Zelenskyy avers he will negotiate with Putin 'if Mariupol troops are not harmed'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during an address to the nation on Saturday (May 21) night, appealed to his Russian counterpart for negotiations but added he would only proceed "if Moscow assures Mariupol troops are not harmed". He was pointing fingers at the surrender of at least 1,908 Ukrainian fighters who had been fighting with Putin's forces at the Azovstal steelworks. "Discussions between Ukraine and Russia will undoubtedly take place. Some things can only be reached at the negotiating table," he said. 

Zelesnkyy affirmed Kyiv will be the ultimate winner of the ongoing war while calling the victory of Russian forces "temporary".  Further, Zelenskyy maintained that he will consider his victory only when President Putin pledged to return all the regions seized by Russian forces to Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he believes Russia would further escalate the war but noted that it has to return to the negotiating table. "For them, all these victories - the occupation of Crimea or Donbass - is very temporary. And all this will return - since this is our territory," he said. 

Mariupol heading for 'health and sanitation catastrophe'

Meanwhile, Mariupol mayor Vadim Boychenko appealed to the Russian forces to allow residents to safely leave the city as sanitation problems can turn the deadly war into a 'catastrophe'. He said summer rains have been threatening to contaminate water sources and therefore the chances of getting infected are high.

"In addition to the humanitarian catastrophe created by the Russian occupiers and collaborators, the city is on the verge of an outbreak of infectious diseases," Boychenko said in a Telegram post.

It is pertinent to mention here that earlier this week, Russia claimed to have taken full control of Mariupol.

Russia-Ukraine war

Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his ill intention to invade Ukraine.

On February 24, Russian troops started a military operation in Ukraine. Since then, it has been bombarding several cities in Ukraine, resulting in the killing of thousands of civilians. Recently, during an interview with a Russian state media, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is not in the mood to wrap up the ongoing "military operations" until the goals are accomplished.  

(Image: @KremlinRussia_E/@ZelenskyyUa/Twitter)