President Vladimir Putin has said he believes the Ukraine war is coming to an end.
The Russian leader made the comments after a very scaled back Victory Day parade, which had taken place amid a three-day ceasefire.
The agreement was reportedly brokered with the involvement of President Donald Trump.
Where once Victory Day would see parades of men, tanks and other military equipment marching through Moscow's Red Square to mark the end of the Second World War, 2026 saw the most pared-back commemorations yet.
The show did not include heavy weapons for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Speaking at the parade, President Putin hailed his troops fighting in Ukraine, declaring that they "face an aggressive force that is armed and supported by the entire bloc of NATO", and are fighting for a "just cause".
"Victory has always been and will be ours," he said
He spoke at a time where Ukrainian forces continue to stymie Russian efforts, with Kyiv's defenders even advancing more than they retreated in the month of April.
The battlefield remains largely static, with a huge grey zone where any movement is soon tracked and targeted by drones.
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Asked if he was willing to engage in talks with the Europeans, he said the preferable figure for him was Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
He served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005 and has since been a political lobbyist and worked for Russian state-owned energy companies.
"For me personally, the former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Schroeder, is preferable," President Putin said.
The Kremlin said last week that it was for European governments to make the first move, as they were the ones who severed contact with Moscow in 2022 after the start of the war in Ukraine.
(c) Sky News 2026: Putin says Ukraine war likely to end soon - despite Ukrainian battlefield gains
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