Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the war in Ukraine was “heading to an end” as the first day of a US-brokered ceasefire was overshadowed by accusations of violations from both Moscow and Kyiv.
Putin made the remarks on Saturday after attending Russia’s scaled-down Victory Day parade in Moscow, where he again defended the Kremlin’s military campaign in Ukraine and criticised continued Western support for Kyiv. The Russian leader told soldiers gathered at the event that they were confronting “an aggressive force” backed by NATO and insisted Russia’s objectives in the conflict remained justified.
“They started ratcheting up the confrontation with Russia, which continues to this day,” Putin said while referring to Western countries supporting Ukraine. “I think it is heading to an end, but it’s still a serious matter.” Putin also accused Western powers of expecting Russia to collapse under pressure from the war.
“They spent months waiting for Russia to suffer a crushing defeat, for its statehood to collapse. It didn’t work out,” he said. “And then they got stuck in that groove, and now they can’t get out of it.”
The comments came as both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a three-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump. Despite the accusations, no major missile strikes were reported during the first day of the truce, though drone attacks and civilian casualties were still recorded on both sides.
Trump had described the ceasefire as a possible turning point in the conflict. “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard-fought war,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He also said the ceasefire would include a planned prisoner exchange between both countries. However, the Kremlin later stated there were currently no plans to extend the truce beyond the agreed period.
Both sides had reportedly agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, although Putin claimed Moscow had not yet received formal proposals from Ukraine regarding the swap. Putin also said he was willing to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a third country, but only after all conditions for a peace agreement had already been resolved.
“This should be the final point, not the negotiations themselves,” he said. This year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow was significantly smaller than previous editions, with no military hardware displayed for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The reduced scale of the celebration followed increased security concerns after a series of long-range Ukrainian attacks in recent weeks. Authorities also imposed internet shutdowns during the event, citing security threats.
Putin used the ceremony to draw parallels between Russia’s current military campaign and the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during World War II, a theme that has remained central to his political messaging throughout his presidency.
“The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today,” Putin told attendees. They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc. And despite this, our heroes move forward.”
“I firmly believe that our cause is just,” he added. The parade was attended mainly by leaders from Russia’s allied nations, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia and Uzbekistan, while North Korean soldiers also participated in the event.
The war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, with hundreds of thousands of people reportedly killed since fighting began.