Putin: Russia Will Continue Ukraine War If Peace Talks Fail

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Moscow will press ahead with its military campaign in Ukraine if ongoing peace efforts fail, as he concluded a state visit to China on Wednesday.

Despite recent diplomatic initiatives, including meetings by US President Donald Trump with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders last month, progress toward ending the three-and-a-half-year war remains elusive.

Putin, however, struck a cautiously optimistic note: “I think there is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said, before warning that Russia would continue its offensive if negotiations collapse. “Let’s see how the situation develops. If not, then we will have to resolve all our tasks militarily,” he told reporters in Beijing.

The Kremlin leader insisted that Russian forces were “advancing on all fronts” and reiterated his refusal to hold an immediate meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Instead, he claimed he had offered to host Zelensky in Moscow following a request from Trump.

“Donald (Trump) asked me for such a meeting, I said: ‘Yes, it’s possible, let Zelensky come to Moscow,’” Putin revealed. However, sources previously told AFP that Zelensky had rejected the proposal.

While ruling out direct talks for now, Putin said Russia was willing to upgrade the level of its delegation in peace negotiations if required. “If it will be necessary to raise the level of delegations, we are ready for it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine reported that Moscow launched over 500 drones on Wednesday, with shelling in a frontline town killing nine civilians.