Russia-Ukraine War: Kyiv ready for 'neutral status talks' as Russian troops inch closer

Ukraine is ready to hold 'neutral status talks' with Russia, but it must receive security guarantees, Mikhail Podoliak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday. As Russian forces close in on Kyiv, President Zelensky has signalled that Ukraine is open to negotiating Kyiv’s neutrality, however, it must also receive security guarantees. 

"Ukraine is ready to hold neutral status talks with Russia but it must also receive security guarantees", an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Mikhail Podoliak said in a statement received by RBK.

Addressing a briefing, Podoliak asserted that the fundamental strategy of the Russian special operation is to 'destroy the country's leadership'. The advisor stressed that President Zelensky remains in Kyiv, 'because he has to show what the firmness of the Ukrainian people is.' 

"The main, fundamental scenario of the Russian special operation is clear. The only goal is to enter Kyiv and destroy the country's leadership, eliminate President Volodymyr Zelensky," Podoliak was quoted as saying by news agency Ukrinform.

Russia asks Ukraine to surrender

As per the latest developments, Russian troops have captured the Vorzel village which is just 8 kilometres away from the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine's Defence Ministry has confirmed that Vorzel has fallen to Russian forces. They have now entered the Obolon district in Kyiv, where the Ukrainian military is currently fighting them. Russia is reported to be closing in on Kyiv from northeast and east as well.

In a video address to the nation, Zelenskyy said, "We have been left alone to defend our state." He added, "Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don't see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid."

The Ukrainian President has signed a decree on the general mobilisation of the population in the wake of Putin's Ukraine invasion, all men aged 18-60 are forbidden to leave the country. An entry on the Ukrainian President's website stated that conscripts and reservists will be called up over the next 90 days to "ensure the defence of the state, maintaining combat and mobilization readiness."