Putin claims Ukraine war is coming to an end, says he’s open to talks through Europe

Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the war with Ukraine is winding down, and that he would be willing to meet with President Zelenskyy if talks were aimed at finalising a long-term peace deal.

Speaking at Russia's annual Victory Day parade, Putin also said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe, but slammed Western support for Kyiv.

He told soldiers at the scaled-down parade in Moscow that they were fighting an "aggressive force" in Ukraine, backed by all of NATO and describing his war goals as "just".

The Russian leader has made the memory of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II a central narrative of his 25-year rule and repeatedly invoked it to justify his Ukraine offensive.

Russian authorities typically mark the Victory Day parade with pomp and grandeur. But a spate of Ukrainian long-range attacks in recent weeks prompted the Kremlin to ramp up security measures and downsize this year's celebrations.