IN UKRAINE, THE "UNCOMPROMISING FIGHT" WILL CONTINUE: PUTIN TO FRENCH PRESIDENT

 Even as the warring sides convened for peace talks and Kyiv called for relief supplies to reach damaged communities, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened no pause in his invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.

As the war entered its second week, Putin looked unconcerned about a global call for a halt to hostilities following the loss of a first major Ukrainian city to Russian soldiers.

According to a Kremlin account of a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin stated, "Russia plans to maintain the uncompromising war against militants of nationalist armed groups."

As negotiators arrived at an unknown site on the Belarus-Poland border, Ukraine reiterated that corridors for medical and other supplies were the basic least it required.

A first round of discussions ended without a breakthrough on Monday, and Kyiv has stated that it will not tolerate any Russian "ultimatums."

Any attempts to stifle the discussions, Putin added, would "just result in greater demands on Kyiv in our negotiating stance."

According to an aide, Macron expressed concern that "worse is to come" in the dispute and blasted Putin's "falsehoods."

The invasion, now in its eighth day, has resulted in a mass flight of refugees and has made Russia a global pariah in the fields of banking, diplomacy, and sports.

As the Russian military bombards cities in Ukraine with shells and missiles, forcing civilians to seek refuge in basements, the UN has launched an investigation into potential war crimes.

"We will reconstruct every house, every street, every city," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a video message. "We say to Russia: learn the word'reparations.'"

He responded, "You will fully reimburse us for all you did against our state, against every Ukrainian."

'Like Leningrad,' says the narrator.

Thousands of Russian soldiers, according to Zelensky, have died since Putin stunned the world by invading Ukraine, ostensibly to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" a Western-leaning menace on his borders.

Moscow claims to have lost 498 troops, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin would thank them for their sacrifice during a meeting with his security chiefs.

Peskov told reporters in Moscow, "It's a big tragedy."

"But we also respect our warriors' bravery. Their heroic deeds in the fight against the Nazis will be written down in history books."

The Kremlin has been chastised for comparing Zelensky's Jewish administration to Germany's during World War II.

After Putin ordered his strategic troops on high alert, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov continued his verbal bombardment, accusing Western politicians of being fixated on "nuclear war."

Russian troops occupied Kherson, a Black Sea city of 290,000 people, after a three-day siege that left it without food and medication, while a huge military column looks to be stuck north of Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

On the southern front, Russian troops are approaching and besieging Mariupol, a port city east of Kherson that is without water or electricity in the dead of winter.

After Putin ordered his strategic troops on high alert, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov continued his verbal bombardment, accusing Western politicians of being fixated on "nuclear war."

Russian troops occupied Kherson, a Black Sea city of 290,000 people, after a three-day siege that left it without food and medication, while a huge military column looks to be stuck north of Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

On the southern front, Russian troops are approaching and besieging Mariupol, a port city east of Kherson that is without water or electricity in the dead of winter.

"I noticed her entering the bedroom for a brief moment. Nothing was there a minute later "Rubak, 32, told AFP he was astonished and enraged as he stood in the freezing winter chill among the rubble.

"I hope she's in heaven and everything is great for her," he added, tears streaming down his cheeks, adding, "I want the entire world to hear my tale."

It has a junk classification.

According to the United Nations, the fighting has displaced more than one million people. On Thursday, the UN's top humanitarian official urged for the protection of civilians in Ukraine and the unfettered entry of humanitarian aid. "For God's sake, protect civilians in Ukraine; let us do our job," Martin Griffiths, the emergency aid coordinator, told AFP in Geneva.

The International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations has urged Russia to "stop all activity" at Ukraine's nuclear plants, including the Chernobyl accident site from 1986.

Putin has become a worldwide pariah, with his country facing crippling penalties that drove the ruble lower down the currency markets on Thursday.

Following a run on banks by ordinary Russians, Russia's central bank, whose foreign funds have been frozen in the West, placed a 30% tax on all hard currency sales.

Ratings firms Fitch and Moody's downgraded Russia's government debt to "junk" status, emphasising the mounting financial repercussions.

The turbulence on the stock market grew even worse. Oil prices approached $120 per barrel as European stocks fell.

Ikea, the Swedish furniture behemoth, has announced that it would cease operations in Russia and Belarus.

The loss of the ability to hold Formula One races exacerbated Russia's sporting isolation. In a U-turn, the International Paralympic Committee has barred Russians and Belarusians from competing in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The United Nations General Assembly voted 141-5 to demand that Russia withdraw from Ukraine "immediately." Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea, and Syria were the only four countries that backed Russia. China voted no.

Europe increased both practical and diplomatic help. According to a source, the German government plans to deliver another 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine.

Leaving everything in the past

According to the UN refugee agency's fast growing number, many Ukrainians have now fled into neighbouring nations.

Svitlana Mostepanenko, a refugee from Ukraine, told AFP in Prague, "We left everything there as they came and devastated our lives."

Nathalia Lypka, a German professor from Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine, came in Berlin with her 21-year-old daughter.

"My husband and son decided to stay... My spouse had previously served in the army and was called back to duty "Before boarding a train to Stuttgart, where friends awaited her, she stated.

Poor logistics, tactical blunders, and intense opposition from Ukraine's outgunned military — as well as its ever-growing ranks of volunteer fighters — have appeared to stymie Putin's invasion.

Hundreds of photographs of burned-out Russian tanks, charred transporters, and unarmed Ukrainians facing befuddled occupation forces have surfaced.

The enormous column of Russian military vehicles deployed north of Kyiv has "stalled," according to US authorities, due to fuel and food shortages.

The Russian government has enforced a media ban on what it refers to as a "special military operation."

After being forced off the air over its invasion coverage, the Ekho Moskvy radio station, a symbol of post-Soviet Russia's newfound media independence, announced that it would shut down.

Despite this, enormous anti-war rallies have taken place across Russia, posing a direct challenge to Putin's 20-year leadership.

Hundreds of thousands of anti-war protesters have been detained.

"I couldn't stay at home any longer. This battle must be brought to an end "Anton Kislov, a 21-year-old student, told AFP.