On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks.
“I’m prepared to negotiate with him. For the previous two years, I had been prepared. And I believe that without negotiations, we will be unable to end this conflict “In a televised interview, Zelenskyy told CNN.
“I believe that we must use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin,” he added, warning that if efforts to engage with Putin fail, “this will be a third world war.”
The Ukrainian president stated that if they had even a 1% possibility of ending the war, they should take it, noting that innocent people continue to die on the battlefield every day.
He claimed that Russian forces have arrived to exterminate Ukrainians, and that Ukraine may demonstrate the dignity of its people and army by striking Russia with a powerful blow, but that their dignity would not be enough to save lives.
Since Russia initiated a war on its western neighbor on February 24, at least 902 civilians have been killed and another 1,459 injured in Ukraine, according to UN figures.
The UN has stated that the true figures are likely to be significantly higher because verification is difficult on the ground.
According to UN estimates, approximately 3.38 million people have fled Ukraine since the conflict began, with an estimated 6.5 million people internally displaced in the country.