Vladimir Putin claims he wants to ‘compromise’ with Ukraine and its Western allies in a bid to end the conflict.
In a TV address yesterday, the Russian president suggested peace talks could begin without any prior conditions.
His remarks raised hopes that the war, which has caused more than one million casualties, could end in 2025.
President Putin said Russia needed a ‘long-lasting peace’ rather than a temporary truce which would ‘allow the enemy [Ukraine] to resupply’. He said: ‘Ukraine is being exhausted of its military equipment, the enemy is unable to hold its positions.’
Putin added that while he is ready for negotiations, Volodymyr Zelensky would be required to stand for election as he was not the legitimate authority in Ukraine.
He said: ‘It’s [Ukraine’s] constitution does not allow the extension of the president’s mandate, even under martial law.’
Since Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May, the Ukrainian government has promised to hold elections immediately after the war.
Putin added that talks should be based on ‘the reality at the front’ – meaning the Kremlin would keep the territory it has gained in eastern Ukraine in recent months.
He said: ‘We have always said we are ready for negotiations and compromises and we are in a strong position. Soon those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out. Soon there will be no one left who wants to fight.’
Ukraine’s shortage of manpower has been identified by Western officials as the country’s biggest security challenge.
By contrast, Russia has been able to replace the approximately 10,000 troops it is losing as casualties on a weekly basis.
The Kremlin wants to incorporate four Ukrainian regions into Russia. Western-backed Ukrainian troops are losing territory in these areas, which is strengthening Putin’s position.
President Zelensky’s only bargaining chip is the 500 square kilometres of territory occupied by Ukrainian troops in the southern Russian province of Kursk.
In a rambling question-and-answer session broadcast live on state television, Putin asserted that he should have sent troops into Ukraine sooner than February 2022.
He also said Russia should have been better prepared for the conflict – Kremlin defence chiefs wrongly predicted they could seize Ukraine in a matter of days.
The failure prompted a purge of senior military and intelligence officials in Moscow.
Putin also said he could fire another Oreshnik hypersonic missile into Ukraine to test Western air defence systems – which failed to intercept the missile fired last month.
Last night, Western officials suggested Putin still intends to achieve his pre-war aims, including the subjugation of the entirety of Ukraine.
They cast doubt on any suggestion Putin could be willing to reach an equitable agreement or recognise Ukrainian sovereignty.
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