The first interview of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Russian journalists has been made public, despite Moscow's ban.
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The interview was conducted via zoom and the Ukrainian president spoke with the editor-in-chief of Meduza, Ivan Kolpakov, as well as with the editor-in-chief of the Dozhd TV channel (considered a "foreign agent" in the Russian Federation) Tikhon Dzyadko, journalist and writer Mikhail Zygar (who asked Zelensky a question from Novaya Gazeta's editorial director, Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov) and Kommersant's special correspondent Vladimir Solovyov.
"Ukraine is prepared to discuss adopting a neutrality status, as part of a peace agreement with Russia, but this would have to be guaranteed by third parties and put to a referendum," the Ukrainian president said in the interview aired today.
"Security guarantees and neutrality, non-nuclear status of our state. We are ready to discuss it. This is the most important point," Zelensky noted.
"This point of the negotiations (...) is under discussion, is being examined in depth," he said in an online interview with Russian media, aired on the Ukrainian presidency's Telegram channel.
The Ukrainian President said the Russian invasion caused the destruction of cities with Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine and noted that the destruction is worse compared to the Russian wars in Chechnya.
According to him, Ukraine discusses the use of the Russian language in Ukraine in talks with Russia,[/B] but refused to discuss other Russian demands, such as the demilitarization of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian President stressed that Ukrainian forces still control part of Mariupol.
He told them they can retreat if they find a way to do so and survive, but the troops insist on staying until they can leave with their dead and wounded.
The Ukrainian President noted that entire suburbs around Kiev and towns such as Volnovakha have been razed to the ground. "No more houses. No more streets. We can't even show these pictures to Ukrainians [IT'S SO AWFUL]," he said.
"Russia's invasion was brutal beyond imagination."
Zelensky noted that there was enormous frustration among Russians and Russian society about the war.
As a reminder, Russia's communications monitoring service has banned the country's media from broadcasting the interview Ukrainian President Zelensky gave to Russian media.
At the same time, the Russian service is launching an investigation into the media that took the interview from Zelensky.
Sources.gr
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