Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in Beijing after signing a new gas pipeline deal with China. He told reporters there might be a chance to end the Ukraine war through talks if “common sense wins.” Putin said he wants peace but is ready to use force if needed.
He said there is “light at the end of the tunnel,” pointing to what he believes are honest efforts by the U.S. under former President Donald Trump to find a solution to Europe’s biggest land war since World War II. “We see the U.S. wanting to solve this,” Putin said.
Putin repeated his demands, including that Ukraine leave NATO and stop what Russia says is unfair treatment of Russian speakers. He offered to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Moscow, but said talks must be well planned and lead to real results. Ukraine’s foreign minister rejected Moscow as a meeting place, calling it “unacceptable.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Kyiv on Wednesday there was a chance to end the war in Ukraine via negotiations "if common sense prevails", an option he said he preferred, but that he was ready to end it by force if that was the only way. https://t.co/UmMOmfAKAj
— Reuters China (@ReutersChina) September 4, 2025Zelenskyy wants to meet Putin to discuss peace, but the two sides remain at odds. Trump, trying to help end the war, has called for a meeting and warned of more sanctions on Russia if talks don’t progress.
Russia’s war in Ukraine started in February 2022 and has caused widespread damage. Russia says it controls four Ukrainian regions, but Kyiv and most Western countries say this is illegal. Sanctions have hurt Russia’s economy, making Putin more open to talks, though he still holds firm on his conditions.
Putin’s words show there could be a chance for peace talks, but also big problems to solve. The outcome will affect Ukraine’s future and global peace
