SOCHI, September 4. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the Ukrainian counter-offensive has failed. He expects that this trend on the frontline will continue.
"As for the stalling of the counter-offensive (of Ukrainian troops - TASS), it is not a stalling, it is a failure," Putin told a news conference following talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"In any case, this is how it looks as of today," he remarked.
"We'll see what happens next. I hope it will continue to be like this," Putin said.
"Russia has never refused to negotiate. Nor do we refuse this time," the Russian leader emphasized. Erdogan "raised these issues" at today's talks and "I confirm this to him," he stated.
As the Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier, the Ukrainian counter-offensive was not succeeding, with the army’s losses exceeding 5,600 men in the past week alone.
The Russian Defense Ministry also noted that the Ukrainian army had been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4. Over the past two months, Kiev has lost more than 43,000 troops and about 5,000 pieces of various military equipment, including 26 planes and 25 Leopard tanks.
