Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has given a stern message to Russian soldiers to surrender.
He claimed that Russian forces had incurred larger fatalities during their invasion of his country than in the Chechnya conflict.
He went on to say that, in order to avoid wasting time and money, they had already realized they would accomplish nothing through violence.
“I realize that you want to live,” he stated, adding that those who surrendered would be treated “as individuals, fairly.”
In his speech, the president spoke about Marina Ovsyannikova, who disrupted a Russian state television broadcast by holding up an anti-war banner.
He said he was “thankful to those Russians who don’t give up their efforts to convey the truth” and to those who battle disinformation.
President Zelensky said on Monday that talks between Russia and Ukraine were likely to continue on Tuesday, with progress described as “pretty good” thus far.
Later, in a video call with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and representatives from the multinational Joint Expeditionary Force, the Ukrainian President once again slammed Nato for its refusal to launch a no-fly zone.
President Zelensky said that while Nato was “the most powerful alliance in the world,” some of its members were blind to Russian aggression.
According to Zelensky, Vladimir Putin’s invasion had undermined European security infrastructure and fears of World War Three were allowing Russia to bomb non-threatening cities.
The Polish, Czech, and Slovenian prime ministers are on their way by train to Kyiv to meet with Mr Zelensky.
The Polish government stated in a statement that the trip was intended “to underline the EU’s unqualified support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence, as well as to provide a comprehensive range of assistance for the Ukrainian state and society.”
However, the capital’s authorities have announced that a 35-hour curfew will go into effect at 20:00 local time on Tuesday.
The mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, said that the curfew would last until 7 a.m. on Thursday, adding that it was “at a tense and dangerous moment.”
Mr Zelensky addressed the Russian invaders, saying: “We hear your conversations in the intercepts, and we hear what you really believe about this senseless war.
Because of this, he said he was giving them the option on behalf of the Ukrainian people.
