Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News on Monday that his country was not interested in Russian ultimatums, and added that President Vladimir Putin was "living in the informational bubble without oxygen."
Zelenskyy was reminded by ABC News anchor David Muir that the Kremlin said it was prepared to stop "in a moment" its unprovoked attack on Ukraine if Kyiv meets a list of conditions, including giving up joining NATO, acknowledging Crimea as Russian territory, and recognizing separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.
"The question is more difficult than simply acknowledging them," Zelenskyy said in a snippet of an interview tweeted Monday by ABC News. "This is another ultimatum. We’re not prepared for ultimatums. We have the possible solution, resolution for these three items, key items.
"What needs to be done is for President Putin to stop talking, start the dialogue, instead of living in the informational bubble without oxygen. I think that's where he is. He is in this bubble. He's getting this information and you don't know how realistic that information is that he's getting."
Zelenskyy told Muir that the U.S. and NATO should establish a no-fly zone over his country to stop Russian missiles from hitting civilian targets such as a university dormitory and a pediatric clinic.
Biden and NATO officials have said a no-fly zone could result in a full-fledged war against Russia.
"You have to preserve lives. There ... were simply kids there with tumors," Zelenskyy told ABC News of the missile strike on the pediatric clinic.
"And in the university, there were ordinary students. I'm sure that the brave American soldiers who would be shooting it down knowing that it is flying towards the students, I'm sure that they had no doubt in doing so."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier Monday listed Russia's demands of Ukraine, which also would be expected to cease military action and change its constitution to enshrine neutrality.
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