Putin ponders: Should Russia try to take Kyiv again?

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with participants of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council and the Council of CIS Heads of Government meetings, in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. Sputnik/Dmitry Astakhov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that any further mobilisation would depend on what Russia wanted to achieve in the war in Ukraine, adding that he faced a question only he could answer - should Russia try to take Kyiv again?

More than 15 months since Putin sent troops into Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian forces are still battling with artillery, tanks and drones along a 1,000-km (600-mile) front line, though well away from the capital Kyiv.