Ukraine President Zelenskyy asks Russian forces to 'save their lives', leave his country

Amid the ongoing war, after Russia invaded Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky in his latest speech has appealed to the Russian soldiers to save their lives and leave his country. Moreover, he also reached out to the European Union (EU) and asked it to consider an immediate accession for Ukraine to be a part of the EU under a new special procedure. This comes ahead of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegation at the Belarus border. 

Similarly, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal too has informed that his country has applied for EU membership under a special procedure. Taking to Twitter, Shmyhal asserted that Ukraine has "long proved" that it is an integral part of the European community. He further added that the time to make it official has come as Russia continues to attack Ukraine. The Ukrainian Prime Minister in his concluding remarks thanked his country's partners for support and quick decisions. 

Ukrainian delegation arrives at Belarus border for talks with Russians 

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian delegation arrived at the Belarus border for talks with their Russian counterparts, informed Ukraine President's Office. Additionally, the Russian news agency also reported that the negotiations between both sides would be held in a place code-named "fisherman's house".  The event is scheduled to take place near the Ukrainian border on the banks of the Pripyat River in the Gomel region, as per reports. The Ukrainian delegation is led by Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and MP David Arakhamia, leader of Zelensky’s party.

Ukraine had initially refused to hold talks in Belarus, alleging that it is working with Russia. However, it later agreed to hold talks there near the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The decision was announced following a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. 

Putin orders Russian nuclear deterrent forces on alert 

Meanwhile, in a big decision, Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Sunday order the country's nuclear deterrent forces to be on 'high alert'. Following this, Russia's nuclear deterrent forces are in a “special regime of combat duty” amid criticisms from the West over Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The decision triggered concerns from NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg who said that Putin’s nuclear rhetoric is “dangerous”.