The Russian envoy to the talks in Istanbul spoke out after the negotiations where Moscow repeated its demands for territorial gains and political changes in Kyiv.
Negotiator Medinskij said that Moscow saw with "satisfaction at the results and is ready for further contacts".
The politician and former culture minister Medinskij, who is a close adviser to President Vladimir Putin, then chose to clearly show the Russian stance through a historical comparison:
The Great Northern War with Sweden lasted for 21 years. Twenty-two years. But just a couple of years after it broke out, Peter the Great offered the Swedes peace, said Medinskij, referring to the armed conflict that raged in northern and eastern Europe 1700-1721.
To the last man
Sweden's forces were led by Karl XII. The Swedish successes were initially great, but turned at the battle of Poltava in Ukraine 1709.
Medinskij, who is fundamentally a historian, made a stunning mental leap in a comparison with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
What did the Swedes answer (to the peace proposal)? No, we will fight until the last Swede falls, said Medinskij in an interview with the Kremlin-friendly presenter Jevgenij Popov after the talks with the Ukrainian delegation had ended, reports among others the independent newspaper The Moscow Times.
"Fight for eternity"
The move can be a historical reflection that makes itself on TV - if the argument was not used in the direct negotiations. Diplomatic sources say to British The Economist that the argument was central in Friday's talks at the Istanbul palace Dolmabahçe>
We do not want war, but we are ready to fight for a year, in two, three years - as long as it takes. We fought against the Swedes for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight? Russia is ready to fight for eternity.
The meeting at the palace lasted for 90 minutes. Except for a forthcoming prisoner exchange, no concrete progress was reported, despite Ukraine's proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.
