Day 60 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Zelensky will Suspend Peace Talks if Defenders of Mariupol are Killed

Ukraine | April 24, 2022, Sunday // 12:03|  views

At least 8 dead after shelling in Odessa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that he will suspend peace talks with Russia if the last defenders of Mariupol are killed. The strategically important city has been under siege by Russian forces for weeks, and planned evacuations have been canceled due to heavy shelling.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again called on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to personally negotiate an end to the war. He said he was ready for any exchange with Russia, just to keep the Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol and the civilians besieged alive. According to him, yesterday they experienced one of the most difficult days of the Russian occupation:

"If our people in Mariupol are destroyed and if a referendum is called ... a pseudo-referendum on new pseudo-republics, Ukraine will withdraw from any negotiations."

The potential pseudo-republics that Zelensky has in mind are the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said it had destroyed a Russian command post in Kherson yesterday. Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said in an online interview that 50 senior Russian officers were at the command center when it was attacked. He said their fate was unknown. The Russian military has not yet commented on the allegation, which cannot be independently confirmed.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, yesterday the Russian forces continued with the shelling of the Mariupol metallurgical plant "Azovstal". Fierce fighting is reported in and around Donbas. There was also rocket fire against Odessa. A 15-story residential building was also damaged in the Black Sea town, killing at least eight people, including a 3-month-old baby. Russia's Defense Ministry has only said that long-range missiles fired from fighter jets have destroyed a logistics terminal at a military airport near Odessa, where American and European weapons have been stored.

Volodymyr Zelensky also announced that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit Kyiv later today. However, the White House has not yet commented. During the meeting, Zelensky is expected to call for more heavy weapons, which he has already said are vital to Ukraine's military efforts.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Ankara today for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Their meeting will take place before Guterres' visit to Moscow on April 26th, where he will meet with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin.

Two days later, the Secretary-General will visit Ukraine to hold talks with Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Orthodox Christians on Easter this morning:

“At Easter, we pray to God for great grace to make our great dream come true - this is another Great Day - the day when peace will come to Ukraine. And with it - eternal harmony and prosperity. With faith and confidence, I congratulate all of you on the holiday! "

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Tags: Ukraine, Zelensky, Mariupol, Russia

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