A Ukrainian official reported that the second round of negotiations with the Russians resulted in an agreement to establish humanitarian corridors for the crossing of civilians.
On the other hand, Putin stressed that the Russian military operations in Ukraine are going according to plan, and praised his soldiers, describing them as heroes.
A senior Ukrainian official announced that Kyiv and Moscow agreed Thursday to establish humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians, in the second round of talks since the start of the Russian invasion last week.
"The second round of talks is over. Unfortunately, Ukraine has not achieved the results it needs yet. Decisions have been taken only on the organization of humanitarian corridors," an adviser to the Ukrainian president, Mykhailo Podolak, said on Twitter.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the Russian military operations in Ukraine are going according to plan, and praised his soldiers and described them as heroes.
"I want to say that the special military operation is going strictly according to the schedule. According to plan, all the tasks that were set are being successfully accomplished," Putin added, a week after Russia sent tanks and troops to Ukraine from the north, east and south.
Putin's televised remarks appeared aimed at refuting statements by Western governments and intelligence agencies that the Russian campaign had been stymied by logistical problems, tactical errors, and more-than-expected resistance from Ukraine.
Putin has made a series of accusations against Ukrainian forces, of which he did not provide evidence, including torturing and killing Russian prisoners of war, holding foreign citizens hostage and using them as human shields.
Putin reiterated his stated rationale for war, which Ukraine and the West dismissed as baseless propaganda.
"Our soldiers and officers are now fighting on Ukrainian soil for Russia, for a peaceful life for the citizens of Donbass, to eliminate the influence of the Nazis, and to disarm Ukraine so that we are not exposed to a threat from the anti-Russian right on our borders that the West created years ago," he said.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry threatened on Thursday the citizens of Western countries coming to fight against Moscow in Ukraine, and said that it would not treat them as prisoners of war.
"All Western mercenaries who come to fight in Ukraine will not be treated as prisoners of war," the ministry said in a press briefing.
This came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a speech to his people today that his country would receive the first batch of 16 thousand foreign fighters "to defend the freedom of Ukraine and its people."
"The Russians changed tactics because of our resilience, and we tell Russia that it will pay for its actions against our people and our country," Zelensky said.
In February, Zelensky signed a presidential decree allowing foreign volunteers who wanted to support Ukraine against the Russian war to enter the country without a visa.
The presidential decree stated that as of March 1, a visa-free entry system will be introduced that will allow foreigners who wish to join the International Legion of Ukraine temporarily during the period of martial law, except for Russian citizens.
At the dawn of last February 24, Russia launched large-scale military attacks against Ukraine, which were followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of "tight" economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
Turkish official: The region will witness a major crisis if the Ukraine war does not stop
Turkey's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva called for strengthening efforts to stop the war in order to alleviate the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
Turkey's ambassador to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Sadiq Arslan, warned that the region would witness a major crisis if it did not intervene to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine.
This came in his speech during an urgent meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the human rights situation in Ukraine resulting from the Russian attack.
Arslan called for the need to strengthen efforts to stop the war in order to alleviate the suffering of the Ukrainian people, stressing that the Russian aggression against Ukraine is unjustified and a serious violation of international law and order.
He stressed that Turkey strongly opposes changing the borders using force, saying: "Turkey rejects and condemns illegal acts that threaten regional and global security, and we call on Russia to stop military operations and withdraw its forces from Ukraine."
"If the war between Russia and Ukraine is not intervened, a major crisis will occur in the region, and we must strengthen our efforts to stop the war to ease the suffering of the Ukrainian people," he added.
Arslan stressed that Turkey is making efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine as soon as possible, calling on UN member states to take a firm stand against violations of human rights and humanitarian law.
He stressed Turkey's support for the continuation of talks between Russia and Ukraine, and that it is ready to support all efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.
At the dawn of last February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of "tight" economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
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