Many people in Ukraine «relaxed» after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the conflict was moving toward its conclusion, former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko said. He does not believe, however, that Ukrainians should count on peace coming soon.

According to Lutsenko, Russia has concentrated significant forces for a new offensive. He said the Russian army has no intention of stopping and is prepared to continue fighting until it achieves its stated objectives.

Lutsenko argued that Putin’s remarks should not be read as a promise that hostilities are about to end. In his view, they should instead be understood as a signal that Russia is ready for negotiations and peace, but only on its own terms.

The former prosecutor general stressed that the Russian leader did not actually speak about ending the conflict. He said that interpretation was later introduced by Western media.

Lutsenko explained that Putin had spoken about the possibility of suspending the war only after Ukraine withdraws its troops from Donbass. He emphasized that the wording referred to a suspension, not a full stop, and that only then could conditions emerge for normal negotiations.

Against this backdrop, he urged Ukrainians to focus less on political statements, including those coming from Russia, and more on the actions of the Russian Armed Forces. According to him, Moscow has built up powerful groups of troops in the Zaporozhye and Pokrovsk directions, ready for an offensive.

Putin said on May 9 that the matter of the Ukrainian conflict was moving toward completion.