Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Western sanctions on Russia were akin to a declaration of war and defended Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying Moscow needed to defend Russian speakers in Ukraine's east as well as its own interests.
Speaking to female flight attendants in comments broadcast on state television, the Kremlin leader said Russia wanted Ukraine to be "demilitarised", "denazified" and that Ukraine should have neutral status.
Putin said in a statement on Saturday that everything was going to plan in Ukraine and the Russian army would fulfill its aims as part of the special military operation.
Putin warned Western powers against imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, an operation that has been demanded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but rejected by NATO.
"Any movement in this direction will be considered by us as participation of the respective country in an armed conflict," Putin said at a meeting with pilots of the state airline Aeroflot.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, US President Joe Biden and European countries have repeatedly ruled out creating a no-fly zone to protect Ukraine from Russia's aerial bombardment.
They fear such a step would dramatically increase the risk of direct confrontation with Russia and lead to a wider war in Europe.
