Ukraine’s president requires ceasefire to negotiate with Russia

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced that sitting at the negotiating table with Russia is conditional on Russian forces stopping their operation in his country.

“It is necessary at least to stop firing at the people, only to stop shooting, and then we will sit down to the negotiating table,” Zelensky said at a fortified government compound in Kyiv.

He stressed that “if Moscow agrees to withdraw its forces, this will be a sign of its readiness for peace, otherwise these negotiations will be a waste of time.”

On Ukraine’s membership in NATO, he said, “Kyiv will demand binding security guarantees if NATO closes the door to the possibility of Ukraine joining it.”

He urged NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, noting that “this should be a precautionary measure and not a drag for the alliance to clash with Russia.”