Ukraine threatens to withdraw from negotiations with Russia, wants the US to provide more powerful weapons

Speaking at a news conference in the capital Kyiv, Zelensky was asked how Kyiv would react to potential independence referendums in territories controlled by Russian forces. He said that would force him to stop all negotiations with Moscow, according to RT.

“If our people are destroyed in Mariupol, if a referendum, a fake referendum, is announced in any fake republic of Ukraine, Ukraine will withdraw from the negotiation process. ”, emphasized President Zelensky.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference in Kyiv on April 23 REuters

Two days earlier, Russia claimed to have control of the city Mariupollocated in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, but putin-noi-nga-phong-thu-ten-lua-vo-doi-my-noi-khong-xem-la-moi-de-doa-post1450815.html” title=”President Putin says Russia launched a missile ‘ incomparable’, the US said it did not consider it a ‘threat'”>Russian President Vladimir Putin postponed the attack on the Azovstal steel plant, where about 2,000 soldiers of the Ukrainian forces were still entrenched. Putin instructed to surround the factory “so that a fly cannot fly through”.

President Zelensky admitted that at the moment, Ukraine cannot retake Mariupol and asserted that the soldiers still entrenched at the Azovstal factory were well aware of this situation. However, the Ukrainian side yesterday accused Russia of attacking this factory again,

President Zelensky once again expressed his desire to hold a direct dialogue with President Putin, arguing that face-to-face dialogues can be a more effective way to peace than negotiations through the middle parties. time.

Earlier, President Putin did not rule out a face-to-face meeting with President Zelensky, but stressed that it depends on the progress of negotiations between the delegations of the two sides.

Other way, President Zelensky announced that Ukrainian forces would continue to fight, and rely on Western weapons, to recapture territories controlled by Russian forces.

At the same press conference, President Zelensky said Ukraine hopes to obtain more powerful weapons during talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Minister Lloyd Austin in Kyiv on April 24, according to Reuters.

On April 15, the newspaperThe Washington Post reported that Russia had sent an official diplomatic note to the US with the content warning that Washington and its allies arming Ukraine could lead to “unforeseen consequences”. Earlier, Russia also warned it to consider convoys carrying Western weapons to Ukraine as a target military legitimacy and “pumping arms” to Kyiv will only lead to more casualties.