He made the statement in a speech to senior politicians yesterday, arguing that the West wanted to see the war continue until Russia fights “the last Ukraine”, which he said would be a tragedy. There was still a chance of a peace deal, several weeks after talks between the two sides broke down, he added. “We do not reject peace talks. But those who reject them should know that the further it goes, the harder it will be [the Ukrainians] to negotiate with us. We hear they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What
