Striking a bold but ominous cord, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is "ready for negotiations" once again with Russia's Vladimir Putin, but if the next talks break down like before "that would 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 told CNN's Fareed Zakaria through a translator.
"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," he added.
As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its fourth week, Zelenskyy is acknowledging increasing urgency to end the death and bloodshed.
"All the people that think that this dialogue is shallow, that it is not going to resolve anything, they just don't understand that this is very valuable," Zelenskyy added to Zakaria through the translator. "If there is just 1% chance for us to stop this war, I think that we need to take this chance. We need to do that."
Zelenskyy added, while Ukraine forces are fighting back and dealing a "powerful blow" to Russia's invasion, just too many people are dying.
"I can't tell you about the result of these negotiations," Zelenskyy concluded to Zakaria through a translator. " In any case we are losing people on a daily basis, innocent people on the ground. Russian forces have come to exterminate us, and to kill us.
"And we have demonstrated the dignity of our people and our army that we are able to deal a powerful blow. We are able to strike back, but unfortunately our dignity is not going to preserve the lives."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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