Putin says Russia-Ukraine war 'coming to an end'

May 9, 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on May 9 that the Ukraine war is coming to an end, speaking after Moscow's most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years that featured videos of military hardware instead of actual weapons displays. Putin blamed Western leaders for the conflict, citing broken promises about NATO expansion, and said he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky only after a lasting peace deal is agreed. The war has lasted over four years, killed hundreds of thousands, and left Russia controlling just under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory despite being unable to take the entire Donbas region. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire from Saturday to Monday held without reported violations, with Russia and Ukraine agreeing to exchange 1,000 prisoners, though peace talks remain paused and the conflict has triggered the worst Russia-West crisis since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Scaled-down Victory Day parade amid security concerns

▪Victory Day parades on Red Square have involved a broad array of heavy weapons every year since 2008
▪Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree mockingly permitting Russia to hold its Victory Day celebrations on May 9, 2026, declaring Red Square temporarily off-limits for Ukrainian strikes
▪Russian authorities warned that if Ukraine attempts to disrupt the May 9 Victory Day festivities, Russia will carry out a massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv

Military situation and ongoing conflict dynamics

▪Vladimir Putin has been in power for more than a quarter-century as of May 2026
▪Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners
▪Russian troops have been fighting in Ukraine longer than Soviet forces fought in World War Two
▪Russian troops have been fighting in Ukraine for well over four years
▪Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a truce that was supposed to begin on May 6, 2026

International diplomatic responses and attendance

▪Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko attended the May 9, 2026 Victory Day festivities in Moscow
▪Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial outside the Kremlin walls on May 9, 2026
▪Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stayed away from the Red Square Victory Day parade on May 9, 2026
▪Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith attended the May 9, 2026 Victory Day festivities in Moscow
▪Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar attended the May 9, 2026 Victory Day festivities in Moscow

Putin's statements on ending the war and future negotiations

▪Vladimir Putin said a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was possible only once a lasting peace deal was agreed
▪Vladimir Putin said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe
▪Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday, May 9, that the Ukraine war was coming to an end
▪Vladimir Putin said his preferred negotiating partner for European security arrangements would be Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder