Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes the Ukraine conflict is moving toward its conclusion.

Axar.az informs that “I think things are heading toward an end [to the Ukraine conflict],” the Russian leader said while answering journalists’ questions.

Putin also claimed that Western politicians had “fueled confrontation” with Russia, adding that they had expected a rapid collapse of the Russian state within months.

“Then they got stuck in this track and now cannot get out of it — that’s the problem,” he said. Putin added that there are “smart people” in the West who understand the essence of current events and expressed hope that such political forces would gradually return to power or take power with the support of the majority of European countries.