Medinsky to Kyiv Officials: How long are you ready to fight?

The talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have concluded. The delegations have agreed on another meeting, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said.

Photo: Dmitry Plotnikov Pravda.Ru

Russian Army fighters

The Russian delegation does not plan to make any further statements following today's negotiations in Istanbul, according to an Interfax source.

During the talks with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, posed a pointed question about how long Kyiv would be prepared to continue hostilities, Oliver Carroll of The Economist reports citing a source.

"We [Russia] don’t want war, but we are ready to fight for a year, two, three — as long as it takes. We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?” Medinsky reportedly told the Ukrainian delegation during the talks, Carroll said with reference to "a well-placed" source.

Medinsky referred to the Great Northern War, which lasted from 1700 to 1721. In that conflict, Sweden was ultimately defeated, while the Tsardom of Russia gained access to the Baltic Sea and established a protectorate over the Duchy of Courland. Following the war, a new empire — the Russian Empire — emerged in Europe.

According to Carroll’s source, Russian representatives at the negotiations stated that Moscow would agree to a ceasefire only if Ukraine withdrew its forces from the four “annexed” regions — territories that Russia does not even fully control. The Russian side also reportedly issued threats to seize the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.