Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said the conflict with Ukraine was winding down, slamming Western support for Kyiv.

Putin told reporters after the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow on Red Square, marking the 81st anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.

"And they started ratcheting up the confrontation with Russia, which continues to this day. I think it is heading to an end, but it's still a serious matter," said Putin in response to a question on whether Western help to Ukraine went too far.

Putin said Victory Day is the country's "sacred, bright and most important" in his address to troops and guests ahead of the parade.

He said preserving the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War, as well as its true history and heroes, is a matter of honor for the country and the Russian people, adding that Soviet soldiers suffered great losses and made a great sacrifice in the name of freedom and dignity of the peoples of Europe.

In his remarks, Putin also said Russian soldiers today are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bloc and that they continue to move forward despite the situation.

Later, when asked at a news conference about Ukraine, Putin said he is open to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only when all the conditions for signing a final peace treaty are settled, according to the BBC.

"A meeting in a third country is possible, but only once final agreements have been reached on a peace treaty for a long-term historical perspective, to take part in this event and sign (the treaty), but it must be a final step," he said.

Putin said he had heard that Zelenskyy was ready to hold a personal meeting, but noted that "this is not the first time we have heard such statements," and Russia has not received any proposals from Ukraine on a large prisoner swap announced by US President Donald Trump.

He also said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe and that his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany's former chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder.

(With input from agencies)