No 'specifics' on ending Ukraine war despite Putin remarks: Kremlin

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it was too early to talk about "specifics" of ending the war in Ukraine after Russian president Vladimir Putin said the conflict was "heading to an end".

Putin surprised many by suggesting the war was "coming to an end", during a speech on Saturday after the World War II victory parade on Red Square—a scaled down event as Russia, its forces bogged down in Ukraine, feared a retaliatory attack by Kyiv.



But Putin did not elaborate on what he meant and the comments were paired with criticism of Western support for Ukraine's army.

"The president said that Russia remains open to contact and that work has been done in a trilateral format. He said that we would welcome continued follow-up efforts from the United States," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday when asked about Putin's remarks.

"The accumulated groundwork in terms of the peace process allows us to say that the end is drawing near. But in this context, it is not possible at the moment to speak about any specifics," Peskov told reporters, including from AFP.

US-led shuttle diplomacy aimed at brokering trilateral talks has stalled amid the Middle East war. But on Friday US president Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire in the conflict that expired at midnight on Monday.

"You know that the humanitarian ceasefire has ended and the special military operation is ongoing," Peskov told reporters, using Russia's name for its full-scale offensive launched in February 2022.

"It could be stopped at any moment," Peskov said, as soon as Ukraine "assumes responsibility and makes the necessary decision". "Kyiv is well aware of the decisions that need to be made," he added.

Russia has repeatedly urged Ukraine pull out of areas in the eastern Donbas region it still controls as a prerequisite of any peace deal. Kyiv has rejected the demand.

Now in its fifth year, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and spiralled into Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.