Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Saturday that Russia’s war in Ukraine could be approaching its conclusion and said he would be willing to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a neutral country if a peace agreement is finalized.

Putin made the remarks hours after presiding over Russia’s most subdued Victory Day parade in years, where he vowed that Moscow would ultimately prevail in the conflict.

The comments came as Russia and Ukraine entered a three-day ceasefire and agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners, developments that have fueled cautious optimism about potential diplomatic progress.

During the ceremony at Red Square, Putin praised Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, portraying the war as a defensive struggle against what he called “an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc.”

“Victory has always been and will be ours,” he declared before assembled troops.

Later, speaking with reporters, Putin blamed Western nations and what he called “globalist elites” for triggering the conflict, arguing that NATO expansion after the fall of the Berlin Wall contributed to the crisis.

“I think the matter is coming to an end,” Putin said.

Russia’s annual Victory Day commemorates the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II and honors the millions of Soviet citizens killed during the war.

This year’s parade was notably more restrained than in previous years. Instead of the usual display of tanks and missile systems moving through Red Square, military footage and battlefield imagery were shown on giant screens.

For the first time, troops from North Korea participated in the parade, reflecting the growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang after North Korean forces reportedly assisted Russia in countering Ukrainian operations in the Kursk region.