Ukraine’s Zelensky says sparing lives of Mariupol citizens key to talks with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Saturday that if Russian soldiers kill Ukrainians in the besieged city of Mariupol, and if Russia holds “pseudo” referendums in occupied territory, Ukraine will halt talks with Russia.

Zelensky also underlined his desire to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating, “I don’t have a right to be terrified” because the Ukrainian people have demonstrated that they are not afraid of Russian military might.

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“As for the topic of the meeting with the president of Russia, yes, I would like to start to finalize the war. There is a diplomatic way, and there is the military way. So any healthy and sane person always chooses diplomatic way, because he or she knows even if it’s hard, it may stop the losses of thousands, of tens of thousands. And with such neighbors, hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of victims,” he remarked during a press conference in a subterranean subway stop, according to translated statements.

While Zelensky stated that he is “not afraid” of meeting with Putin, it is impossible to believe what Russia claims.

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“There is no trust to Russia. Those are not synonyms, those are antonyms: Russia and trust. Because they’re just saying something, and their words do not coincide with actions,” he said.

Next week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Moscow and Kyiv as part of his attempts to end Ukraine’s two-month-long conflict.

Since Russia’s invasion on February 24, more than five million people have fled the east European country, and many have been slain. There are also rising concerns for the 100,000 inhabitants who remain in the besieged city of Mariupol.

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On Tuesday, Guterres will see Russian President Putin in Moscow, where he will also meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. On Thursday, Guterres will go to Kyiv to meet Ukraine’s President Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Guterres is to discuss “steps that can be taken right now” to stop the fighting and help people flee to safety during both visits, according to UN Spokeswoman Eri Kaneko at a press conference in New York.