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The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that he is ready to negotiate directly with Putin. He adds that if the conversation is not successful, it could be the beginning of the Third World War.
This has been reported by Zelenskyy in the interview by CNN.
Zelenskyy is certain that only negotiations can end the war in Ukraine. He declares that he is ready to sit down at the negotiating table with Putin personally.
“I am ready for the negotiations. I’ve been ready for the last two years. And we can’t end this war without negotiating,” Zelenskyy notes.
The head of the state adds that the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will continue since this is a chance to stop the deaths of civilians.
“Everyone who thinks this dialogue is superficial and won’t solve anything just doesn't understand how valuable it is… I can’t talk to you about the results of these negotiations. But we lose people, innocent people, every day. The Russian forces have come to annihilate us, kill us. And we have demonstrated the dignity of our people and our army. We can carry out a major strike, we can strike in response,” Zelenskyy answers.
However, he emphasizes that Ukraine has to use all opportunities to end the war, otherwise it could escalate into a greater conflict.
“We have to use any possible format, any chance to get an opportunity for a conversation with Putin. But if these attempts fail, it will mean the third World War,” the President highlights.
The Ukrainian and Russian delegations have already held four rounds of negotiations. From the Russian side, the delegation is headed by the former Minister of Culture and Putin’s assistant Medinsky. Putin himself is in his bunker in Altai, according to reports. The bunker is designed for the event of a nuclear war.
On 18 March, the spokesperson for the Russian President Dmitry Peskov claimed that the necessity for a meeting with Putin and Zelensky will depend on the modality of the document about a ceasefire. It is yet to be agreed upon.
Earlier, the media outlet The Financial Times published a draft peace agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The adviser to the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podoliak said it was nothing more than a draft that demonstrates Russia’s position. He notes that the only parts of the draft that the Ukrainian side can confirm are the ceasefire, the withdrawals of Russian troops and security guarantees from a range of states.