Zelensky tells Russia to hold peace talks now

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday urged Russian authority to hold peace talks without delay to reduce the damage following the Russia´s attack on Ukraine.

“Therefore, negotiations on peace, on security for us, for Ukraine - meaningful, fair and without delay - are the only chance for Russia to reduce the damage from its own mistakes,” said Zelensky in a speech to the nation.

He also reiterated that he always insisted on negotiations and always offered dialogue, offered solutions for peace. Not only during 23 days of invasion.

“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. Otherwise, Russia's losses will be so huge that several generations will not be enough to rebound,” said the Ukrainian President.

He said that on Saturday there were seven humanitarian corridors in Ukraine. Six - in the Sumy region, one - in the Donetsk region. More than 9,000 people were evacuated from the besieged Mariupol. In total, more than 180,000 Ukrainians have been rescued by the humanitarian corridors. Hundreds of tons of essential products were delivered.

But the occupiers continue to block the supply of humanitarian aid to the besieged cities in most areas. This is a totally deliberate tactic. They have a clear order to do absolutely everything to make the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukrainian cities an "argument" for Ukrainians to cooperate with the occupiers, he said.

“This is a war crime. They will be held accountable for this. 100%. Every Russian figure who gives such orders and every Russian soldier who carries out such orders will be identified. And will receive a compulsory one-way ticket to The Hague. To the city where the International Criminal Court is located,” said Zelensky.

He said that people are being rescued from the rubble of the drama theater destroyed by the occupiers in Mariupol, where civilians had been hiding from Russian shelling and bombs. More than 130 people are already on the surface. Some of them are seriously wounded. But at the moment there is no information about the dead.

He also thanked the courage and professional training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the occupation forces were stopped in almost all directions.

“Heavy fighting in the Kharkiv region - especially heavy near Izyum. Russian troops have already thrown people from training centers there. Absolutely unprepared contingent. People who can't endure half an hour in battle,” said Zelensky.

Kyiv region, Sumy region, Chernihiv region, the south of our state - the army stopped the occupiers. The initial plan of the Russian military to seize our state failed. And it seems that they do not know what else can be done to us. It seems that their military commanders are not able to offer their political leadership anything but cruel and erroneous tactics to exhaust us, to exhaust Ukraine. Nothing but constant strikes at the civilian population, peaceful cities, people, children, missiles, air bombs, shelling from "Grads", "Uragans". Nothing but the destruction of non-military infrastructure - residential buildings, hospitals, schools, churches.

“But this tactic of their military only worsens the situation for the Russian state. Leads to new and new destructive sanctions. Encourages new members to join our anti-war coalition. It allows us to unite even those states that have always tried to remain neutral to put pressure on Russia,” he added.