Russian President Vladimir Putin's talk of a possible end to the war in Ukraine could be another hoax aimed at distracting attention from Russia's weakness, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a surprise visit to Kiev, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
Putin said on Saturday that he believes the war in Ukraine is coming to an end and that he is ready to take part in negotiations for new agreements on the security architecture in Europe. The Russian president pointed to former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as a possible mediator in such a dialogue.
Putin can end the war himself if he wants to, Pistorius said. – – There is always the fear – I hope I am wrong – that this is another deception and we should not rule out this option", the German Defense Minister also said.
"I think that in this way Putin is trying to distract attention from his own weakness. At the moment he can boast of almost no territorial gains, and his army continues to lose parts of the occupied territories", Pistorius added.
On Friday, Ukraine and Russia signed a three-day ceasefire agreement as part of US peace efforts under the auspices of US President Donald Trump, but both sides accused each other of violating the temporary truce.