Pistorius Says Putin Using Peace Talk to Distract From Russia’s Losses

Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s recent statements about a quick end to the war in Ukraine are a deceptive maneuver designed to distract from his military’s weakness, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated, RBC-Ukraine reported on May 11.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in Kyiv, Pistorius noted that Putin controls when the terror against Ukrainian civilians stops. “I believe that Putin, with his behavior, is currently trying to distract attention from his own weakness,” Pistorius said.

“At this moment, he can hardly boast of territorial gains. His army loses parts of the captured territories again and again,” he continued.

The German defense chief pointed out the inherent contradiction in Putin’s rhetoric, according to RBC-Ukraine.

“Any attentive observer immediately has a question: if he really sees the end of this war, then he could simply end it? Then the moment of completion would be entirely in his hands,” Pistorius noted. “But at the same time, he puts forward conditions again—as always.”

Pistorius emphasized that Putin’s claims are part of Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy, warning that he has a history of violating ceasefire agreements and acting contrary to established negotiations.

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“The truth is—and I will not tire of repeating this—that if Vladimir Putin wanted to end his war of aggression against Ukraine, he could do it very simply: by withdrawing his troops or inviting to concrete negotiations without preconditions,” he stressed.

Following the press conference, the two officials exchanged a series of symbolic gifts, Interfax-Ukraine reported. Pistorius presented Fedorov with a medal from the German Federal Ministry of Defense.

In return, the Ukrainian minister presented his German counterpart with honey harvested from minefields, salt from the temporarily occupied Ukrainian city of Soledar, and a bracelet forged from the steel of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, according to Interfax-Ukraine. Fedorov also gifted a “Brave Germany” t-shirt and a combat flag from “Lasar’s group,” signed by the commander.

The joint press conference took place during an unannounced visit to Kyiv by Pistorius, which focused on expanding bilateral defense-industrial cooperation. The German Defense Minister prioritized talks on the “joint development of modern unmanned weapons systems of all ranges,” noting that Ukrainian battlefield technologies are now highly sought after as innovative solutions worldwide.

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