Zelensky says he would meet with Putin to end the war

the ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskysaid on Monday that Vladimir Putin he is the only Russian official he is willing to meet with a single issue on the agenda: stopping the war.

ZelenskyAddressing an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos by video link, he also said organizing any kind of talks with Moscow is increasingly difficult in light of what he says is evidence of Russian actions against the civilians.

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Russia denies targeting civilians in what it calls a “special operation” to degrade Ukraine’s military capabilities.

”The President of the Russian Federation decides everything”said Zelensky through an interpreter. “If we are talking about ending this war without him personally, that decision cannot be made.”

Zelensky he claimed that the discovery of mass killings in areas occupied by Russian troops early in the war, particularly outside kyiv, made it more difficult to arrange talks and would rule out any discussion with other officials.

“I cannot accept any kind of meeting with anyone who comes from the Russian Federation except the president,” said. “And only in case there is an issue on the table: stop the war. There are no other reasons for any other type of meeting.”

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have held sporadic talks since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February, but both sides say talks have stalled.

Zelensky he said on Ukrainian television last week that it was impossible to stop the war without some form of diplomacy.

In his remarks to the audience at Davos, Zelensky he also stated that the war had a high human price for the Ukrainians. The country’s forces, he said, were making gains, particularly near the city of Kharkiv, but “The bloodiest situation remains in Donbás, where we are losing too many people.”

He also assured that any idea of ​​recovering by force the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, would cause hundreds of thousands of victims.

Source: Elcomercio

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