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The war in Ukraine is a "tragedy", but Russia had "no choice" other than to invade its neighbour, Russian President Vladimir Putin said to reporters in Moscow on Tuesday (Apr. 12), The Washington Post reported.

"What is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy, no doubt about that. But we had no choice. It was just a matter of time” before an attack on Russia, he said.

The Economist correspondent Oliver Carroll said in a tweet that the Russian leader kept saying the country has "no other choice" but to invade Ukraine, that they were "forced to do so", and that the decision was "obvious" and "inevitable".

Putin speaking on Ukraine was. Keeps repeating “no other choice”. “It’s obvious.” “It was inevitable.” “We were forced to do it.” pic.twitter.com/7ta02aLyD0

— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) April 12, 2022

According to Putin, Russia had no choice but to fight as it had to defend "the Russian speakers of eastern Ukraine" and prevent its former Soviet neighbour from becoming "an anti-Russian springboard for Moscow's enemies", Reuters reported.

Would continue offensive on Ukraine

In addition, Putin said Russia would continue the war until all its "noble" aims in Ukraine were achieved.

When asked if Russia would achieve its goals in Ukraine, Putin said, "Absolutely, I don't have any doubt at all."

He further said Russia would "rhythmically and calmly" continue the war.

Putin was speaking after a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Russian ally who remains one of the handful of foreign leaders who continued to support Russia even as global condemnation of the invasion grew -- part of the offensive on Ukraine was launched from Belarusian territory.

Blamed Ukraine for failure of peace talks

Putin also blamed Ukraine for peace talks reaching a deadlock, accusing Kyiv of scuppering negotiations by staging what he said were "fake claims" of Russian war crimes, and asking for security guarantees that cover the whole of Ukraine.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, on the other hand, denied that peace talks were stalled, saying that while the "negotiations are extremely difficult", they are "taking place".

He added that "the Russian side adheres to its traditional tactic of publicly pressuring the negotiation process, including through certain public statements".

Furthermore, Putin said sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. and its allies had "failed", and that the Russian economy is still stable.

"The country's industry and financial system are working, but of course there are some problems," he said, adding that Russia's "adversaries are planning to double down on their activities".

Drawing parallels with Soviet space successes six decades ago, Putin said the sanctions imposed on the Soviet Union were "total" but wrought nothing for it was still the "first in space", according to Reuters.

"It is impossible to severely isolate anyone in the modern world -- especially such a vast country as Russia," he said, adding that the U.S. is threatening Russia by meddling in its backyard.

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Top image via Matthew Stockman/Getty Images