PUTIN SAYS THE WAR IS NEARLY OVER — BUT DON'T BELIEVE HIM YET! NewsX World

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Russia's war in Ukraine could be drawing to a close, but the fine print tells a more complicated story. Here is what he said and what it actually means. Speaking after Saturday's victory parade in Moscow, marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, Putin told a news conference that he thought the matter is coming to an end while condemning Western support for Kev. He said the West had promised assistance and then began fueling a confrontation with Russia that continues to this day.

[00:00:53]But those words came just hours after Putin used his annual Victory Day speech to call the war a just conflict and describe Ukraine as an aggressive force being armed and supported by the whole block of NATO. That is not the language of a leader winding down a war. On negotiations, Putin set out highly conditional terms. He said he would only meet with President Zilinski once a lasting peace deal had already been agreed, meaning a meeting would be the final step to sign a treaty, not a step towards reaching one. He added that his preferred negotiating partner for new European security arrangements would be former German Chancellor Gerard Schroeda, a long-standing personal friend and a deeply controversial figure because of his work for Russian state energy firms. The parade itself told its own story. For the first time in nearly two decades, there was no military hardware on Red Square. No tanks, no missiles because Russian authorities feared Ukraine might target the parade.

[00:02:00]Fewer international journalists were granted access than in previous years. A US brokered ceasefire held long enough for the parade to pass without incident.

[00:02:10]But Russia and Ukraine then immediately accused each other of violating the three-day truce. Russia claimed Ukraine had carried out over 6,000 drone strikes. Ukraine reported Russian drone attacks in Khiv, Denipro, Petrovsk, and Zaparosia. A prisoner swap of 1,000 soldiers from each side was agreed as part of the ceasefire deal, but Putin said Russia had not yet heard from Ukraine about when those exchanges would take place. Putin says the war is coming to an end. The drones are still flying.

[00:02:43]Suggest otherwise.