Sanctions are like declaration of war, warns Putin as invasion of Ukraine enters day 11

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Kyiv, March 6, 2022: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Western sanctions were akin to war as his forces pressed their assault on Ukraine on Sunday for the 11th day and the IMF warned the conflict would have a "severe impact" on the global economy.

Putin said he wanted a neutral Ukraine that had been "demilitarised" and "denazified", adding: "These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that."

Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over failed plans for a brief ceasefire to enable civilians to evacuate two cities besieged by Russian forces. Russia`s invasion has already driven nearly 1.5 million refugees westward into the European Union.

Ukraine`s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a "desperate plea" for eastern Europe to provide Russian-made aircraft to his country during a video call with U.S. senators on Saturday, said the chamber`s majority leader, Chuck Schumer.

NATO, which Ukraine wants to join, has resisted Zelenskiy`s appeals to impose a no-fly zone over his country, saying this would escalate the conflict outside Ukraine. But there is strong bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress for providing $10 billion in the emergency military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine and Western countries have rejected Putin`s arguments as a baseless pretext for invading and have sought to squeeze Russia hard with swift and severe economic sanctions on its banks, oligarchs and others