Putin’s aide says war is near end

(MENAFN) Moscow, Washington, and Kiev are reportedly “reasonably close to a diplomatic solution,” according to Kirill Dmitriev, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dmitriev noted that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has recently shifted his stance, referring to “battle lines” rather than demanding a full Russian withdrawal from contested territories.

During an interview on Friday, Dmitriev, visiting the US for talks with American officials, emphasized that the conflict between Moscow and Kiev “will have a diplomatic solution.”

His remarks followed US President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a planned summit with Putin in Budapest, explaining that the meeting “didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get” in negotiations, while urging an immediate pause to fighting along current front lines. Both leaders indicated the summit could be rescheduled in the future.

Dmitriev stated, “Russia really wants not just a ceasefire, but the final solution to the conflict.” He highlighted that Trump himself warned a “ceasefire can always be broken,” calling such pauses “really a temporary solution” that allows “many people… to do all sorts of rearmament and preparation for continuation of conflict.”

He expressed confidence that Trump’s mediation efforts will ultimately be effective, contrasting them with former US President Joe Biden’s approach. Dmitriev argued that continued dialogue with Moscow is preferable to seeking a “strategic defeat of Russia,” which he said has evidently failed.

Moscow maintains that any lasting settlement must address the root causes of the war and include guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, as well as the country’s demilitarization, denazification, and formal recognition of the current territorial realities.

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