THE Ukraine war may be “coming to an end” and a peace deal could be signed by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine in a neutral country, Vladimir Putin said after the Victory Day parade on Saturday.

However, Mr Putin said a meeting with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky would only be to sign a finalised deal, and they would not negotiate face to face.

Mr Zelensky has previously declined a Russian suggestion that he come to Moscow to sue for peace.

A three-day ceasefire and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war held by each side was apparently agreed following pressure from US President Donald Trump.

At the parade the Russian leader reiterated the grievances Russia holds responsible for the war, saying the US-led Nato alliance had broken its promises not to expand eastward after 1989 and saying the invasion of Ukraine had neutered an “aggressive force armed and supported by the entire Nato bloc.

“Victory has always been and will be ours,” he added.

Russia’s Victory Day parade, marking the 81st anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union on May 9 1945, was pared down from its usual size, with tanks, missile launchers and other heavy military vehicles absent.

It contrasted with last year’s 80th anniversary commemorations, attended by dozens of world leaders and seen as an indication that Western efforts to isolate Russia diplomatically following its attack on Ukraine had failed.

But the march did showcase Russian ally North Korea, whose troops marched in the parade for the first time, in recognition of North Korean forces deploying to Ukraine to assist Russia. The leaders of three former Soviet states, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, took part, while the head of one EU member, Slovakia’s Robert Fico, came to Moscow to lay flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier a day ahead of the march in recognition of the Red Army’s defeat of fascism.

Mr Putin downplayed reports that Russia feared the march could be struck by Ukrainian drones on the day, despite a number of hits on Moscow recently, saying that the military was simply too busy fighting in Ukraine to prioritise the demonstration.