– Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he thinks Russia’s conflict with Ukraine is coming to an end, addressing reporters after a scaled-back military parade in Moscow marking the Soviet victory in World War Two.

“I think that the matter is coming to an end,” he said, referring to the “special military operation” in Ukraine, while condemning Western support for the Kyiv government.Russia’s annual parade lacked the usual display of tanks and missiles, due to security concerns as authorities feared Ukraine might target Red Square with drones.A last-minute ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, brokered by US President Donald Trump, reduced the danger of any attack and the parade passed off without incident.Putin’s comments came just hours after he used his Victory Day speech to justify the war.

In that speech he said Russia was fighting a “just” war and called Ukraine an “aggressive force” that was being “armed and supported by the whole bloc of Nato”.Later, when asked at a news conference about the West helping Ukraine, Putin said: “They (West) promised assistance and then began fueling a confrontation with Russia that continues to this day. I think that the matter is coming to an end, but it is a serious matter.”Russian forces seized Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014, then launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin said he would only meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky once a lasting peace deal was agreed to.”A meeting in a third country is also possible, but only once final agreements have been reached on a peace treaty for a long‑term historical perspective, to take part in this event and sign (treaty), but it must be a final step,” he continued.Putin said he had heard that Zelensky was ready to hold a personal meeting but added “this is not the first time we have heard such statements”.Putin said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe, and that his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany’s former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

The ex-chancellor is a longstanding friend of Putin, and controversial because of his work for Russian state-owned energy firms.

Last week European Council President António Costa said he believed there was “potential” for the EU to negotiate with Russia, and that Zelensky favoured such a move. Quoted by the Financial Times, Costa said he was consulting EU leaders on “what we need effectively to discuss with Russia when it comes to the right moment to do this”.

As part of the US-led ceasefire deal over the weekend, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country. But Putin said on Saturday that Russia had not yet heard from Ukraine about any exchanges.

For the first time in nearly two decades there was no military hardware at the Red Square parade, which the Kremlin normally showcases to project Russian military power on the international stage.

There were also far fewer journalists at the event, with many international media organisations not being granted access.