Pulling back from harsh rhetoric, report says President Putin said the fight in Ukraine might soon wind down – his words carried less edge than before, even as military parades shrank in scale across Russian cities on Saturday
Out on the steps after the Red Square march – much smaller this year because of safety worries tied to distant drone attacks from Ukraine – he spoke to reporters. Though Putin promised triumph to soldiers during his address, afterward he hinted the wider war might be drawing close to an end.
Peace Talks and Possible Terms
A summit between Putin and Ukraine’s leader might happen abroad, though only once every main demand is cleared. The Russian president made clear it would be about putting pen to paper, not talking things through. Ending talks with a signed document – that’s what he called the goal. Not another round of discussions, just closure.
Now speaking of talks, Moscow’s head suggested chatting with European figures who haven’t slammed his country – Gerhard Schroeder, ex-leader of Germany, came up as someone he’d trust to help shape Europe’s safety setup down the line.
U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire
Out of step with the mood, remarks came right as a U.S.-backed truce began – a pause meant to allow swapping 2,000 prisoners across three days. Even under calm skies, reports surfaced: Moscow pointed fingers at drones; Kyiv shot back about small-scale artillery bursts. Not far into it, Putin said Trump’s idea had merit – human lives matter – but then added there’d been no official lineup of names sent from Ukraine yet to make release happen.
Western Involvement
Out of step with reality, so says Putin, are those Western leaders he pins as globalists pushing harder despite their own miscalculations. Stuck in old thinking patterns, according to him, because Moscow didn’t fall apart fast enough for them. Now scrambling, the West looks everywhere for ways out – this war dragging on has hollowed out parts of Russia’s financial strength while leveling entire regions across Ukraine ever since troops crossed borders three years back. Yet still it continues, without clear direction forward.
By Sunday morning, Russia’s defense department said the cease-fire still held in most frontline areas – yet talks about stretching it past Monday night have not happened. Stillness lingers where fighting once pulsed, but only until the clock ticks past twelve.
