Russia's Putin: Ukraine military operation going according to plan, will end when our demands met

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that the military operation against Ukraine is going according to plan and schedule, stressing that Moscow will only halt its offensive if Kiev stops fighting and the Kremlin’s demands are met.

Putin made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, as the conflict between the two sides continues for the 11th day.

“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 in a statement quoting the president.

Putin further said Russia is open to dialogue with Ukraine, but that he hoped Ukrainian negotiators would take a more constructive approach at the next round of talks and take into account the reality on the ground.

He emphasized that any attempt by Ukrainian negotiators to drag out the negotiations will cause the whole process to fail.

Erdogan, for his part, urged his Russian counterpart to declare a ceasefire in Ukraine, open humanitarian corridors and sign a peace agreement.

In a statement after a one-hour phone call, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan told Putin that Turkey was ready to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“President Erdogan, who said an immediate ceasefire will not only ease humanitarian concerns in the region but also give the search for a political solution an opportunity, renewed his call of ‘let’s pave the way for peace together’,” his office said.

“Erdogan emphasized the importance of taking urgent steps to achieve a ceasefire, open humanitarian corridors and sign a peace agreement,” it added.

Day 11: Ukraine says 3rd round of ceasefire talks on Monday, Russia not definitive

Ukraine says a third round of talks on ceasefire with Russia is slated to get underway on Monday, but Moscow does not sound as definitive.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics in eastern Ukraine, collectively known as the Donbass.

The regions broke away from Ukraine in 2014 after refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government that had overthrown a democratically-elected Russia-friendly administration.

Announcing the operation, Putin said the mission was aimed at “defending people who for eight years are suffering persecution and genocide by the Kiev regime.”

Russian forces have been advancing towards Kiev and seizing control of a number of towns and cities along the way. Authorities in Moscow have fiercely denied claims made by Ukrainian and Western officials of civilian areas being targeted by the Russian military.

The conflict has provoked a unanimous response from the US and allies, imposing a long list of sanctions on Moscow.

Russia and Ukraine held the second round of talks in Belarus for a way out of the conflict on Friday. A third round of talks is expected to take place on Monday.

Putin holds Ukraine responsible for March 3 power plant incident

In another phone call on Sunday, Putin talked to his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, accusing Ukrainian radicals for an incident on March 3 at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a statement.

During the call, the statement said, Macron asked Putin by telephone about a fire at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant.

"Vladimir Putin informed about the provocation by Ukrainian radicals in the area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," the Kremlin said, adding, "The radiation levels are normal."

Putin also accused Ukraine of preventing civilians from leaving Mariupol.

Putin said "Ukrainian nationalists" prevented civilians and foreign citizens from leaving the port city of Mariupol and neighboring Volnovakha on Saturday despite a ceasefire announcement. 

"And the pause in hostilities was again used only to build up forces and means in their positions," Putin told Macron.

Russia banks turn to China after Visa, Mastercard suspension

Meanwhile, Russian banks have announced they plan to issue cards using China's UnionPay system after card payment companies Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia.

Russia's largest bank Sberbank said in a statement on Sunday that it “is working on the possibility of issuing co-branded Mir-UnionPay cards,” adding that the timeframe for the issue will be announced later.

The country's largest private lender Alfa Bank also said it is "already working on launching cards on UnionPay, China's national payment system."

Rosbank, Tinkoff Bank, and the Credit Bank of Moscow (MKB) are also working on releasing UnionPay cards, Russian news agencies reported.

Borrell: Western sanctions not designed to topple Putin

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell claims unprecedented sanctions being imposed by the West on Russia are not designed to oust Vladimir Putin.

On Saturday, the global payments companies announced that Russian Visa and Mastercard bank cards will no longer be valid abroad, and cards issued abroad will no longer work in Russia.

Russia's central bank said that Visa and Mastercard cards already issued by national banks will continue to work within Russia until their expiry, since all payments in Russia are made through a national system.

However, it warned that Russians traveling abroad would need to carry alternate means of payment.

Ukraine city Mariupol tries again to evacuate civilians

The besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said on Sunday that it will restart efforts to evacuate civilians, after earlier efforts were scuppered by ceasefire violations.

"From 1200 (1000 GMT) the evacuation of the civilian population begins," city officials announced in a statement on Sunday.

Hours later, local authorities in Mariupol said a convoy of evacuees was not able to leave the besieged city blaming the failure on renewed shelling by Russian forces.

"It is extremely dangerous to take people out under such conditions," the city council said in an online statement.

ICRC: Civilian safe passage from Ukraine's Mariupol 'halted'

Also on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said civilian safe passage from Ukraine's besieged eastern port city of Mariupol was "halted" for a second consecutive day.

"Amid devastating scenes of human suffering in Mariupol, a second attempt today to start evacuating an estimated 200,000 people out of the city came to a halt," the ICRC said, adding, "The failed attempts yesterday and today underscore the absence of a detailed and functioning agreement between the parties to the conflict."

"The ICRC is not and cannot in any way be the guarantor of a ceasefire agreement between the parties or of its implementation," the body added, criticizing the lack of a proper agreement between the warring parties to protect civilian lives amid ceasefire violations.

"For the safe passage of civilians to happen with the required levels of trust, the parties should agree between themselves not just in principle but also on the details and parameters" of an evacuation accord, the ICRC added. 

"In addition, the ICRC needs satisfactory security guarantees in order to operate. Today, our teams began opening up the evacuation route from Mariupol before hostilities resumed," its said.

An earlier attempt on Saturday to allow civilians to leave the southern city of Mariupol, with about 450,000 people, on the Sea of Azov failed when both sides accused the other of violating a limited ceasefire by shelling the besieged port city.

Russia resumes 'offensive' after Mariupol ceasefire as Putin warns against no-fly zone

Russia resumes

According to the international medical humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the humanitarian situation in Mariupol is "catastrophic" with no power or water in civilian homes.

"It is imperative that this humanitarian corridor ... is put in place very quickly," MSF's emergency coordinator in Ukraine, Laurent Ligozat, told AFP.

Separately on Sunday, the head of Lugansk regional administration said a train would be organized to evacuate women, children and the elderly from Lysychansk.

"You need to reach Lysychansk station on your own. Women with children are boarding first, then women under 40, women, the elderly," Sergiy Gaiday wrote on Telegram.

Lysychansk is near the frontline between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatists, who are fighting to link up with Russian forces and control the entire southeast.

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