Putin Floats End of Ukraine War as Three-Day Ceasefire Begins

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that his country's war on Ukraine may be "coming to an end", and indicated he would be willing to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a third country if a final peace agreement is reached.

The comments, made to reporters on Saturday, came hours after Russia staged its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years. The remarks coincided with the start of a three-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump on May 8, alongside a planned exchange of 1,000 prisoners between the two sides.

Putin tied any face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy to the conclusion of "a peace treaty aimed at a long-term historic perspective", language that stops well short of an unconditional summit. Russian forces still control just under a fifth of Ukrainian territory, and their advances have visibly slowed this year as Ukrainian defences harden.

Analysts urged caution about reading too much into the statement. They noted that there have been repeated suggestions over the past 18 months that an end to the war was imminent, none of which translated into a durable settlement on the ground. Broader peace talks remain stalled and both sides have continued to launch attacks.

Even so, the combination of a partial truce, a prisoner swap and a softer rhetorical register from the Kremlin is the clearest opening for diplomacy in months. Whether the three-day window can be extended, and whether Trump's administration can lock in concessions from either side, will likely shape the next phase of a conflict now in its fifth year.