President Putin Reminds Ukraine: Reach Agreement Ends War Or Solve With Strength

President Putin when giving information to the media in China. (Vladimir Smirnov / TASS via Kremlin)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin told Kyiv on Wednesday there was an opportunity to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations "if common sense wins", an option he prefers, but he is also ready to end it with power if that's the only way.

Speaking in Beijing at the end of a visit that resulted in an agreement on a new gas pipeline to China, President Putin said he saw "a bit of light at the end of the tunnel", given what the United States has called a sincere attempt to find a solution to Europe's biggest land war since the Second World War.

"In my opinion, if common sense wins, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict. That's my assumption," President Putin told reporters in China.

"Especially because we can see the mood of the current US government under President (Donald) Trump, and we see not only their statement, but also their sincere desire to find this solution. And I think there is a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel. Let's see how the situation develops," he explained.

"If not, then we must complete all tasks that exist in front of us with weapons force," said President Putin.

However, President Putin has shown no willingness to soften his longstanding demands, including for Kyiv to abandon the idea of joining NATO and ending what Moscow calls discrimination against Russian speakers.

He said he was ready to hold talks with Volodymyr Zelensky if the President of Ukraine came to Moscow, but such gatherings had to be well prepared and yielded tangible results.

Ukraine's foreign minister dismissed Moscow's proposal as such a meeting venue as "unacceptable".