Ukraine Crisis: Zelenskyy Warns Of World War III, Conflict Turns To War Of Attribution | Top Developments
In remarks that at several points compared Russian aggression to the Holocaust, Zelensky said that “Ukraine made the choice to save Jews 80 years ago.”
New Delhi: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he is "ready for negotiations" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that failure to do so would entail "a third World War," CNN reported.
The 25-day war between Russia and Ukraine now appears to be intensifying. Many rounds of talks between the two countries on the war have not reached any conclusion.
Earlier in the day, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that at least 10 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine due to Russia's "devastating" war.
“Among the responsibilities of those who wage war, everywhere in the world, is the suffering inflicted on civilians who are forced to flee their homes,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi on Twitter.
“The war in Ukraine is so devastating that 10 million have fled either displaced inside the country, or as refugees abroad.”
Here are the top developments of the day around Russia-Ukraine crisis:
1. Zelenskyy, who has insisted on his Jewish faith in rallying Jewish and Israeli support for his country during the Russian invasion, has addressed Israeli lawmakers on Sunday.
In remarks that at several points compared Russian aggression to the Holocaust, Zelenskyy said that “Ukraine made the choice to save Jews 80 years ago.”
“Now it's time for Israel to make its choice.”
On an international tour via video conferencing, Zelensky has spoken to a number of foreign legislators since the invasion began on February 24, including the United States Congress, Britain's House of Commons, and Germany's Bundestag.
2. Zelenskyy stated on Sunday that he is "ready for negotiations" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that failure to do so would entail "a third World War," CNN reported.
"I'm ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war," he was quoted by CNN in its report.
"I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, the possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War," he added.
In recent days, Zelenskyy has advocated further negotiations as Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth week. In a video message released on Saturday, Zelenskyy urged dialogue to take place "immediately," warning that failure to do so would result in "great losses" for Russia.
"We have always insisted on negotiations. We have always offered dialogue, offered solutions for peace. And I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. It's time to meet. Time to talk. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine," he said.
3. Three weeks into the intrusion, Western legislatures and investigators see the Russia-Ukraine crisis moving to a war of attrition, with stalled Russian powers sending off long-range rockets at urban areas and army installations as Ukrainian forces carry out hit-and-run attacks and look to cut off their supply lines. Moscow said on Sunday it carried out new attacks on Ukrainian military offices with long-range hypersonic and voyage rockets.
4. The Ministry of Defense of the UK said that Russian forces are continuing to encircle a number of cities across eastern Ukraine as the war between the two-nation rages.
"Russian forces are continuing to encircle a number of cities across eastern Ukraine... Russia has increased its indiscriminate shelling of urban areas resulting in widespread destruction and large numbers of civilian casualties," said the ministry.
President Zelenskyy has said that Russian forces are besieging major cities which would go down in history for what he said were war crimes committed by Russian troops.
“To do this to a peaceful city, what the occupiers did, is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come,” Zelenskyy said in a video address to the nation.
5. Turkey said that talks between Ukraine and Russia to stop the war have made progress and the two sides are inching closer to an agreement.
"Of course, it is not an easy thing to come to terms with while the war is going on, while civilians are killed, but we would like to say that momentum is still gained," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in live comments from the southern Turkish province of Antalya as reported by news agency AFP.
"We see that the parties are close to an agreement."
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