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Topics: News, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine
Rachel Lang
Topics: News, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a very grim prediction of what could happen if upcoming peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin fail.
Speaking to CNN, the Ukrainian leader said a failure to come to an agreement may 'mean that this is a third World War'.
"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," Zelenskyy said.
"I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin.
"But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War."
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Zelenskyy called for further peace negotiations as Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its fourth week.
On March 19, he dropped a video message calling for peace talks and warned that if not, 'Russia's losses would be huge'.
"We have always insisted on negotiations. We have always offered dialogue, offered solutions for peace," he said.
"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."
Zelenskyy has previously said that his priorities in the talks are clear: "The end of the war, security guarantees, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country."
After mass global sanctions, corporate lockouts, scathing public opinion on the Ukrainian invasion in Russia, and reports of Russian forces being eviscerated on the front line, it now seems Putin might be ready for a peace chat.
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UNHCR data has indicated a total of 3.3 million refugees have been displaced from Ukraine in the last four weeks.
UNICEF spokesperson Joe English in a talk with CNN revealed that of that 3.3 million, at least half are children.
"Each of these is an individual child whose life has been torn apart, whose world has been turned upside down," English said.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.