“You have successfully completed the fighting for the liberation of Mariupol. “Let me congratulate you on this occasion, and please pass on my congratulations to the troops,” Putin told his defense minister at their meeting.
The Russian president also revoked an order to storm the Azovstal steel plant, where other Ukrainian resistance fighters are hiding, arguing that the move was unnecessary.
His allegations were condemned by Ukraine, which claims its troops still control the city.
Earlier, Putin issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian forces in the region to surrender or die.
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