Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday hinted that the Ukraine war could soon end. Speaking to reporters after marking Russia’s Victory Day parade, Putin said: “I think that the matter is coming to an end.” The comment was made in response to a question about whether Western help to Ukraine went too far. The Russian leader said: “They started ratcheting up the confrontation with Russia, which continues to this day. I think it is heading to an end, but it’s still a serious matter.”
Putin’s remarks come as Kyiv and Moscow observe a three-day ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine this weekend. The truce was announced on Friday by US President Donald Trump after negotiations brokered by Washington. European Council President Antonio Costa on Thursday said the European Union was prepared to hold separate talks with Russia and Ukraine “when the right moment comes."
Russia is scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel for personnel and is hemorrhaging a massive amount of money. Their industry is in the gutter and their already crumbling infrastructure is being attacked by long-range drones flying completely unbothered for thousands of kilometers every day. They have lost pretty much every relevant partner on the international stage. The only realistic way to end this war on Putin’s terms is to pull out from Ukraine and face the Russian population. The other ways are a general mobilization (which will lead to the same result as #1) or waiting for the inevitable collapse (which will, again, lead to the same result as #1). He has painted himself into a corner and there is no way out.
He’s dragging it on for as long as he can but the final result will always be the same.