In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Zelensky says he is ready to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin until they find a solution.
– I’m ready for negotiations. I have been ready for two years, and I believe that without negotiations we will not end this war. All the people who think that this dialogue is superficial and should not solve anything, do not understand that this is valuable. If there’s only a one percent chance of stopping this war, then we must take it.
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Warns about the consequences
Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of the two countries reaching an agreement.
– We lose people every day, innocent people on the ground. Russian forces have come to exterminate us and kill us. But we have demonstrated the dignity of the people and the armies, and that we are able to fight back. But unfortunately, our dignity will not save lives, so I think we must use every format and opportunity to negotiate and talk to Putin.
– If these attempts fail, then it will mean that this is World War III.
Zelensky was asked by CNN if the war could have been avoided if he had made it clear to Russia that they would not join NATO. The president does not specifically answer that in the interview, but he says that if Ukraine had been a member of NATO, there would have been no war now.
– If NATO members are ready to see us in the alliance, do so immediately. Because people die every day.
Claims it is approaching an agreement
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine were making progress in the negotiations and that they were approaching an agreement.
Turkey has taken on the role of mediator between the two countries, and Cavusoglu visited both Russia and Ukraine this week. Last week, the foreign ministers of both Russia and Ukraine were in Ankara for meetings.
Cavusoglu says that Turkey has been in contact with the two negotiating delegations and that the parties are approaching an agreement, but he will not go further into the details of what the agreement is about.
Turkey has also offered to host a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sharp criticism of Israel
Earlier Sunday, Zelensky was crystal clear when he addressed the Israeli National Assembly, the Knesset. According to AFP, he has compared the Russian invasion and attacks on Ukraine with the Holocaust on several points.
He called on Israel to abandon its position as neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and said that the time had come for Israel to declare its support for Ukraine.
– Ukraine made the choice to save Jews 80 years ago. Now is the time for Israel to make its choice, said Zelensky, who is himself a Jew.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has stepped in cautiously since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Among other things, he has emphasized the strong ties between Israel and Russia, and tries to preserve security cooperation between them since Russia has forces in Syria, which borders Israel.
One of the criticisms leveled at Israel is that it has not imposed sanctions on Russian-Jewish oligarchs who are friends of Putin, and they have been accused to be a free port for these.
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