Vladimir Putin delivered a chest-beating threat to the West, warning retaliation is futile and that the worst is yet to come in Ukraine. In his speech, the Russian president dared Western allies to beat Russia “on the battlefield” as his invasion enters its fifth month. “The West wants to fight us until the last Ukrainian,” Putin said at a meeting with Russia’s top government officials. “Let them try. Everybody should know that largely speaking, we haven’t even yet started anything in earnest. At the same time we are not refusing to hold peace negotiations but those who are refusing should know that it will be harder to come to an agreement with us,” he boasted. Despite Putin’s tough talk, Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov announced Russian forces in Ukraine are pausing to rest and regain their combat capabilities.
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