Putin says he thinks Ukraine conflict 'coming to an end'

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.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.