LIZ TRUSS ANNOUNCES FURTHER SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA The Russian leader also insisted enforcing a no-fly zone will be viewed as "participation in the armed conflict". Russian leader

Putin (Image: getty) RELATED ARTICLES His comments came after a planned evacuation of women, children and the elderly from two besieged Ukrainian cities was called off after Russian forces

were accused of violating a ceasefire yesterday. Ramping up the rhetoric specifically towards the UK, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned "Russia will not

forget Britain's desire to cooperate" in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine will hold a third round of talks about ending hostilities tomorrow. But yesterday Ukrainian President Volodymyr

yesterday, President Putin said Moscow wanted Ukraine to be "demilitarised", "deNazified" and to have a neutral status. Speaking during a meeting with female flight

attendants, he said: "These sanctions are methods of fighting against Russia. "These sanctions that you can see are equivalent to declaring a war. But thankfully it has not come to

an actual war but we understand what these threats are about." He insisted that everything is going to plan in Ukraine and the Russian army would "fulfil its aims". And he

warned Russia would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as "participation in the armed conflict". Russia would view "any move in this

direction" as an intervention that "will pose a threat to our service members". He added: "That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict,

and it would not matter what members they are." Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Ms Zakharova warned: "Russia will not forget Britain's desire to co-operate with

ultra-nationalist forces in Ukraine and the supply of British weapons to the Kyiv regime. "The sanctions hysteria in which London plays one of the leading roles leaves us no choice but

to take proportionately tough retaliatory measures. "London has made a final choice of open confrontation with Russia." The UK Ministry of Defence last night said Russia's

proposed ceasefire was likely an attempt to deflect international condemnation while resetting its forces for renewed offensive activity. Meanwhile, after President Zelensky's plea for

aircraft, US officials gave their view. Chuck Schumer, majority leader of the US Senate, said: "These planes are very much needed. "And I will do all I can to help the

administration to facilitate their transfer." Prof Mark Galeotti, of the Council on Geostrategy thinktank, said: "The problem is that Putin honestly regards himself as the

defender. "What we call sanctions, he calls economic warfare and, let's be honest, they are part of a hybrid warfare. "He believes that the West has implicitly declared war.

He made this clear in his 2007 speech in Munich, and since his 2014 invasion of Crimea. "He believes that Ukraine's 2014 Euromaidan revolution, far from being a genuine uprising,

was organised and run by the CIA. "His remarks merely reflect a long-standing mindset." A war of words also broke out over who was to blame for a failure to provide safe pas- sage

from Mariupol, a strategic port in the south-east of UKRAINE, and the eastern city of Volnovakha. SPEECH: Putin at the Aeroflot Aviation School, Moscow (Image: Reuters) Early yesterday

morning, the Russian defence ministry had agreed on a five-hour ceasefire and the evacuation routes. But continued heavy artillery fire and rockets aimed at the cities and fighting along its

route led to the evacuations being cancelled. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of President Zelensky's office, said: "The Russian side is not holding to the ceasefire and has

continued firing on Mariupol itself and on its surrounding area. "Talks with the Russian Federation are ongoing regarding setting up a ceasefire and ensuring a safe humanitarian

'Fastest refugee corridor." Mariupol's deputy mayor Serhiy Orlov added refugees were to be evacuated by municipal buses from three points but were told to return to their

shelters as fighting continued along the planned route and it was not safe. Alexander, a 4-year-old engineer in Mariupol, said: "I'm on the street. I can hear shelling every three

to five minutes. "The green corridor is nonsense. I can see cars of people who tried to flee and they are coming back." Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russia also

breached the deal in Volnovakha as well and added: "We appeal to the Russian side to stop firing." Only about 400 people managed to be evacuated from Volnovakha, authorities said.

_WHAT IS HAPPENING WHERE YOU LIVE? FIND OUT BY ADDING YOUR POSTCODE OR VISIT INYOURAREA_ But Russia's defence ministry accused Ukrainian "nationalists" of preventing civilians

from leaving and said no one made use of two humanitarian corridors, a news agency reported. RIA Novosti carried a Russian defence ministry claim that the firing came from inside both

communities against Russian positions. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the planned evacuation had been halted and said: "We remain in dialogue with moving

crisis' the parties about the safe passage of civilians from different cities affected by the conflict. The scenes in Mariupol and in other cities today are heartbreaking . "Any

initiative from the parties that gives civilians a respite from the violence and allows them to voluntarily leave for safer areas is welcome." The UN added at least 351 civilians are

confirmed to have been killed since the invasion and another 707 wounded, although the true numbers are probably "considerably higher". UN official Filippo Grandi said: "This

is the fastest moving refugee crisis we have seen in Europe since the end of the Second World War."