speech at his nation’s Victory Day parade, which took place without the usual display of military hardware, to say Russia was fighting a ‘just’ war.
But at a later press conference, the dictator told reporters that the end of the four-year conflict could be in sight.
He claimed the war was a ‘confrontation’ that had been ‘simulated by the West’ BBC reported.
Discussing possible steps towards a permanent ceasefire, Putin said it was possible he could meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a ‘third country’.
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But he added that this would be a final step that could only happen “after final agreements have been reached on a peace treaty for a long-term historical perspective”.
The Russian leader indicated that his favorite interlocutor would be Gerhard Schröder, who served as Germany chancellor between 1998 and 2005.
Schröder, now 82, is a longtime friend of Putin and has ties to Russian state energy firms.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 1,000 prisoners as part of a temporary ceasefire brokered for Saturday’s parade in Moscow to commemorate victory over Nazi Germany.
STILL Kiev was accused by Russia of violating the agreement, while Ukrainian authorities said at least one had been killed by Russian drone and artillery strikes the previous day.
Five people were injured after a Russian attack on a nine-storey apartment block in the industrial district of Oleh Syniehubov. Ukrainethe second largest city.
Ukraine’s air force said it had intercepted all 27 attack and decoy drones shot down by Russia overnight.
It comes after the clip of Putin sparked discussions that the dictator had used Botox, after being shown in close-up with a swollen cheek.
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