Spoken this Saturday, Vladimir Putin's harsh words leave no room for appeasement, at least until his demands are heard: if the Ukrainian authorities do not change their policies, they risk causing Ukraine to lose its “state status”.
On the 11th day of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and while talks are scheduled for Monday, several Ukrainian cities are crumbling under the bombs.
Mariupol "no longer exists"
Mariupol in the lead: Besieged and coveted for its strategic position, the port city "no longer exists", according to its mayor.
The formula is exaggerated, but the reality is no less dramatic.
Located in the southeast of the country, in the mayor of Azov, Mariupol is a key stage for Russia.
Seizing it would ensure a junction between the Russian forces coming from annexed Crimea and the separatist forces of Donbass.
The city has been besieged and under heavy fire for five days.
The evacuation of the city's 450,000 residents has been postponed due to multiple Russian violations of the ceasefire put in place a few minutes this Saturday, according to the Mariupol town hall.
Moscow, for its part, accuses the Ukrainian "nationalists" of preventing civilians from leaving and of taking advantage of the truce to consolidate their defenses.
“It is “imperative” to evacuate quickly, warns the NGO Doctor Without Borders.
The situation there is “catastrophic”, according to its president.
"Heavy fighting", Kiev resists, Kharkiv counterattacks
The Ukrainian armed forces are "waging fierce battles" against Russian forces for control of the southern towns of Mykolayev and Cherniguiv, the Ukrainian general staff said in a statement on Facebook on Sunday morning.
A Ukrainian military operation was also underway in the Donetsk region (east).
Secondary fronts compared to Mariupol.
Pounding the northwest and east of the city, Russian forces approach Kiev but encounter stubborn resistance.
They no longer hesitate to bomb residential buildings, particularly in Cherniguiv, 150 km north of the capital, where dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days.
Cherniguiv is considered a lock on the way to the Ukrainian capital.
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War in Ukraine: Russian bombs destroy houses near Kiev, civilians try to flee
The Ukrainian president announced on Saturday that the Ukrainian forces had launched a counter-attack around Kharkiv (north-east), the second city of Ukraine (1.4 million inhabitants), the scene of among the most intense bombardments since the start of the war.
More than 1.37 million refugees have been registered since the beginning of the war.
Talks scheduled for Monday, Israel wants to mediate
A third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place on Monday, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arakhamia, announced on Saturday.
Beijing, for its part, called for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine during a telephone conversation on Saturday between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his American counterpart Antony Blinken, according to an official Chinese statement.
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett launched mediation between Russia and Ukraine on Saturday, with visits to Moscow and then Berlin and a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, he has not joined in the chorus of international condemnations of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, stressing the strong ties that unite Israel with Moscow and Kiev.
Putin, the all or nothing strategy
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed on Saturday that Russia would regard as co-belligerent any country attempting to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, a claim by Kiev that NATO has rejected, and asserted that the sanctions imposed on his country amounted to "a declaration of war".
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Mr Putin also warned of a possible loss by Ukraine of its “statehood” if the Ukrainian authorities do not change their policy.
“The current authorities (Ukrainian, editor's note) must understand that if they continue to do what they are doing, they are putting in question the future of Ukrainian statehood.
And if that happens, they will be fully responsible,” the Kremlin master said.
NATO tour
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Moldova on Saturday, overwhelmed by a wave of refugees from Ukraine and fearful of falling under threat from Moscow.
Hours before his arrival, Blinken visited the border of Poland, an EU and NATO member country, which has hosted 700,000 Ukrainian exiles.
Blinken wants to raise $2.75 billion to help solve this humanitarian crisis.
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The French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly, as well as the President, the Prime Minister and the Minister for the Armed Forces of Romania, will visit Sunday the NATO troops deployed in Romania not far from the border of Ukraine at war.
France and Belgium urgently sent nearly 800 soldiers after the attack on Ukraine launched by Russia to the NATO base Mihail Kogalniceanu, where American soldiers are already stationed, near the port of Constanta.
Brands are leaving Russia, journalists too
The American credit card giants Visa and MasterCard announced on Saturday the suspension of their operations in Russia, as did the PayPal payment system.
These payment services join many international brands in the boycott of the country, which has an increasingly authoritarian regime.
Hermès, Apple, H&M, among others, have closed shops.
Journalists are also leaving Russia, which killed the right to information with a law punishing news that does not comply with the regime's doctrine.
Many major channels and reporters stop covering the country, to avoid being imprisoned.
Across Europe, demonstrations have called for an end to the fighting and the authoritarian regime of Vladimir Putin.
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