«If Putin is not afraid, let him sit down and talk to Zelensky». Ukraine's Foreign Minister

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasized the necessity of direct negotiations between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as reported by pravda.com.ua.

The minister recalled that Ukraine has long sought a conversation between Zelensky and Putin. “I will say this again to Lavrov, our president fears nothing, including a direct meeting with Putin. If Putin is also not afraid, let them sit down and talk,” he stated.

Kuleba also expressed his readiness for a substantive conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to end the war.

It is worth noting that on the morning of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special military operation for the demilitarization of Ukraine. In his televised address, he stated that the circumstances “demand decisive and immediate actions from us, the people’s republics of Donbas have asked for assistance from Russia.”

According to the Russian leader, all responsibility for the bloodshed will lie on the conscience of the regime in power in Ukraine. He urged Ukrainian soldiers not to follow the criminal orders of the Ukrainian authorities, to lay down their arms, and go home.