Fighting won't stop until Ukraine surrenders: Valdimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he will continue the attack until the Ukrainian government surrenders.

Putin made the remarks to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call on Sunday (March 6), Reuters reported. A ceasefire is under way in four Ukrainian cities, including Kiev. Lakhs of people have been evacuated from the cities.

The Kremlin says Putin has told Erdogan that he is ready for dialogue to end the fighting, but that any attempt to prolong the talks unnecessarily will fail.

'The war can only end if Kiev stops military operations and accepts Russia's well-known demands,' Putin said, referring to the Kremlin.

Earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Putin on the phone for about two hours, Russian media reported.

According to Macron's office, during the talks, the French president raised his concerns about a possible amphibious attack on the historic Ukrainian port city of Odessa.

Macron called Putin to urge him to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine and to ensure the safety of its nuclear facilities.

In response to the request, Putin said that Russia would meet its goals, whether through negotiations or war.

Ukraine's defense officials say Russia is preparing its forces to launch a full-scale offensive in the capital, Kiev.

The Russian government has insisted that the country's aggression on land, air and sea in Ukraine is a special military operation. Putin has demanded that Ukraine should be 'liberated from the Nazis'.

Putin also reiterated that the attack on Ukraine was proceeding according to plan and schedule. Western defense experts have argued that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not going as planned by Putin.