Russia Wants To End 'War' With Ukraine, Puzzling West

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine and that this would inevitably involve a diplomatic solution, Mark Trevelyan reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Putin made the comments, likely to be met with skepticism by Ukraine and its allies, a day after US President Joe Biden hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the White House and promised him continued and unwavering US support.

Putin made the comments, likely to be met with skepticism by Ukraine and its allies, a day after US President Joe Biden hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the White House and promised him continued and unwavering US support.

"Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war," Putin said.

"We will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course."

Russia has persistently said it is open to negotiations, but Ukraine and its allies suspect a ploy to buy time after a series of Russian defeats and retreats that have swung the momentum of the 10-month war in favor of Kyiv. Putin may have violated Russian law by referring to the invasion as a “war” rather than a “special military operation.”

"I have said many times: the intensification of hostilities leads to unjustified losses," Putin told reporters.

He added: "All armed conflicts end one way or another with some kind of negotiations on the diplomatic track. Sooner or later, any parties in a state of conflict sit down and make an agreement. The sooner this realization comes to those who oppose us, the better. We have never given up on this."

Putin wants Zelensky to accept Russia’s territorial claims on Ukraine, which the community of nations refuses to recognize.

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