MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine can be suspended only if Kiev ceases military actions and fulfills Moscow’s demands in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin press service reported following the talks of the two leaders on Sunday.
"Vladimir Putin informed about the progress of the special military operation on protecting Donbass, conveyed principal approaches and assessments in this context, explained in detail basic set goals and tasks. It was emphasized that the special operation is proceeding according to a plan and is on schedule," the statement said. It was noted that Russia’s armed forces "were doing everything possible to preserve the lives and guarantee the security of civilians, precision strikes are targeting exclusively the facilities of military infrastructure."
"Against this background, the actions of nationalist neo-Nazi formations that continue the intensive shelling of Donbass and use civilians, including foreigners, practically taken hostage, as human shields in Ukrainian cities and localities, are particularly cruel and cynical," the statement noted.
During the conversation, the Russian leader confirmed "the Russian side’s readiness for dialogue with Ukraine’s authorities and foreign partners in order to settle the conflict." "That said, the futility was noted of any attempts to stall the negotiation process used by the Ukrainian army to regroup its forces and means. In relation to that, it was stressed that the suspension of the special operation is possible only if Kiev ceases the military actions and fulfills Russia’s demands that were made perfectly clear," the Kremlin reported. "A hope was expressed that during another planned round of talks, Ukraine’s representatives will display a more constructive approach that fully takes into account the current circumstances," the press service added.