Russia’s Vladimir Putin calls on Ukraine to stop fighting

President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine on Sunday that Russia’s military operation would only be halted if Kyiv stopped resisting and fulfilled all of the Kremlin’s demands.

Putin told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan by telephone that Ukraine’s negotiators should take a more “constructive” approach at talks with Moscow to take into account the reality on the ground.

Putin, whose comments were published in a Kremlin readout of the call, said his “special operation” in Ukraine was going according to plan and to schedule.

“It was underlined that the suspension of the special operation is only possible if Kyiv stops military operations and carries out well-known Russian demands,” the Kremlin said.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, calls its actions in its former Soviet neighbor a “special operation” that seeks to destroy Ukraine’s military capabilities, purge the country of what it says are nationalists and make it a neutral state.

The Kremlin leader told Erdogan that Moscow was open to dialog with the Ukrainian authorities, but that he hoped Ukrainian negotiators would take a more constructive approach at the next round of talks.

.”..attention was drawn to the futility of any attempts to drag out the negotiation process, which is being used by the Ukrainian security forces to regroup their forces and resources.

“It is hoped that during the planned next round of negotiations, Ukraine’s representatives will show a more constructive approach, fully taking into account the emerging realities,” the Kremlin said. (Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)