Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks with Ukraine but that the momentum of the war was in its favor, signaling no change in his stance despite an imminent deadline for sanctions from Washington.
US President Donald Trump has said he will impose new sanctions on Moscow and countries that buy its energy exports - the largest of which are China and India - if Russia does not move by August 8 to end the 3-1/2-year war.
He has expressed growing frustration with Putin, accusing him of "stupidity" and describing Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine as "disgusting".
Putin, without referring to Trump's deadline, said that three sessions of peace talks with Ukraine had yielded some positive results and Russia expected negotiations to continue.
"As for any disappointment on anyone's part, all disappointments arise from exaggerated expectations. This is a well-known general rule," he said.
"But in order to approach the issue peacefully, it is necessary to have detailed conversations. And not in public, but this must be done calmly, in the calmness of the negotiation process."
He said Russian troops were attacking Ukraine along the entire front line and that the momentum was in their favor, citing his Defense Ministry's announcement on Thursday that Moscow's forces had captured the Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar after a 16-month battle.