Putin Threats: If the West wants to beat us on the battlefield, let it try

LAST UPDATE: 21.55

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that if the West wants to defeat Russia on the battlefield, it is welcome to try, Reuters reported.

“Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What can we say, let them try. 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 heading in that direction,” Putin said. He also argued that the “collective West, led by the US, has been extremely aggressive against Russia for decades.”

He also argued that “the West has failed in its new attempt to contain Russia” while also noting that the sanctions are causing difficulties for Russia, but not on the intended scale.

Russia “has not yet started the serious stuff” in Ukraine, where it has been waging a major military offensive since late February, Putin said, while confirming that Moscow remains open to talks with Kyiv.

Everyone should know that we haven’t started the serious stuff yet” in Ukraine, Putin said.

“At the same time, we do not refuse peace negotiations. But those who refuse them should know that the more (they refuse), the more difficult it will be for them to negotiate with us,” he added.

However, he did not announce an expansion of the military operation or any other specific initiatives.

Echoing rhetoric reminiscent of Soviet leaders during the Cold War, Putin also denounced Western “totalitarian liberalism” and assessed that the attack on Ukraine marked the beginning of a transition from a world characterized by “American globalized self-centeredness to a truly multipolar world”.

“In most countries, people don’t want that kind of life or that kind of future,” he said. “They are tired of kneeling and humiliating themselves before those who think they are great.”