March 3, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that he will continue military operations in Ukraine during a 90-minute call initiated by Putin, an Élysée Palace source told reporters at a briefing on Thursday.

The Élysée source said "the worst is yet to come" in Ukraine following Macron’s phone call with Putin.

Meanwhile, Russian state news agency TASS said Putin and Macron had "a frank exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine," the Kremlin's press service said Thursday.

A Kremlin pool report from the Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti said the discussion was difficult, with Putin alleging the Ukraine had carried out a "seven-year sabotage" of the Minsk agreements, a peace process that was definitely ended by the Russian government in its recent recognition of two separatist republics in Ukraine's east.

The two sides agreed to keep the door of dialogue open, according to both the Russians and the French.

RIA's report added that Putin warned the West that if Russian-Ukrainian negotiations drag on, then Moscow will have new demands on Kyiv, and that the tasks of the "special military operation" — Russia's euphemism for its war in Ukraine — would be carried out in any case. 

According to the Élysée source, Putin also denied having bombarded Kyiv and warned that the situation will worsen, but it’s the fault of Ukraine.

In response, Macron warned Putin that he is making a huge mistake, according to the source. Macron reiterated that Moscow’s demands of neutralizing and disarming Ukraine are unacceptable, and the responsibility of this conflict falls entirely on Putin.

But Macron also said that there is still time for diplomacy and dialogue to address Russia’s concerns and include Russia’s interests; however, the discussion can’t happen “under Russian control” and had to be organized by international partners, according to the source.

Macron also asked Putin to respect the Ukrainian president, his family, relatives, state officials and elected representatives, according to the source.

After his call with Putin, Macron spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Biden administration is planning to impose new sanctions on Russian oligarchs and members of their families as soon as Thursday, sources familiar with the matter said.

The sanctions are expected to loosely follow a list of oligarchs sanctioned by the European Union earlier this week, though won't be identical, one person said.

A number of the same individuals will be sanctioned by the US.

The US package, however, will be more expansive, including travel bans and targeting family members.

US President Joe Biden has already applied sanctions to a number of top Russians close to the Kremlin, along with their adult children.

Biden has vowed to go after the "ill-begotten gains" of Russian oligarchs, including their private jets, luxury apartments and yachts.

The US ambassador to the United Nations said a “grim milestone” has been reached in Vladimir Putin’s “war of choice against Ukraine,” marking that over 1 million people have left the war torn country as “civilian casualties and death tolls mount.”

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield reiterated US support for Ukraine and actions the US has taken including deploying experts to bolster the international and humanitarian response, and supporting the frontline countries of Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.

“Ultimately, it is up to Putin to stop this humanitarian catastrophe by ending this war and ceasing these unconscionable attacks against the people of Ukraine," the statement continued.

Watch how 1 million refugees have fled Ukraine:

In an extraordinary measure, Canada announced Thursday it would fast-track Ukrainian applications for both temporary and permanent residency status with full access to work and study programs, as well as family reunification applications.

“Canada is ready to welcome Ukrainians fleeing Vladimir Putin’s war, and there is no limit to the number of applications that we are going to be willing to accept,” said Sean Fraser, Canada’s immigration minister, at a news briefing in Ottawa.

Canada is home to the world’s largest Ukrainian diaspora after Russia, with more than a million Canadians who claim Ukrainian heritage. 

One of them is Canada’s deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, who says she is proud of Ukrainians and how they are resisting the Russian onslaught, but has a sobering prediction for what lies ahead for them. 

Canada also said it will revoke "most-favored nation" status for both Russia and Belarus. It means imports from those countries will now automatically face a 35% tariff. Freeland said Canada was one of the first nations to take that step and encouraged allies to do the same.

Canada also announced it has sent more shipments of lethal military aid to Ukraine, including rocket launchers. 

Germany must freeze assets of Russian oligarchs immediately as part of sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine,German Economy Minister Robert Habeck urged on Thursday.

The process of freezing the assets of Russian billionaires in Germany would involve the finance and justice ministries of Germany as well as the chancellery, he added. 

More context: Since Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Western governments have sought to freeze the oligarchs' overseas assets along with Putin's, as well as prevent them from traveling.

The goal is two-pronged: Sanctions act as both a punishment for Russia's ruling class and a cudgel to try to force Putin to back down.

Yesterday, the US Justice Department said it is launching a special unit to help enforce sanctions against Russian government officials and oligarchs, targeting their yachts, jets, real estate and other assets.

CNN's Evan Perez contributed reporting to this post.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said Thursday it was banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, which begin on Friday.

“At the IPC we are very firm believers that sport and politics should not mix. However, by no fault of its own the war has now come to these Games and behind the scenes many Governments are having an influence on our cherished event," IPC President Andrew Parsons said in a statement.

Russia is preparing to file a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following the decision, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday.

“We are currently in work to establish our legal position to file lawsuits on the protection of our athletes’ rights, against the discrimination of athletes based on their ethnicity and the use of sports as a tool of a political pressure,” Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said, according to TASS. 

Parsons said the IPC's decision was also a matter of safety and security, with the situation in the athletes' village becoming "untenable" as tensions escalate, he said.

He said Paralympic committees from multiple countries had threatened not to compete, and that if Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to take part, "nations will likely withdraw" and "we will likely not have a viable Games."

The decision comes less than a day after the IPC initially permitted athletes from both countries to compete as neutrals under the Paralympic flag and the Paralympic anthem. It will affect 83 athletes from the two countries, Parsons said.

According to TASS, Matytsin said: “It is extremely inadmissible to put in action any type of sanctions in regard to Paralympians, who have already arrived for the tournament.”

Matytsin said he wanted CAS to consider the matter before Friday’s opening ceremony, TASS said.

Talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations have begun at an undisclosed location on Ukraine's border.

A short video clip showed the Ukrainian delegation entering a conference room where the Russian delegation was seated. The two teams shook hands before sitting down to begin their talks. 

This is the second round of talks.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also tweeted, "Start talking to Russian representatives. The key issues on the agenda:

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova accused the Russian Federation on Thursday of engaging in acts that amount to war crimes, adding that Russian forces in Ukraine have carried out “blatant violations” of human rights. 

“Recent events clearly point to the fact that the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine carry out the most blatant violations and abuses of human rights, systematically engaging in acts that clearly amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Dzhaparova said. 

Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council via video link, Dzhaparova called on the UN to hold the Russian Federation to account for its invasion of Ukraine and ongoing military aggression. 

“We believe the Human Rights Council has a leading role to play in uniting efforts for ensuring the accountability of Russia for its crimes against my country,” the deputy foreign minister told the council. 

“This is the very moment of truth, not only for my country that is fighting for its survival, but for the whole international human rights system and its fundamental institutions, and for those who were entrusted to promote human rights as members of this council,” she said. 

More context: US President Joe Biden has said it is evident civilians are being targeted by Russia, echoing an accusation made by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces are dropping munitions on innocent people.

Unlike Johnson, however, Biden stopped short of labeling Russia's actions a war crime. "We are following it very closely," Biden said. "It's too early to say that."

Russia routinely denies targeting civilians in Ukraine; however, international media and observers have extensively documented civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, the UN confirmed at least 752 civilian casualties, including 227 killed, by Tuesday night. However, accounts of civilian death tolls have varied greatly across different authorities and agencies. CNN cannot independently verify the number of deaths.

Speaking on Thursday, Dzhaparova said Russia holds itself “above international law and above the rules-based order,” but noted that Ukraine “is resisting” Russian military aggression.

“Our international coalition is strengthening every day,” she added. “In this extraordinary moment, we must stand together to ensure accountability.”

Sergiy Stakhovsky, a former Ukrainian tennis pro who left his family to go fight Russia, said he decided to go back to his country because he "would like it to still be on a map."

Stakhovsky and his wife did not tell their three young children where he was going, but he said he thinks they may figure it out.

"It was not an easy decision. ... If I would stay home, I would feel guilt that I didn't come back. And now that I'm here, I feel guilty that I left them at home," he told CNN from Kyiv.

Stakhovsky beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's "lies would be transformed into history books," he said. "The modern history of Ukraine would be nonexistent."

He said he has had a basic military training class and that "people like me will be the last resort," but he is also in good health.

When asked if he'd be willing to sacrifice his life for his country, he said:

"This is a question which I don't have an answer to. I'm not sure that there is one individual who is ready to tell you now whether he's ready to sacrifice his life. I want to see my kids, that's for sure. I want to see my wife. That's my goal. But in a given moment, nobody knows what's happening."

Watch the interview: