End of Ukraine war near: Kremlin refuses to clarify Vladimir Putins statements

“Details of Vladimir Putin’s remarks are not possible to enter at the moment,” said the spokesperson for the Russian presidency.

As Vladimir Putin declared on Saturday that the war in Ukraine was nearing its “end,” the Kremlin stated on Tuesday, May 12, that it was too early to provide specific details to support this claim.

“All progress in terms of the peace process allows us to say that the end is truly approaching. But, in this context, it is not possible at the moment to delve into the specific details,” stated Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, during his daily briefing.

He was asked about the statements made by President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, who surprised many by asserting that the conflict in Ukraine was “coming to an end” during a press conference on the day of the Soviet victory celebrations over Nazi Germany. The Russian leader did not elaborate on this comment which was accompanied by criticism of western support for Kiev.

“The president said that ‘Russia remains open to contact and work has been done in a trilateral format.’ He stated that he will welcome any efforts by the United States that follow,” Dmitry Peskov stated.

Negotiations on hold

Negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, mediated by the United States, have been paused since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East at the end of February. U.S. President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia on Friday, which both parties accused each other of violating.

Moscow stated that it resumed its offensive after the end of this ceasefire, which expired at midnight local time on Tuesday (9 p.m. GMT on Monday).

“It can stop at any moment once the Kiev regime assumes its responsibilities and makes the necessary decision,” Dmitry Peskov stated, emphasizing that Kiev “knows very well what decisions are necessary.”

The Russian government is demanding territorial concessions from the Ukrainian government, including a complete withdrawal from the eastern region of Donbass, which is partially controlled by Moscow. These demands have been rejected by Kiev, who see them as equivalent to surrender.

The large-scale offensive launched in February 2022 has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, making it the worst conflict in Europe since World War II.