Expect World War 3 if my talks with Putin fail – Zelenskyy warns

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukrainian has revealed that he is ready to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but warned that if any negotiation attempts fail, it could mean the fight between the two countries would lead to “a third World War.”

TopNaija recalls that Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a war on Ukranian soil since February 24, with Russian president Vladimir Putin claiming he wants to De-nazify and demilitarize Ukraine… Ukraine meanwhile has staunchly been defending it’s territory with Russia’s advance said to be at a halt leading the Russian forces to indiscriminately attack civilian homes, schools and hospitals.

“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,” Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an exclusive interview Sunday, March 20.

On the negotiations, Zelenksy said, “if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War.” If negotiation between I and Putin fails, that would mean that this is a third World War.? – Zelensky

Zelensky was asked about Putin’s claims that the Ukrainian government is full of neo-Nazis. He said that he cannot take these statements by Putin “seriously” and called it “laughable.”

Zelensky added that Putin is in an information bubble but he noted that remarks like this from the Russian president worry him about what he is capable of.

“I’m not afraid of anything except for people, but the fact — the fact is that if he is serious about this statement he might be capable of very horrendous steps because that would mean that this is not a game for him.”

Zelensky said that if his country had been admitted into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance earlier, then Russia would not have invaded the country.

“If we were a NATO member, a war wouldn’t have started. I’d like to receive security guarantees for my country, for my people,” Zelensky said adding that he was grateful for the aid NATO has provided since the invasion began.

“If NATO members are ready to see us in the alliance, then do it immediately because people are dying on a daily basis.”

More than 900 civilians have been killed with over 2million fleeing the country since the invasion began, the United Nation says.

Meanwhile, the Russian army has advanced a further 12 kilometres into Eastern Ukraine and reached the border of the settlement of Nikolske near Mariupol, says Russian Ministry of Defence spokesman, Igor Konashenkov.

In a post on Facebook, the Ukrainian general staff said that Russia is mobilising troops in the areas of Luhansk and Donetsk.

The self-proclaimed independent republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine have enjoyed the support of Russia since 2014.

Prior to the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, the republics only covered a portion of the territory of the oblasts or administrative divisions, of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Seizing these areas in their entirety is one of the aims of Moscow in the invasion.

The Russian Ministry of Defence also said the Russian army has now destroyed 214 drones, 1,438 tanks and armoured vehicles, 150 rocket launchers, 584 artillery guns and 1,279 vehicles of the Ukrainian army since the start of the invasion.

This is why, on Monday, Ukrainian authorities said the country has planned eight humanitarian corridors for civilians to escape the war in Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the corridors would be used for buses to evacuate and deliver aid.

According to Vereshchuk, people are to be taken from the vicinity of the besieged port city of Mariupol to the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya.

He said evacuation closer to the capital was planned from the embattled localities north and east of the capital Kiev, according to the plan.

The plan also calls for evacuation from the greater area of Zyverodonetsk and Lysychansk in the Luhansk region to the town of Bachmut in the neighbouring Donetsk region.