“Just Stop The Bombing”: Ukraine President To Russia On Future Of Talks
Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday Russia must stop the bombing of the Ukrainian city before the significant talks on the ceasefire can begin, because the first round of negotiations this week has produced a little progress.
Speaking in an interview in the guarded government compound, Zelenskiy urged NATO members to force fly zone to stop the Russian Air Force, saying this would be a precautionary measure and was not intended to drag alliances into the war with Russia.
Zelenskiy, who has refused the offer to leave the capital of Ukraine when Russian forces advanced, also said Ukraine would demand security guarantees legally binding if NATO closed the door of Ukrainian membership.
Regulate his condition for further talks with Russia, Zelenskiy told Reuters and CNN in a common interview: “Need to at least stop the bombing, just stop the bombing and then sit at the negotiation table.”
Just as he spoke, the news appeared that a Russian missile had hit the TV tower near the Holocaust warning site in the capital of Ukraine, killing at least five people. Previously on Tuesday, missiles hit the heart of East Kharkiv City.
IF NOT NATO, THEN GUARANTEES
Ukraine has received weapons shipments from NATO members to help hold back the full-scale military invasion released by Russian forces last week, while The West has also introduced crooked sanctions on the Russian economy.
But Zelenskiy has urged the international community to do more, including forcing a fly zone.
“It’s not about dragging NATO countries into war. The truth is that everyone has long been dragged into the war and is clearly not by Ukraine, but by Russia – a large-scale war will occur,” Zelenskiy said.
He said, however, that President A.S. Joe Biden personally convey to him that now is not the time to introduce such a measure.
Ukraine had pressed NATO to speed up the entry, moving fiercely opposed by Russia and was quoted as one of the reasons Moscow to launch its campaign.
“Our partner, if they are not ready to take Ukraine to NATO … because Russia does not want Ukraine to be in NATO, must complete public security guarantees for Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said.
“This means that we have our territorial integrity, that our borders are protected, we have a special relationship with all our neighbors, we are truly safe, and the guarantor that gives us security, they guarantee this legally.”
The 44-year-old President was not shaved and wore a simple khaki shirt, trousers and combat shoes for interviews, which occurred in a building that was heavily guarded by the military.