The Russian Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said Russia will continue to take steps to limit Ukraine's military potential until Kiev adopts a reasonable stance at negotiations.

Russian forces are targeting "Ukraine’s infrastructure facilities in response to flooding that country with Western weapons and the reckless calls on Kiev to defeat Russia," according to the Russian diplomat. 

"One of the goals of the special military operation is to undermine the Ukrainian army’s combat capabilities. And it will be attained to military means until the Kiev regime takes a realistic position, which will make it possible to discuss and try to settle those problems, which have prompted us to launch the special military operation," he said at a UN Security Council meeting.

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On Ukraine's stance from the talks, Nebenzya said, "So far, what we hear from Mr. Zelensky and his allies cannot be interpreted as readiness for peace but is rather a language of reckless threats and ultimatums. Kiev’s Western sponsors only encourage such an irresponsible course, since they are interested in a war on the Ukrainian territory until the last Ukrainian as it makes it possible for their defense sector to derive colossal profit and test NATO weapons."

"This way, Western countries are seeking to establish their geopolitical hegemony at the expense of the lives of Ukrainians."

Zelensky supported the Ukrainian Security and Defense Council's resolution on October 4, stating that talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin are not possible. The Russian President stated on October 31 that as long as Ukraine doesn't demonstrate a willingness to do so, there is no chance of discussing any agreements with it.

That said, Putin emphasized that Moscow's openness to negotiations has not changed.

A few days ago, the US pressured Ukraine to be open to peace talks with Russia, with a top Pentagon official saying that Kiev's forces will find it hard to recover all the territory Russia has controlled during the war.

US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley said the US and allied support has not diminished but considered that Kiev's defense puts it in a better position to begin talks.

"The probability of a Ukrainian military victory, defined as kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine, to include ... Crimea, the probability of that happening anytime soon is not high, militarily," he indicated.

"There may be a political solution where, politically, the Russians withdraw, that's possible," he added, pointing out that "you want to negotiate from a position of strength. Russia right now is on its back."