Putin says Russia has not 'started anything in earnest' with regard to its war with Ukraine

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has dragged on for over 130 days and Moscow's forces have suffered heavy casualties.

The AP reported that Putin said that the West wanted to fight them until the last Ukrainian.

Putin said it was a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it looked like it was heading in that direction. We haven't even begun anything yet, so everybody should be aware of that.

Putin said that it would be harder for Ukraine to reach a deal with Russia if they continued to refuse peace talks.

According to Putin, they are hearing that they want to destroy us on the battlefield. They should be allowed to try.

Putin claimed at the meeting that the West was still looking to divide and demoralize Russians. Putin said that attempts by the West to enforce its version of the global order are doomed to fail.

In June, Putin said that he wanted to expand Russian territory in the war. He likened himself to Russia's first emperor, Peter the Great, and said they were both destined to grow Russia.

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for Russia to be kicked out of the United Nations, Putin warned to the west.

In June, Putin warned that Russia would respond in kind if the two Nordic countries hosted NATO's military infrastructure.