Putin Says He Wants To End This War: 'Our Goal Is Not To Spin The Flywheel Of Military Conflict'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wants to end the war in Ukraine while warning that the U.S. Patriot missile system won't stand in Moscow's way to achieving its "goals."

What Happened: Putin, on Thursday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House, spoke of ending the Ukraine war and hinted that this would inevitably involve a diplomatic solution. 

“Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war,” Putin said, according to Reuters.

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“All armed conflicts end one way or another with some kind of negotiations on the diplomatic track,” Putin said, adding, “We will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course.”

“Sooner or later, any parties in a state of conflict sit down and make an agreement. The sooner this realization comes to those who oppose us, the better. We have never given up on this,” Putin added.

The Russian leader's comments were quick to draw criticism from White House spokesman John Kirby who said Putin had “shown absolutely zero indication that he’s willing to negotiate” an end to the war.

“Everything he (Putin) is doing on the ground and in the air bespeaks a man who wants to continue to visit violence upon the Ukrainian people (and) escalate the war,” Kirby told media.

Meanwhile, Putin also warned that Zelenskyy's visit to Washington would not help settle the conflict. Although the U.S. Patriot air defense system is widely regarded as advanced, Putin dismissed it as “quite old” and said the Kremlin would find a way to counter it. 

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