We'll Pay a Huge Price' Ukrainians Fear Conflict May Drag On for Years

Ukrainian officials believe a largely stalemated war of attrition with Russia is likely to continue for several more years, despite international efforts pushed by Donald Trump to end it.

- Peter Beaumont

After the inconclusive breakup of the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on Friday, and despite the US president's planned calls with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they see no evidence that Moscow is serious about peace.

The officials made the comments as Russia launched its largest drone attack of the war, with 273 aimed largely against the central Kyiv region and the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions in Ukraine's east.

"The Russians can't destroy us and we can't liberate territory," one senior Ukrainian official told the Guardian, adding that without significant US assistance that situation could potentially worsen.

"Without the US it is impossible to change the balance. [And over time] it will push the balance to Russia. We will still be alive but we will pay a huge price."

The remarks follow a week in which senior Russian officials have been explicit about the Kremlin's appetite for pursuing a long war and making maximalist demands in return for peace. These extend to Ukraine removing its forces from five regions, including areas not occupied by Russian forces.

At the Istanbul talks, the Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said: "We don't want war, but we're ready to fight for one, two, three years, however long it takes. We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?"

While some Ukrainian officials believe there may be more room for flexibility if future negotiations do take place, on the most fundamental issues Kyiv and Moscow are as far away as ever.