Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Russia it’s ‘time to talk’.
The president made the appeal in the early hours of the morning, saying it was time to restore ‘territorial integrity and justice’ in his war-torn country.
He said: “Negotiations about peace, about security for us in Ukraine, should be substantial, fair and without delays. This is the only chance, the only chance for Russia to reduce the harm from its own mistakes.
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“We have always insisted on negotiations. We have offered dialogue, offered solutions for peace - not just for 23 days of invasion.
“And I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. It’s time to meet. Time to talk. It’s time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine. Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be such that it will take you several generations to recover.”
Zelenskyy accused Russia of causing a ‘humanitarian disaster’ in Mariupol, which has been the target of Russian strikes.
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He added: “This is a totally deliberate tactic. They have a clear order to do absolutely everything to make the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukrainian cities an ‘argument’ for Ukrainians to cooperate with the occupiers. This is a war crime.”
Peace talks have been ongoing between the two countries - with a glimmer of hope for peace earlier this week when Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said some parts of a possible peace deal could been agreed upon soon.
"I am guided by the assessments given by our negotiators. They say that the negotiations are not easy for obvious reasons. But nevertheless, there is some hope of reaching a compromise," he said, as per Reuters.
"Neutral status [for Kyiv] is now being seriously discussed along, of course, with security guarantees.
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"Now this very thing is being discussed in negotiations - there are absolutely specific formulations which in my view are close to agreement."
However, no further information has been given and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said she is concerned the negotiations could act as a ‘smokescreen’.
She told The Times: "The Russians have lied and lied and lied.
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"I fear the negotiation is yet another attempt to create a diversion and create a smokescreen from the appalling [atrocities]… I mean, if a country is serious about negotiations, it doesn’t indiscriminately bomb civilians that day.”
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Topics: Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Russia
Claire Reid