MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that if the West sought a defeat of Russia on the battlefield it was welcome to try.

"We are hearing these days that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What can you say? Let them try," he said at a meeting with the leadership of the State Duma.

The president said Russia hasn’t given up on peace talks but the later they start, the harder it will be to come to an agreement.

"We aren’t giving up on peace talks but those who decline to talk should know that the longer they do so, the harder it will be to come to an agreement with us," he said.