Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region means there will be no talks between Moscow and Kyiv until Ukraine is completely defeated on the battlefield, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, said on Wednesday.
"The casual chit-chat of self-proclaimed intermediaries on the virtuous subject of peace has ceased. Even if they cannot say it out loud, everyone recognizes the reality of the situation," Medvedev wrote on his official account on the Telegram messaging app.
"They understand that there will be NO NEGOTIATIONS UNTIL THE ENEMY IS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DESTROYED!"
Medvedev, who has styled himself as one of the Kremlin's toughest anti-Western hawks, said that the "premature and unnecessary peace" talks that had previously been suggested "had vague prospects and no tangible outcomes."