Russia-Ukraine war may be entering decisive stage, Putin says

Moscow signals cautious optimism over negotiations as relations with Europe remain at their lowest point since the Cold War.

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Saturday that he believes the conflict in Ukraine is approaching a decisive phase, suggesting the prolonged war may be nearing its conclusion.

Russia’s 2022 military offensive against Ukraine precipitated the gravest rupture in relations between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis a moment in history when the world stood perilously close to nuclear confrontation.

“I believe the situation is drawing to a close,” Putin remarked while addressing reporters at the Kremlin.

His comments followed Russia’s most restrained Victory Day parade in recent years. Observed annually on May 9 the occasion commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II and pays tribute to the nearly 27 million Soviet citizens who perished during the war.

However a definitive military triumph in Ukraine has remained elusive for Moscow. Four years into what has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, Russian forces have yet to secure full control of the strategically significant Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Although Ukrainian troops have been compelled to retreat in several areas they continue to maintain defensive strongholds across a network of fortified cities.

The protracted war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, devastated vast stretches of Ukrainian territory, and imposed severe economic pressures on Russia’s $3 trillion economy. Simultaneously Moscow’s relations with Europe have deteriorated to their lowest ebb since the height of the Cold War.

The Financial Times reported on Thursday that European Union leaders are quietly preparing for the possibility of renewed diplomatic engagement with Moscow.

When questioned about potential negotiations with European leaders, Putin indicated that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder would be his preferred interlocutor.

“Personally former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Schroeder, would be preferable,” Putin said.

Last week, the Kremlin asserted that the responsibility for re-establishing diplomatic channels rests with European governments, arguing that they were the parties that severed ties with Moscow following the outbreak of the war in 2022.

Addressing the prospect of direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin maintained that such a meeting could only materialize once a comprehensive and enduring peace settlement had been finalized.