Amid invasion of Ukraine, Putin says sanctions by West are 'akin to declaration of war'

Russia President Vladimir Putin, on Saturday, said that any sanctions on the Russian Federation were akin to a declaration of war. As his invasion of Ukraine entered the 11th day, the Kremline leader announced that attempt to impose a no-fly zone would be tantamount to entering into the conflict, as reported by Al Arabiya News. Earlier this week, NATO refuted the request to establish a ‘no-fly zone’ over Ukraine prompting stark criticism from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskky who said that the decision served as a greenlight for Moscow to bomb his country.

“These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that,” Putin said, speaking to a group of women flight attendants at an Aeroflot training center near Moscow.

Explainig it further, he said “There is not one conscript and we don't plan for there to be. Our army will fulfil all the tasks. I don't doubt that at all. Everything is going to plan."

'De-Nazification of Ukraine' 

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Putin reiterated that his aims in Ukraine are to defend Russian speaking communities through the “demilitarization and de-Nazification” of the country so that it became neutral. For long, Moscow has been claiming that the Ukrainian law was Russophobic and does not include the minorities including the Romanians, Slovaks inter alia. It is imperative to note here that Russia’s claim has been blatantly rejected by Ukraine as well as the western powers.

Zelenskyy, on Saturday, told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that he was ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Turkish cities of Istanbul or Ankara. As Russian troops continued their offensive for the eleventh day, the actor turned politician held a telephonic conversation with Erdoğan wherein he reckoned that he was ready to meet Putin in any Turkish city that he wants, according to Turkey’s Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin. Notably, Erdoğan has informed Putin about the offer.

More than 2000 people have lost their lives since the invasion began, as per Ukrainian authorities. In addendum, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have claimed to kill 9,166 Russian troops since the invasion began. In the latest development, Russian troops seized control of a military base near the captured city of Kherson, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

(Image: AP)