GENEVA, July 7. /TASS/. Europe's counting on Russia's strategic defeat was the greatest mistake in history, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche.

He said the West’s efforts made the special military operation a full-scale war, noted that Vladimir Zelensky knows how to end the conflict in Ukraine in one day, and also pointed out that Russia does not need a nuclear escalation and it will never start World War III.

TASS has compiled the key statements of the Kremlin representative.

The conflict in Ukraine

"Zelensky came to power promising his people to stop the war. That was his initial promise. And he still can stop the war, taking a very responsible decision."