Jill Biden paints precarious picture of Ukraine war; 'Praying Zelenskyy is still alive...'

The First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) Jill Biden on Saturday said that she prays every day that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "still alive," as the Russia-Ukraine war gets intense by the day. Addressing a fundraiser at San Francisco's Pacific Heights, Jill Biden informed the attendees that she is keeping herself updated regarding the precarious situation in Ukraine on a daily basis.

“I just have to turn on the TV every morning and pray that Zelensky is still alive,” NY Post quoted First Lady of the US, Jill Biden as saying.

Jill Biden's statement came while she was speaking at the “what’s on everybody’s mind" session when she painted the grim picture of the ongoing war, which has displaced nearly 1.5 million people in the embattled nation. The event had in attendance as many as 25 guests, including California's lieutenant governor Eleni Kounalakis. The First Lady also gave an insight into the White House situation as the Russian attack intensified with escalated bombings being reported in the outskirts of Kyiv.

“The phone just never stops ringing, all through the night...and Joe is up, trying to help solve this crisis,” Jill Biden said, further noting that the US has provided billions of dollars worth humanitarian aid to help combat the "unprovoked" invasion.

"We don’t know where it’s going to go. We just don’t know,” Jill Biden said, when asked about the conflict. “And we’re all just holding our breath, aren’t we? That something, some answer will come so that we don’t get into this world wars,” she further added.

Zelenskyy urges additional aid for Ukraine in meetings with US lawmakers

Notably, Jill Biden's statement comes after Ukraine President Zelenskyy, on Friday, discussed additional aid for Ukraine in a virtual conversation with US lawmakers. As per NY Post, he also rebuked them for not sending help sooner. Furthermore, the Ukraine President also reiterated calls for a 'no-fly zone', which, as per Putin, would be tantamount to "direct participation" in conflict. Simultaneously, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has also refused to implement the ‘no-fly zone’ on Ukraine, stating that it would amount to a “declaration of war.”

As per UN human rights wing reports, so far, 351 civilians have been killed and 707 injured since the beginning of the invasion. However, on-ground numbers are expected to be higher. On the other hand, nearly 1.45 million, mostly women and children, have been forced to flee the war-torn ex-Soviet nation as the Russia-Ukraine war intensified. Observing the threat to international security and devastation in Ukraine, several western nations have continued to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia to push the withdrawal of forces from its ex-Soviet neighbour. Meanwhile, delegations from Moscow and Kyiv have engaged in two rounds of peace talks in the last weeks with the coming sitting expected on March 7.

(Image: AP)