Vladimir Putin has appealed directly to Ukrainian troops and told them "it will be easier for us to agree if you take power in your own hands".
During the address, the Russian president said it was "easier to negotiate with you" than the "gang of Nazis that has captured Kyiv" - an apparent reference to Ukraine's leadership in the capital.
"I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and (Ukrainian radical nationalists) to use your children, wives and elders as human shields," he said at a televised meeting with Russia's security council.
"Take power into your own hands, it will be easier for us to reach agreement."
The quotes were seen by some in Western capitals that the Russian president's goal is to install a puppet government in Ukraine.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was Russia's "number one target".
Russian troops enter Kyiv - follow latest updates
Putin claims Ukrainian military is using civilians as shields
Mr Putin went on to say Russian servicemen in Ukraine were acting "bravely, professionally and heroically".
He claimed most Ukrainian military units were reluctant to engage the Russian forces.
Those units offering resistance are mostly volunteer battalions made up of right-wing Ukrainian nationalists, he claimed, providing no evidence for his claims.
Echoing an earlier Russian military statement, he accused Ukrainian forces of deploying heavy weapons in urban areas in several big cities, including Kyiv and Kharkiv, to use civilians as shields.
Kremlin says Putin has agreed to organise negotiations
It comes as the Kremlin said Mr Putin had called Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to organise sending a delegation to the Belarusian capital Minsk for talks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to discuss Ukraine's neutrality.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin was ready to send the delegation in response to Mr Zelenskyy's offer, which indicated he would be willing to negotiate dropping his country's bid to join NATO as Russia has demanded.
Mr Putin has claimed the refusal to discuss keeping Ukraine out of NATO prompted him to order military action to "demilitarise" it.
Analysis: Russian government offers barbed olive branch
The Russian government appears to be offering a barbed olive branch.
It says it is prepared to send a delegation to the Belorussian capital Minsk to discuss peace with the Ukrainians and in particular the possibility of Ukraine offering neutrality in return for peace.
There have been reports as yet unconfirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser Mikhail Podoliak has said the president is prepared to countenance such an offer.
This may be a false report, contrived by Russia to set hares running. We are seeking clarification from the Ukrainians.
But the Russian offer may be a non-starter anyway.
Russia says before talks begin Ukraine needs to fully demilitarise. This is another way of saying fully surrender.
It is hard to think of any government accepting those sorts of terms before negotiations have even begun. Especially Ukraine.
Remember it gave up all its nuclear weapons in return for security guarantees from Russia in the past which it now sees as worthless. It is hard to see it falling for the same again.
It is also worth bearing in mind that Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, have both sounded like they will stop short of nothing but regime change.
They claim to see the Ukrainian government as a clique in the pocket of oligarchs and the west and riddled with Nazi philosophy.
We are seeking further clarification from the Russians too.
In my exchange with her this afternoon Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova did not shed much more light on what the Russians want before talks can begin.
A tense exchange with Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson
During an at-times tense exchange, Sky News diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn asked Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova how it could be acceptable for Mr Zelenskyy to surrender before he even begins negotiations.
Ms Zakharova replied: "It is true such work can start anytime, the only question is whether the other side - under the influence of the West - will start trying to weasel out of lie, or you yourselves, the representatives of the Kyiv regime, would start contradicting and debunking each other."
Mr Waghorn pushed her further on the question, asking: "Can you explain how you're describing this as the end of the war when it could be the beginning of the biggest military offensive we have seen in Europe since World War Two?"
She said: "Well no, I'm not going to fantasise this. This has nothing to do with the situation at hand. We are pursuing a stage by stage approach. The operation is ongoing, it has stated objectives, (the) Ministry of Defence is making its comments.
"We have recently seen the statement by Zolodymyr Zelneskyy and we have responded to it. We are not going to fantasise again, there was a request, we responded to a request, end of story."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L3VrcmFpbmUtaW52YXNpb24tcHV0aW4tdXJnZXMtdWtyYWluZS1taWxpdGFyeS10by1vdmVydGhyb3ctY291bnRyeXMtbGVhZGVycy0xMjU1MTMxN9IBc2h0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FtcC91a3JhaW5lLWludmFzaW9uLXB1dGluLXVyZ2VzLXVrcmFpbmUtbWlsaXRhcnktdG8tb3ZlcnRocm93LWNvdW50cnlzLWxlYWRlcnMtMTI1NTEzMTc?oc=5
2022-02-25 18:49:53Z
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