Vladimir Putin has said the war in Ukraine was “coming to an end” - just hours after vowing victory in the conflict at a dramatically scaled-back parade in Moscow on Saturday.
"I think that the matter is coming to an end," Putin told reporters of the war, which started more than four years ago. He also said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe, and that his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
His comments came after the annual Victory day parade on Moscow, which marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. During the event, the Russian leader had voiced that he was confident of victory in Ukraine.
“Victory has always been and will be ours,” Putin said, as columns of troops lined up on Red Square. “The key to success is our moral strength, courage and valour, our unity and ability to endure anything and overcome any challenge.”
Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree "permitting" Russia to hold the Victory military parade and said his forces wouldn’t target Red Square, after Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire.
The parade was a far cry from past years, where it has been used to show off Russia's vast military, including its nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.
