Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, has clarified that his country will not hold direct talks with Ukraine to end the war. According to Gatilov, Russia expects a prolonged conflict. Adding that it is impossible to predict how long the war will last, Gatilov said that Western countries “will fight until the last Ukrainian.” At the same time, he added, the UN should be taking a more prominent role in attempts to end the conflict.