Putin says no military operations underway in Mariupol, Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol had been "liberated" and that no military operations were underway there, the Kremlin said, directly contradicting Kyiv's version of events.

The Kremlin said Putin told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that Kyiv should "take responsibility" for the people holed up in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, and call on fighters there to lay down their arms.

"Prisoners of war are guaranteed life, medical care and treatment in accordance with international legal standards", the Kremlin said in a statement on the call.

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