Russia keeps bombing Ukraine. So why is Putin talking about peace?
Russia keeps bombing Ukraine. So why is Putin talking about peace?
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2026.
by Tim Zadorozhnyy
After presiding over the smallest Victory Day parade of his rule, Russian President Vladimir Putin shifted tone on his country's war against Ukraine.
"I think (the war in Ukraine) is coming to an end," Putin told journalists on May 9 — a statement that drew attention because it was the first of its kind in four years.
Putin also avoided many of the triumphalist talking points that have defined his public appearances. And for perhaps the first time in years, he publicly referred to President Volodymyr Zelensky as "Mr. Zelensky."
"This is slightly new language from Putin," said John Lough, senior research fellow and head of foreign policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Center. In previous years, Putin routinely described the Ukrainian president as a "neo-Nazi drug addict."
The remarks came at a moment when Russia faces mounting military, economic, and political pressure despite continuing offensive operations in Ukraine.
A few days later, however, Russia launched another mass missile attack against Ukraine, killing and injuring dozens of civilians in Kyiv.
Rescuers work at a residential building partially destroyed following Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 14, 2026.
"His statement is therefore best read as tactical populism: telling Russians that the end is visible, while telling Ukraine and the West that the price of that end remains political surrender," said Gregoire Roos, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia programs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2026.
by Tim Zadorozhnyy
After presiding over the smallest Victory Day parade of his rule, Russian President Vladimir Putin shifted tone on his country's war against Ukraine.
"I think (the war in Ukraine) is coming to an end," Putin told journalists on May 9 — a statement that drew attention because it was the first of its kind in four years.
Putin also avoided many of the triumphalist talking points that have defined his public appearances. And for perhaps the first time in years, he publicly referred to President Volodymyr Zelensky as "Mr. Zelensky."
"This is slightly new language from Putin," said John Lough, senior research fellow and head of foreign policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Center. In previous years, Putin routinely described the Ukrainian president as a "neo-Nazi drug addict."
The remarks came at a moment when Russia faces mounting military, economic, and political pressure despite continuing offensive operations in Ukraine.
A few days later, however, Russia launched another mass missile attack against Ukraine, killing and injuring dozens of civilians in Kyiv.
Rescuers work at a residential building partially destroyed following Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 14, 2026.
"His statement is therefore best read as tactical populism: telling Russians that the end is visible, while telling Ukraine and the West that the price of that end remains political surrender," said Gregoire Roos, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia programs.
