Zelensky: “The West is partly responsible for the “disaster”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed on Saturday holding a round of negotiations with Russia in Jerusalem, after two previous rounds held in Belarus and Turkey, considering that “Israel can give security guarantees to Ukraine.”
Zelensky also stressed, during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine’s need for an anti-missile system, stressing his country’s readiness to “pay the price for it.”
And he reiterated his request to “all partners” to “close the airspace” in Ukraine, saying that “part of the responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe will be borne by the West by not closing the airspace” over Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president stressed that his army would continue to fight, saying: “We will not surrender and we will continue to fight against the Russian forces. The freedom of our country today is the freedom of the West tomorrow.”
Zelensky confirmed that he had “indications that the Russian army has problems in its ranks.” On the other hand, Zelensky confirmed that “1,300 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war.”
Zelensky added that the Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams began discussing specific issues instead of exchanging demands. He considered that the West should be more involved in negotiations to end the war.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky said in a video that “Russia is sending more troops to Ukraine” to fight, adding, “We will do everything we can to expel Russian forces from our lands.”
He said that the Ukrainian army “guarantees the security of humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians” from the besieged cities, but that “Russian forces are trying to obstruct the humanitarian corridors,” according to Zelensky.
Zelensky stressed, “Thousands of Russian soldiers were killed during this conflict, in the biggest losses for Russia in decades,” adding, “We will continue to stand firm against the Russian forces.”
He urged Moscow to abide by the ceasefire agreed to allow evacuations from the besieged city of Mariupol.
