In a scathing address to parliamentary leaders more than four months after the war, Putin said the prospects for any negotiation would diminish the longer the conflict dragged on. “Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What can you say, let them try,” he said. “We have heard many times that the West wants to fight us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it seems that everything is working towards it.”
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Story continues below ad Russia accuses the West of waging a proxy war against it, hammering its economy with sanctions and boosting the supply of advanced weapons to Ukraine. But while boasting that Russia had just hit its stride, Putin also hinted at the possibility of negotiations. “Everyone should know that, in general, we have not started anything seriously yet,” he added. “At the same time, we do not reject peace talks. But those who reject them should know that the longer it goes on, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us.” It was the first mention of diplomacy in weeks after repeated statements from Moscow that negotiations with Kyiv had completely broken down. 2:59 Russia claims victory over Ukrainian forces in Lysychansk Russia claims victory over Ukrainian forces in Lysychansk Since invading Ukraine on February 24, Russian forces have seized large swathes of the country, including completing the seizure of the eastern region of Luhansk last Sunday. Trending Stories
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Story continues below ad However, their progress was much slower than many analysts had predicted, and they were defeated in initial attempts to capture the capital, Kyiv, and the second city, Kharkiv. Prospects for a compromise appear remote as Ukraine, emboldened by Western support and the heavy losses it has inflicted on its rival in both men and equipment, has spoken of expelling Russia from all the territory it has seized.
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Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Mykhailo Podolyak, rejected Putin’s idea of a plan directed against Russia from the West. “There is no plan for a ‘collective West.’ Only a certain z-army entered sovereign Ukraine, bombing cities and killing civilians,” Podolyak tweeted. “Everything else is primitive propaganda. That is why Mr. Putin’s mantra of ‘war to the last Ukrainian’ is further evidence of deliberate Russian genocide.” Podolyak said on Twitter this week that Ukraine’s terms for resuming talks would include: “A cease-fire. Withdrawal of the Z-troops. Returns of abducted citizens. Extradition of war criminals. Recovery mechanism. Recognition of Ukraine’s sovereign rights”. 2:23100 Days in Ukraine: How Putin Miscalculated Kiev’s Resolve 100 Days in Ukraine: How Putin Miscalculated Kiev’s Resolve – June 4, 2022 Putin said it was obvious that Western sanctions were creating difficulties, “but not at all what the initiators of the economic blitzkrieg against Russia were counting on.” Story continues below ad Parliamentary leaders hit back at Putin’s comments, and one, Sergei Mironov of the A Just Russia party, encouraged him to create a special agency to facilitate the integration of occupied Ukrainian territories into Russia — an idea Putin has promised to discuss. (Additional reporting by Ronald Popeski; Editing by Leslie Adler and Deepa Babington)
