Vladimir Putin claims to see “a light at the end of the tunnel” in the war he started by invading Ukraine, asserting that “if common sense prevails,” an end to the conflict is possible. However, he immediately qualified this by stating that if a peace deal is not reached, his army will continue to fight to “resolve all tasks militarily.”
The Russian leader declared that Volodymyr Zelensky “can come to Moscow” for talks “if he is ready,” adding he has “never ruled out” such a face-to-face meeting. Yet, he simultaneously questioned whether “such meetings make sense.” This proposal for a summit in the Russian capital—which Kyiv swiftly rejected as “unacceptable”—falls far short of an invitation to a neutral venue.
From Beijing, where he attended a major military parade alongside Xi Jinping and held a lengthy talk with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, Putin delivered decidedly ambiguous messages. He praised the Trump administration, claiming it has a “sincere desire to find a solution” to the conflict, but repeated that Russian troops are “advancing in all directions.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Kompas, his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that for peace to be lasting, what he called “the new territorial realities” must be recognized. This refers to the Kremlin’s control over Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed—a move in blatant violation of international law—some of which are only partially occupied by Russian invasion forces.
Putin’s move appears to be a challenge to Zelensky, who has long said he is ready to meet the Russian president. Kyiv dismissed the idea of talks in Moscow, with a Ukrainian official stating, “Putin continues to play games with everyone by making obviously unacceptable proposals.” Ukrainian diplomacy chief Andrii Sybiha listed alternative venues, noting that Austria, the Vatican, Switzerland, Turkey, and three Gulf countries had already offered to host negotiations.
Putin also seemed careful not to antagonize Donald Trump. Dismissing Trump’s recent use of the word “conspire” regarding the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea, Putin said the U.S. president “is not without a sense of humor.” Trump, who the day before said he was “very disappointed” in Putin, reiterated that the Ukraine war “must be resolved one way or another” and announced he intends to speak with the Kremlin leader “in the next few days.”
The geopolitical maneuvering continues as Paris prepares to host a summit of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” focused on security guarantees for Kyiv. In a separate development, the Élysée Palace announced that European leaders and Zelensky will hold a phone call with Trump following Thursday’s summit.
Amidst this, the spotlight remains on China, where Putin, Xi, and Kim shared a stage to review a grand military parade. Following the event, Putin showcased his deepening ties with the North Korean regime. According to Russian media, their meeting in Beijing lasted two and a half hours. Putin gave Kim a ride in his presidential car to the talks, a gesture he also extended to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the week.
He thanked the North Korean dictator for sending soldiers—estimated by Seoul to be 15,000-strong—to fight against Ukrainians and amplified his propaganda by claiming Russia and North Korea “are fighting together against modern Nazism,” a widely debunked narrative used to falsely label the Kyiv government as “neo-Nazi.” Kim Jong-un responded by citing the strategic partnership treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang, which includes a mutual defence clause, stating, “If there is anything we can do to help Russia, we will certainly do it and will consider it our fraternal duty.” He subsequently received an embrace and an invitation to Russia from Putin.