Ukraine's President Zelenskiy invites Vladimir Putin for peace talks
- In Reports
- 08:24 PM, Apr 21, 2021
- Myind Staff
Amid escalating tensions between two nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on April 20 invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to meet him in his country's war-torn eastern Donbass region for talks on ending the conflict there and easing tensions between the two states.
"I am ready to go even further and invite you to meet in any part of the Ukrainian Donbass where war is ongoing," Zelenskiy said in an address to the nation.
He added that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators had discussed plans to travel to the trenches to assess the situation.
While addressing the nation in a video, Zelenskiy began his speech by addressing his fellow citizens in the Ukrainian language with an explanation of the current crisis, reassuring them that while an escalation wasn't inevitable and Kyiv wouldn't strike first, they should not be afraid because the Ukraine of 2021 was prepared for war.
"A considerable number of Russian troops are concentrated near our border. Officially, Russia calls this military exercises. Unofficially, the whole world calls such things blackmail," Zelenskiy said in his address.
"The Russian president once said that if a fight is inevitable, you need to hit first. But every leader needs to understand that a fight must not be inevitable when it ... concerns a real war and millions of human lives," he added.
Russia in turn accused the United States and NATO of "provocative activity" in the Black Sea region.
Germany and France have requested Russia to withdraw its troops which was confirmed by US and European Union. Ukraine has accused Russia of a massive build-up of troops along its border, which Moscow says is a training exercise.
Zelenskiy said that Ukraine wants to end the conflict through diplomacy but is ready to defend itself if attacked.
"Does Ukraine want the war? No. But is Ukraine ready for the war? Yes," he said.
Zelenskiy was elected in 2019 on the promise of ending the conflict eastern Ukraine.
(Inputs from Agencies)
Image Source: AP
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