Ukraine war latest: Putin says he believes war in Ukraine almost over
on Google
Key developments on May 9-10:
- Putin says he believes war in Ukraine almost over
- 'Victory will be ours,' Putin tells Victory Day parade without any tanks
- Russia breaks 3-day ceasefire as strikes kill 1, injure 19 across Ukraine
- Kremlin says it expects US envoys Witkoff, Kushner, 'quite soon'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 9 that he believes the full-scale war in Ukraine will be over soon.
"I think the (war in Ukraine) is coming to an end," he told journalists at a Kremlin press conference following his muted Victory Day celebrations.
Putin blamed Western nations for escalating war with Russia, claiming that a "globalist wing of Western elites is fighting against us through the hands of Ukrainians" — a claim that ignores the fact that it was Russia that launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In Putin's description, it is the West, not Russia, that got bogged down in Ukraine after failing to secure a swift victory.
"First of all, they were expecting a crushing defeat for Russia — as we know full well — and the collapse of its statehood within a matter of months," he said. "But then they got stuck in this rut, and now they simply cannot find a way out of it — that is the problem."
It's an apt summary of the state of the war, with one small adjustment: It is Russia that is stuck in a five-year war, suffering enormous troop losses by the day while failing to secure its key military objectives.
The Russian leader also said he would be willing to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in a third country — a shift from his usual invitation to host the Ukrainian president in Moscow.
Such a meeting would only be to sign and finalize an agreement, not to continue negotiations, Putin clarified.
Earlier in the day, presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov once again extended the Kremlin's standing invitation to Zelensky to meet with Putin in the Russian capital. Zelensky has repeatedly said he is willing to meet with Putin in any city that is not a party to the full-scale war.
Putin also said he would potentially be willing to meet with European leaders to negotiate an end to the war, particularly those leaders who had not disparaged Russia. His remarks come after speculations that the EU could be preparing its own talks with Putin.
European diplomats and officials told the Kyiv Independent that there is currently no plan to engage Russia, as member states must first agree on their position in the talks.
The three-day ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv was expected to include a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country.
Putin said Russia is ready for the exchange but alleged that the Ukrainian side has not submitted any proposals, signaling a possible delay in the swap.
Kyiv has rejected allegations that it is delaying the process, saying that there are ongoing contacts and that the outcome will depend on the U.S.'s role as a guarantor, Suspilne reported, citing an undisclosed source close to the Presidential Office.
'Victory will be ours,' Putin tells Victory Day parade without any tanks
Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted "victory will be ours" during his speech to mark Victory Day on May 9, addressing a parade lacking any military equipment due to Moscow's changing fortunes in the war in Ukraine.
Putin's speech comes more than four years into the Russian all-out war on Ukraine, where his troops are struggling to make notable gains on the battlefield despite constant mass casualties.
The decision to not show off any military hardware at the parade this year was made in large part because of the threat of Ukraine's increasingly effective long-range drones.
A greatest hits compilation of Russia's most modern military hardware was shown on a video displayed on screens at the event. North Korean troops marched on the Red Square for the first time, underscoring deepening relations between Moscow and Pyongyang. However, both North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who attended the 2025 parade in Moscow, were absent on the Red Square.
Regardless, Putin tried to put on a brave face.
"Victory has always been ours, and it always will be!" Putin said at the end of the speech, which was dominated by historical monologues and rarely touched on the war in Ukraine.
The parade lasted about 45 minutes. Russia's Digital Development Ministry announced following the parade that mobile internet and texting restrictions in Moscow imposed for "security reasons" have been lifted, Kremlin-controlled Russian Interfax news agency said, seemingly highlighting Moscow's fears of potential Ukrainian drone strikes.
Addressing Russian citizens, including soldiers and commanders in Russia's war against Ukraine, Putin commemorated the 81st anniversary of the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany during the parade, which has held immense significance for the Kremlin for decades.
Some of Putin's historical monologues bore striking similarities with actions in Ukraine that his troops have committed, such as the Nazi plan to seize the country and to "completely destroy" the Soviet Union's culture.
"The Nazis treacherously attacked the Soviet Union, planning to seize the country and its vast resources, completely destroy its culture and historical heritage, and, finally, exterminate, enslave, and commit genocide against the entire multinational Soviet people — that is, all the peoples, nations, and ethnic groups of the Soviet Union," Putin said during the speech.
Kyiv thwarted the Russian plan to seize Ukraine when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russia has been trying to silence Ukrainian culture and language for the past 400 years, when parts of what is now Ukraine fell under Russian influence.
Since 2022, Russian troops have committed horrific war crimes across Ukraine and have tried to exterminate Ukrainian culture, language, and national identities throughout the Moscow-occupied parts of the country.
A handful of foreign attendants of the scaled-back 2026 parade included Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith.
Kremlin-friendly Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow for bilateral talks but did not attend the parade, the Telegraph reported.
Russia breaks 3-day ceasefire as strikes kill 1, injure 19 across Ukraine
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least one civilian and injured at least 19 others over the past day, during what was supposed to be a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, regional authorities reported on May 10.
Ukraine's Air Force said it intercepted all 27 drones launched by Russia from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Millerovo overnight.
Three people suffered injuries in Russian strikes in Kharkiv Oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
A Russian drone slammed into a residential building in Kharkiv city's Industrial district overnight. Five people, including two 8-year-old boys, suffered shock, but no physical injuries.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a three-year-old girl was injured as a result of Russian drone strikes during the past day and overnight, according to the region's governor, Oleksandr Hanzha. The girl has been hospitalized and is in moderate condition.
Four people were injured in Donetsk Oblast over the past day, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Multi-story residential buildings, houses, cars, and a shop were damaged. Over the course of the day, Russian forces struck settlements across Donetsk Oblast 18 times.
In Kherson Oblast, seven people, including a child, were injured in Russian aerial and artillery attacks over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Russian forces targeted critical and social infrastructure, as well as residential areas across the region. A multi-story apartment building and eight private homes were damaged.
One person was killed, and three people were injured, including a child, following Russian drone and artillery strikes on Zaporizhzhia Oblast over the past day, according to the region's governor, Ivan Fedorov. Overall, Russian forces carried out 780 strikes on 33 settlements across Zaporizhzhia Oblast during the 24-hour period.
In Sumy Oblast, a 47-year-old man was injured after a Russian drone struck a car, according to the local military administration. Authorities also reported damage to homes and civilian infrastructure. More than 50 attacks were recorded across 18 settlements.
In Chernihiv Oblast, Russian forces carried out first-person view (FPV) drone strikes on border areas on May 9, according to Governor Viacheslav Chaus.
Critical and civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged. Over the past day, the region recorded 33 separate strikes. No casualties were reported.
The attacks took place during a declared three-day truce between Kyiv and Moscow from May 9-11. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on May 8, after Russia and Ukraine had each put forth separate ceasefire proposals.
While the skies over both countries were unusually quiet for the first night of the truce, the drone strike in Kharkiv points to an even briefer respite than the promised three days. Ukraine's General Staff also reported that fighting on the front lines continued despite the ceasefire, with 147 combat clashes recorded over the past day.
Kremlin says it expects US envoys Witkoff, Kushner, 'quite soon'
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may visit Moscow in the near future to continue dialogue with the Russian side, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on May 10.
"Sooner or later, I think, quite soon, our regular colleagues Steve Witkoff and Kushner will come to Moscow, and we will continue our dialogue with them," Ushakov told Russian state news outlet Vesti.
Witkoff and Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's top envoys for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, last visited Moscow on Jan. 22 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, failing to achieve a breakthrough toward a final settlement.
Despite repeated trips to Russia, the envoys have yet to visit Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the pair may visit Ukraine in late spring or early summer.
Ushakov's comments come amid attempts to revive U.S.-led peace efforts in Ukraine, which have stalled as Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart on territorial issues.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region, including areas still held by Ukrainian forces and that include a strategically vital fortress belt.
Peace talks will not move forward — no matter how many rounds of negotiations take place — until Ukraine pulls its forces from Donbas, Ushakov said, alleging that Kyiv "knows" it will have to give up on the region "sooner or later."
Ukraine has firmly rejected ceding additional territory, pointing out Russia's failure to seize it despite years of costly offensives.
Instead, the Ukrainian leadership has called for an unconditional ceasefire along the current front lines as a starting point for peace talks.
