New Delhi: Two weeks into Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Friday that there had been some "positive shifts" in discussions between Russia and Ukraine, news agency AFP reported.
During a televised meeting in Moscow, Putin informed his Belarus colleague Alexander Lukashenko that, "there are certain positive shifts, negotiators from our side reported to me."
He went on to say that talks are now taking place "nearly every day." Since Putin dispatched troops to Ukraine on February 24, Russian and Ukrainian diplomats have held multiple rounds of negotiations.
Several humanitarian routes to evacuate civilians from fighting zones have been established as a result of the discussions. Both parties have claimed that the other is obstructing these attempts. Putin vowed to keep his buddy Lukashenko "up to date" on the talks.
Russian forces entered Ukraine from a variety of places, including Belarusian territory.
Putin stated that Russia's efforts were intended at "demilitarising and de-Nazifying Ukraine."
Since Putin dispatched soldiers to Ukraine, Russia has been subjected to a bombardment of international sanctions.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB operative, dismissed these allegations on Friday.
"The USSR really lived in the conditions of sanctions and (still) developed and achieved colossal successes," Putin was quoted by AFP in its report.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Since the Russian invasion began on February 24, around 1.43 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland. During the same period, about 291,081 Ukrainians migrated to Romania.
According to the United Nations, more than 2.3 million people have fled Ukraine as of March 10, despite warnings that up to five million people may emigrate. That would make it Europe's worst humanitarian disaster since World War II.
(With AFP Inputs)