Ukraine war – latest updates: Losing Bakhmut could force Ukraine to ‘compromise with Putin’; Zelenskyy invites Chinese president to Ukraine

War will take ‘very, very long time’, Putin spokesman reportedly tells friends Barring the occasional public admission, usually issued with a strategic goal in mind, it has been rare over the last year to hear anything other than upbeat assessments of how the war is going from Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. With a propaganda war playing out simultaneously with the battle on the ground and air in Ukraine, and an often-oblivious population to keep onside, the public messaging is carefully managed. But this morning we have an insight into the private utterings of one of the key voices on the…