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| Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images |
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukraine's statehood could suffer an "irreparable blow" if the pattern of war continues and Russia is never forced to abandon the gains it has made.
Putin made his televised comments a day after Switzerland agreed to host the global summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Putin rejected the "so-called peace formulas" being discussed in the West and Ukraine and what he called the "prohibitive demands" they entail.
"Well, if they don't want to (negotiate), then no!" he said.
"It is now quite clear that not only has the (Ukrainian) counter-offensive failed, but the initiative is completely in the hands of the Russian armed forces. If this continues, Ukrainian statehood may suffer an irreparable, very serious blow.
Putin's statements about the course of the war have become increasingly confident and aggressive in recent months.
Putin said talk of negotiations was "an attempt to motivate us to abandon the gains we've made over the past year and a half. But that is impossible. Everyone understands that this is not possible."
The peace formula presented by Zelensky calls among other things, for the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
AGENCIES - REUTERS, AFP, TOE, AFP
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