Ukrainian foreign minister says Russia’s demands in peace talks amount to surrender

No progress towards a ceasefire was registered in peace talks held in Turkey with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba saying Russia’s demands amounted to surrender.

Kuleba said he is ready to meet with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov again if there are prospects for a “substantial discussion”.

But Kuleba said the broad narrative from Lavrov during their meeting was that Russia will continue its aggression until Ukraine meets their demands.

Kuleba said the biggest problem facing his country is the situation in the besieged port city of Mariupol. The city has been shelled incessantly by Russian forces, which also bombed a maternity and children’s hospital on Wednesday.

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday warned that food and water supplies in Mariupol were running dangerously low.

Ukraine wants a 24-hour truce in hostilities to establish a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol.

Kuleba said that his country cannot stop the war if the country that started the aggression “has no desire to do so”. He said the list of Lavrov's demands “is a surrender”.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted for the first time that the west's sanctions have “created some problems and difficulties” for Russia. However, he said they will be resolved.

The Russian leader said the west would have imposed sanctions against Russia “no matter what” and said his country will have “increased independence and sovereignty” in the long term.