Russia says “no alternative” to continuing Ukraine offensive

The Kremlin on Wednesday said there was "no alternative" for Russia than to continue its offensive on Ukraine that it launched in 2022.

"We are continuing our special military operation to ensure our interests and achieve the goals" set by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RBC radio, using Moscow's term for its assault on Ukraine.

"We are doing this for both the present and the future of our country. For many generations to come. Therefore, we have no alternative," he

It also rejected Trump’s claim that Russia was a "paper tiger", saying the economy was stable though conceding there were some problems with growth.

"Russia maintains its macroeconomic stability," Peskov said, before adding: "Yes, Russia is experiencing tensions and problems in various sectors of the economy."

The US-led attempts in recent months to rebuild relations with Russia have yielded “close to zero” results, Peskov added.

"This track is sluggish, very sluggish…the effectiveness there is close to zero."