As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heads toward the two-week mark, the stakes for both sides in the ground war look set to rise, with potentially catastrophic implications for Ukrainian civilians and greater challenges for the country’s so far remarkably successful defense.
President Vladimir Putin said again on Sunday the war will continue until Ukraine accepts his demands and halts resistance, dimming hopes for a negotiated settlement. Putin says Ukraine must “demilitarize” and he has made clear his goal is to remove the current government.
In a call with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin also repeated his assertion that the “special military operation” he launched in Ukraine on Feb. 24 is going to plan, according to a Kremlin statement.
