President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to sit down for direct negotiations and cease Russia’s invasion of his country, while simultaneously urging the West to extend military supplies to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy warned the West on Thursday, speaking to media in his strongly protected office in Kyiv, that if Putin’s military push succeeds, Russia may march to the rest of Europe.
In the first sign of progress in discussions between the warring parties, Russia and Ukraine agreed on the necessity for humanitarian corridors to deliver aid and assist people from besieged Ukrainian cities.
At Thursday’s talks – the second round of talks since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine – Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky reported “substantial progress,” saying the “main issue that we settled today is the salvation of people, civilians who have found themselves in a zone of military clashes.”