President Volodymyr Zelensky offered a dire outlook on the war Sunday, saying he is willing to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin — but failure at peace talks could lead to World War III.
“I’m ready for negotiations with him,” Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview. “I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations, we cannot end this war.
If there’s just 1 percent chance for us to stop this war, I think that we need to take this chance. We need to do that. I can tell you about the result of this negotiations — in any case, we are losing people on a daily basis, innocent people on the ground,” he said.
So, I think we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelensky — heralded for his defiance amid the Russian onslaught and his ability to rally his countrymen — said Ukrainians have demonstrated their “dignity” by fighting the Russian army and dealing a “powerful blow.” But he noted that dignity will not save lives.
